Greek Citizenship Test: The Full Guide

Why the Test is Crucial to Obtaining Greek Citizenship

When you pass the Greek citizenship test, you’re essentially demonstrating that you have a broad knowledge of the country, as it allows you to assess your understanding of Greek society and your ability to integrate:

• Know the history of Greece
• Understand its political system
• Speak the language

These are three key points that everyone who wants to pass this test must know.

The test has a dual purpose:

• it helps the government to assess whether the candidate fulfills the necessary criteria to become a citizen;
• it helps the candidate to better understand the country.

Greek Citizenship Test: Application Criteria and Costs

In order to be able to take the test, you must meet certain criteria:

• be of legal age
• have a clean criminal record
• not have been expelled from Greece
• have been resident in Greece for at least seven years (reduced to three years for refugees or persons of Greek origin);

Before you can take the citizenship test, you must prove that you have successfully passed a Greek language test of at least B1 level.

The total cost of the Greek citizenship test and the subsequent interview is €800:

• €250 for the test itself;
• €550 for the interview with the government representatives in the event of passing the test.

5 Ways to Obtain Greek Citizenship

These are the 5 most common ways to obtain Greek citizenship.

By descent

To obtain Greek nationality by descent, you must fulfil one of the following conditions:

• Having at least one parent who is a Greek citizen.
• Being born in Greece and having a parent who has resided there legally for at least five years.
• Having been adopted by Greek citizens.
• Having a grandparent born in Greece or naturalised.

Through studies

Children who have attended Greek schools for a minimum of six years or whose parents are foreign nationals but have been resident in Greece for at least seven years may apply for nationality.

Marriage

Those who married before 1984 may obtain Greek nationality through marriage. All marriages after this year entitle the holder to permanent residency, but no longer to nationality.

Military service

Foreign nationals serving in the Greek armed forces or attending a military academy in this country may apply for nationality.

Investment (‘Golden Visa’)

Since 2012, holders of a Golden Visa in Greece, also known as residence permit, which is granted on the basis of an investment of at least 250,000 euros (often a real estate investment is required), can also apply for citizenship through naturalisation.
After seven years of holding this visa, it is possible to apply for citizenship.

What to Expect on the Day of the Greek Citizenship Exam

The citizenship test consists of 20 written questions covering five subjects:

• Greek culture
• Greek politics
• Greek geography
• Greek history

plus 10 oral questions on three topics chosen at the examiner’s discretion and an essay.

The minimum score required to pass the exam is 80%.
After passing the exam, candidates receive an invitation to an interview conducted by the Citizenship Department of the Greek Ministry of the Interior, whose purpose is to assess the candidate’s ability to integrate into Greek society.

There is a waiting period of several months between passing the test and receiving the invitation to the interview.

Can the test be repeated? If you fail the test, there is a minimum waiting period before you can retake it, which varies depending on many factors.