Brexit & UK Nationals in Greece
UK government published guidelines about UK nationals living in Greece, in the event of a no-deal EU exit.
While the UK government continues to negotiate Brexit, you should:
- Make sure you’re correctly registered as a resident in Greece before March 29, 2019.
- Put together a file of utility bills, bank statements, pension statements, wage slips (if employed), or income and other tax declarations (if self-employed), proof of health cover and pension payments etc. The longer the period the above cover, the better.
- Check your passport and driving licence. In the event of a no-deal exit, the so called ‘third country nationals’ passports must have been issued within the last 10 years and must be valid for at least another six months from your date of travel into Greece. If you are still using a UK licence, apply for a Greek one.
- Prepare financially. There may be temporary problems, moving money in and out of the EU in the case of a no-deal exit. Also, if you have a personal pension in the UK (this doesn’t apply to state or public service/occupational pensions) and have not yet retired, think about getting advice about how to deal with this. There may be issues with the rights of UK insurers/financial services providers to operate in the EU.
- Prepare for applying for a Permanent Residence Certificate if possible. This can only be applied for, if you have had a Registration Certificate for over 5 consecutive years.
- Top up your medication. If you are currently rely on an S1 form to give you access to the local health service and you need regular medication, make sure you have a good supply of it, because in the event of a no-deal exit the reciprocal health care system will stop and it might take several weeks to get an alternative system up and running. Having said that, think of getting an AMKA from a KEP (Citizens’ Service Centre) which gives legal foreign residents access to state health care and subsidized prescriptions through hospital doctors.
- Get your professional qualifications recognised.
- Make sure you are in Greece on March 29 and 30 2019, or if not possible try to be somewhere in the Schengen zone.
(source Gov.uk & britishineurope.org)
The Greek government has created an online platform with useful information which gets frequently updated with news, questions and answers about Brexit:
UK citizens in Greece- by the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs
A very useful guide about Greek citizenship has been provided by The Greek Ombudsman:
How can I become a Greek Citizen
For more news and updates about Brexit you may follow the local British Embassy on Facebook for news and updates:
British Embassy Athens – Facebook Page
Also please join the British in Greece Facebook community where lots of questions are answered in real time:
British in Greece- Facebook Community
On February 15 2019, Greek Foreign Minister George Katrougalos replied to the letter of the Secretary of State Jeremy Hunt on citizen’s rights, assuring him that British citizens already living in Greece are welcome, valued and their rights will be fully recognised and guaranteed.
Prime Minister Theresa May said that, MPs will be able to have a fresh vote on the Brexit deal by March 12. In the meantime, more drafts about legislation, in the event of a no-deal exit, will be getting ready, so many more details will be clearer over the next few days.
George Vlastos & Stelios Stamatakis
We would like to thank, Mrs. Julia Cross, administrator of Facebook community British in Greek for her useful information and perspective.
