This was a long-talked of meeting: a group of us British nationals who had applied for Greek nationality, who had passed the exams on language, culture, history, geography, civics, etc., and who had provided the local administrative offices with barrow-loads of documents, had finally got towards the end of the process.
Most of us were fortunate in that the Greek government had offered support to British applicants since, because of Brexit, our status as European citizens was removed. This meant that the Ministry of The Interior fast-tracked our applications. Ours took about two-and-a-half years. A lady Armenian who took the oath in the same group as me had been waiting over six years.
Once the Ministry had approved our applications, our names were published in the Government Gazette, then in September the local offices invited us to the swearing-in ceremony. There we swore the oath of allegiance to the Hellenic Republic, thereby becoming fledgeling Greeks.
Within a month of this ceremony, we have to register at the local council offices as well as provide documentation for the registry offices to ensure our marriage certificates and childrens’ birth certificates have our nationality updated. Failure to register within that month means we are liable to pay a fine for our tardiness. : O
There were 9 of us who turned up – one was ill while another had been involved in a car accident – such bad luck! Most of us were from the south of England, one from Wales and one from Scotland. Some of us were retired, some involved in education of different types, and one a Red Cross volunteer. Below I am with Victoria and Anne, both stalwart members of our Facebook group which supported and guided us through our preparation of the exam materials and the general proceedings.
What we share is our long-term residence in Greece, as
well as a love for the country, its people, their language and culture. Oh, and its food, of course. The venue I had
suggested is one that I used to frequent when I first came to Thessaloniki in
the 70s and lived close by. Still in the family, it’s run by the sibling team of
Vicky and Christos. They looked after us splendidly and their food is
definitely to be recommended. If you are in Thessaloniki, near the Arch of
Galerius, go visit them at The
Koumbarakia at 140 Egnatia.
Liz had organized a surprise for us: a wonderful cake with Greek flag a-flutter - what an inspired, sensitive gesture! Here Liz looks on as Victoria does the honours and slices up the standard. There was more than enough to go round, so it was shared with the other customers at the restaurant.
And that brought our lovely evening to a close. So I close this post with the sweet message on Liz’ terrific tourta: Congratulations to Everyone!
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