Foreigners wishing to obtain Greek citizenship will have to pass written examinations according to an Interior Ministry Bill that has been opened up for public consultation until 10 September.
The written examination will test candidates knowledge of Greek language, geography and history. Candidates will need to obtain more than 80 per cent in order to obtain a Certificate of Adequacy of Knowledge for naturalisation.
There is currently a backlog of 30,000 applications for citizenship, some if which were lodged years ago. Greece’s Secretary General of Citizenship Athanasios Balerbas told newspaper Ta Nea that the restructuring of the process will help shorten delays.
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The applications will now be examined with the new system, with candidates required to sit for a 250-euro exam, unless they are aged over 67 or are diagnosed with writing difficulties in which case they will sit for oral exams.
Two officials from the ministry’s general secretariat for citizenship will make the final decision on the granting of citizenship, along with an additional 550-euro fee.
