Government of Canada services and information in Thessaloniki, Greece

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Refer to Marriage abroad.

CIVIL MARRIAGE

The following documents must be submitted by the Canadian citizen to the City/Town Hall that has been chosen to perform the marriage ceremony, for the issuance of the Greek marriage license. We strongly recommend that you contact directly the City/Town Hall where the ceremony is going to be performed in order to confirm these requirements. You may also refer to the marriage guidelines indicated in the website of the Hellenic Ministry of Interior Affairs: http://www.ypes.gr

DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED:

1. Valid Canadian passport,
2. The long form birth certificate in which the full names of both parents is shown. The document must be authenticated (see instructions below) and translated in Greek. If the birth took place in Canada, the birth certificate should be issued by the relevant Canadian Vital Statistics Office. The pocket size birth certificates are not acceptable by the Hellenic authorities for marriage purposes.
3. Divorce documents (if applicable): the documents must be authenticated (see instructions below) and translated in Greek.
4. A wedding announcement in a Greek newspaper (one for each spouse). The names of the future spouses and their parents' names (including mother's maiden name) must be written with Greek characters. The newspaper should have been issued within the last 8 days prior to the application to the Greek City Hall. For more information on this requirement, consult the City/Town Hall where the wedding is going to be performed.
5. A Declaration of Capacity to Contract Marriage in Greece. Please contact us at

athns-cs@international.gc.ca to obtain the declaration by e-mail. In the Declaration of Capacity to Contract Marriage (available at the Embassy), the Canadian citizen declares that he/she is free to contract marriage.

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Where to sign the Declaration of Capacity to Contract Marriage:

IF YOU ARE PLANNING OF VISITING THE EMBASSY OF CANADA IN ATHENS OR THE CANADIAN CONSULATE IN THESSALONIKI

1. The declaration must be sworn / affirmed before the Consular Officer in Greece (Fee: $50.00 CDN or Euro equivalent).
2. The signature of the Consular Officer must then be validated by the ‘Certification office’ of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (10 Arionos St., Psiri / tel. 210-3285757, -758): http://www.mfa.gr/ (fees apply)

IF YOU ARE NOT PLANNING OF VISITING THE EMBASSY OF CANADA IN ATHENS OR THE CANADIAN CONSULATE IN THESSALONIKI:

1. The declaration must be sworn / affirmed before a Canadian Notary Public or Barrister and Solicitor (if you reside in Canada) or before a Consular Officer of a Canadian Embassy in a third country (if you reside in a third country).
2. The document must be mailed to the Embassy of Canada in Greece for authentication (of the signature of the Canadian Notary Public/ Barrister and Solicitor/ Consular Officer). (Fee: $50.00 CDN or Euro equivalent).
3. The signature of the Consular Officer must then be validated by the ‘Certification office’ of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (10 Arionos St., Psiri / tel. 210-3285757, -758). http://www.mfa.gr/ (fees apply)

Attention: The Embassy of Canada cannot undertake the processing of your documents at the Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The interested parties must make all the necessary arrangements to have a courier company or an individual collect the documents from the Embassy and have them processed by the Greek authorities/ Hellenic MFA and forwarded to the receiving end.

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Where to have OFFICIAL TRANSLATIONS:

• Official translations can be obtained by the Consulates of Greece abroad or through the "Register of certified Translators" maintained by the Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs (https://metafraseis.services.gov.gr/ ). Depending on the Town/City Hall of your marriage, translations by individual translators may also be acceptable.

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AUTHENTICATION:

Canada is not a member of the 1961 Hague Convention, abolishing the Requirement for Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents. Authentication (sometimes also referred to as “legalization”) is the certification of the genuineness of the signature and seal of an official. Through this process, it is attested that the official has the authority to execute, issue or certify a document in one jurisdiction, so that it may be recognized in another jurisdiction. Authentication does not certify the genuineness, legality or credibility of the documents or their contents.

The Canadian ORIGINAL documents (birth certificate, marriage license, divorce certificate) should be authenticated either by the Greek Consulates in Canada or by the Embassy of Canada in Greece (Fee: $50.00 CDN or Euro equivalent).

The authentication performed by the Embassy of Canada in Greece should also be legalized by the ‘Certification office’ of the Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs (10 Arionos St., Psiri / tel. 210-3285757, -758). http://www.mfa.gr/ (fees apply)

Authentication may be requested by:

1. A translator from the "Register of certified Translators" maintained by the Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs (https://metafraseis.services.gov.gr/) in order to proceed with the official translation of the document into Greek
2. The City/Town Halls where the ceremony is going to be performed.

GENERAL NOTES:

• The marriages of Canadian citizens in Greece are registered at the Vital Statistics Office (Greek Lixiarchio) of the city/town where the civil or religious marriage was performed, within 40 days .
• Non-registered marriages have NO legal validity.
• The marriage is not to be registered or reported at the Embassy

The office provides the following notarial services, by appointment only, to Canadian citizens and, in limited cases, to non-Canadian citizens if the documents are intended for use in Canada. Note: Documents must be in English or French, or accompanied by an official translation in English or French.

Authentication/Attestation (certify the document signature, the position of an official and the seal are genuine):

• Documents issued in Canada must be authenticated by Global Affairs Canada in Ottawa before the office will certify the documents (fees apply).
• Witness a signature on a Statement in lieu of certificate of non-impediment to marriage abroad form (fees apply).
• Clients requiring information about authenticating documents while outside of Canada, refer to Authentication of documents.

Certified copy (certify the document is a true copy of the original):

• Documents presented by a Canadian citizen or a non-Canadian citizen for use in Canada; exceptions apply (fees apply).
• Government-issued identification requiring a certified true copy (fees apply).

Witness a signature (consular officer witnesses a signature):

• Documents presented by a Canadian citizen or a non-Canadian citizen for use in Canada; exceptions apply (fees apply).
• Government-issued identification requiring a witnessed signature (fees apply).

Note: Complete all documents before booking an appointment. Sign all documents in front of the consular officer.

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