Greek-American attorney Kostas Alexakis has raised bureaucratic obstacles facing Greeks born abroad directly with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, according to Greek Reporter.
Alexakis said that during their meeting in San Francisco, on the sidelines of an artificial intelligence event on September 22, the prime minister acknowledged the problem and expressed a commitment to addressing it.
The dispute centres on a requirement imposed by Greek consular authorities in the United States: parents’ marriage must be registered in Greece before their child’s birth registration can proceed. Alexakis says this creates serious difficulties for adult applicants, particularly when their parents have died, divorced or when the necessary records are hard to obtain.
He argues that authorities should distinguish between acquiring citizenship and recording a status already derived from a parent’s Greek citizenship at the time of birth.
The report also highlights differing descriptions in official guidance. A government pamphlet presents declaring a birth at the consulate as the central step for this category, without mentioning prior registration of the parents’ marriage. That discrepancy does not itself establish that the consular requirement is unlawful, but it underscores the need for clearer guidance and simpler procedures.
Source: Greek Reporter, October 4, 2026.
