Husband from Greece: dream or reality?

Love lottery

Also read:

Greek character
The most sexually active nation in the world
Love passions on Greek soil or in search of overseas happiness
Greek wife
Greek grooms
How to get married in Greece
Greek wedding
Nightlife in Greece

To marry a Greek or not - this problem still worries the minds of some of our girls and women, despite all the horrors of the Greek crisis, colorfully depicted in the news. Are you ready for the Greek mentality? Do you know that for a Greek mother, the mother is the most important person in life? How to make a choice?

In this regard, I am creating a new section on the site “Married to a Greek”, in which we will discuss this topic, and also invite you to share your experience of girlfriends and wives of Greeks. Dear women, each of you can share your story. You can send me your story and I will be happy to publish it. Together we will help our girls better understand Greece and the Greeks...

In Greece it is customary to get engaged. People very rarely get married without getting engaged. When getting engaged, the rings are put on the left hand, and when getting married, the rings are removed from the left hand and put on the right. The engagement can take place both in the family circle and with a large number of guests, like at a wedding.

And the inspiration for this column was site reader Anya, who wrote the following in a comment.

"Good day!

I am a sailor, I have been working on Greek ships for 4 years, I think you have heard about Lewis Cruise Lines, I am in love with Greece, I have also been in a relationship with a Greek for 1.5 years, according to Greek. By standards, this is not so much, but still...at the moment there is a question about moving to Greece to be with the young people. a person, herself from Kyiv, has 2 apartments, a dacha, a car, as if everything is set up, but naturally he will not move here, he will not be able to live in Kyiv, and especially in winter, he himself is from Crete. My mom and dad died many years ago, so I don’t have anyone to ask for advice, my friends tell me to go, but they would only have to go over the hill, I’m not hungry, I’ve already seen half the globe, reading what’s happening in Greece, I’m scared, and I don’t want to lose it either, but I’m not sure that I’ll have it there either, everything is as I’m used to and I don’t even know if I can live in the “Greek” style))) Something I write a lot))) So , I would like to read reviews of brides or wives of Greeks on your website, so that I could at least have a picture of what I’m faced with and in general it’s worth it, I understand that I need to sacrifice for the sake of love, but in life I have no one to count on, I don’t want to bite my elbows later … Σας ευχαριστώ για την προσοχή σας"

It’s difficult to answer such questions in a commentary, so I thought it would be better to do it in an article - it might be useful to someone else. In addition, other wives of Greeks can join in and add their opinions and experiences.

Divorce in Greece

Divorce in Greece is a complex multi-stage process. If a certificate of dissolution of a union concluded in Greece is issued in Russia, it must be legalized through a Greek court.

Only under this condition will the document be considered legal. The process of considering a case and making a decision usually takes 6-8 months.

Return to contents

Options for terminating a relationship

Divorce in Greece can take place in several ways, depending on the circumstances:

If both spouses agree, have no children under 18 years of age and no property disputes, they have the right to contact a lawyer. Otherwise, formal agreements are drawn up through a notary. Lawyers provide services for drawing up an application and send it to the court, where the case is considered for 1 month. After this, a copy of the decision is sent to the registry office.
If more than 2 years have passed since the spouses began to live separately, the situation becomes a little more complicated. If a divorce is filed on the initiative of one spouse, he will have to prove the termination of the relationship in court. Witness testimony will be required. The divorce process lasts up to 10 months.
If there is a disagreement, the husband and wife go to court. In this case, the lawyers for both sides must be different. The reason for divorce in this case may be the presence of illegitimate children or a proven fact of adultery.

Divorce in Greece can happen in several ways

Return to contents

Marry a Greek

According to statistics, the age of first marriage in Greece is 27 years for girls and 31 years for men.

If we talk about me, I met my future husband after living in Greece for several years. And we officially got married after 6 years of dating, having gone through enough trials together. We can say that I am lucky, if there is any luck at all in this world - my husband Yorgos (Georgiy) is a good, decent person, hard-working and loving. Of course, neither of us are angels, each with our own shortcomings. But the main thing is that we found each other. And now the theory.

Let's start with the fact that when we marry any man, regardless of nationality, our life always changes. By definition, it will no longer be the same, we lose something, we gain something. For example, we lose some of our little freedoms, but gain a sense of security... everyone has their own view. If you have doubts, sit down, take a piece of paper, divide it into two columns and write down the pros and cons. After that, compare what is more and what is more important to you. This is the easiest way to bring some order to your head.

Now let's say that you are madly in love with your Greek and you can't wait to settle down with him by the warm Greek sea. What should you think about first if you want to quickly get used to the Greek way of life? Since the bulk of Greeks live in villages and small towns, we’ll talk about the village way of life.

Civil marriages take place only on weekdays. Saturday and Sunday are the privilege of the church. There are very few town halls that schedule in the afternoon. Therefore, it is better to call them and find out about the time, so as not to sign at 10 am and then not languish until the evening banquet.

Firstly, the patriarchal way of life and the spirit of house-building are still alive among the Greeks. This is especially noticeable in villages, and even in cities it is simply hidden “under a thin layer of civilization.” I’m not saying that this is necessarily bad, it’s just something that has to be taken into account. On the one hand, this is the preservation of the customs and traditions of the people, which I personally really like about the Greeks. On the other hand, some inertia may appear, especially in the older generation.

Faith, family and a football team are the main “shrines” of a Greek man. Parents and relatives in general are something sacred and untouchable (for a wife). He himself can quarrel with them with pleasure, but he will not allow you to say a bad word about them. Unfortunately, I no longer found my husband’s parents alive. But the rest of his relatives - his sister, uncles and aunts, cousins - accepted me calmly. If someone said something behind my back, I didn’t think too much about it. It was enough for me that everything was fine with my husband. And my sister-in-law has become almost like my own sister, I love her very much.

Our weapons are patience, a smile on our face, a good mood and love for our spouse. And one more thing - I am absolutely convinced that the rule “how you treat people is how they treat you” applies in any country. Respect your husband, respect your mother-in-law, neighbors and people in general. In the village everyone says hello to everyone, don’t walk around like a beech either. To the question “Τι κάνεις?” - "How are you?" answer with a smile “Everything is fine, thank you!” All the same, your complaints will not be interesting, they will only give the local gossips another reason to gossip. In these days of the Internet, you will not be deprived of communication - your friends will always be there.

A marriage certificate, or more precisely, a photocopy of the marriage record from the registry, certified by the registry office seal, is often issued the next day. Read carefully every letter of the documents: there is a high risk of finding errors in the spelling of last names and names, especially Russian ones.

Of course, the most important question is the relationship with your Greek man. If you love each other and compromise, you will always find a solution. But many women want to immediately get answers to the questions: Can the Greeks be trusted? Will he get married or get married and leave? Will he support me (preferably as a princess)? and so on. Well, what can you say? Greeks, like people all over the world, can be very different - good, bad, fools, knights, rich, poor... Look at a person, and not at words, but at actions. Those who, after an hour of dating, say “Σ'αγαπώ” - “I love you” usually do not plan a long-term relationship, but simply mean “I want you.” If you want to have fun, that's your business, but then don't complain!

So, a quick summary. What to do if you marry a Greek: 1. Nationality doesn’t matter, any man needs love and affection, don’t be stingy! 2. Since you are planning to live in Greece, try to love this country and immediately start learning the language. 3. Treat his relatives with respect and show this respect in every possible way, especially to his mother! You must make her an ally, not an enemy! Understand her, because you took away the most precious thing from her! 4. Don’t be shy to admit that you don’t know or can’t do something. You will be forgiven for this, and ask what you want to learn. They will be happy to tell and show you everything. 5. Smile more, say hello to your neighbors and when you come to any store, don’t be shy to start conversations. Always tell strangers what a wonderful husband you have. 6. If you are not happy with something, try to calmly discuss it with your husband and find a common solution. Scandals and endless grumbling have never made anyone happier. 7. Praise your husband as often as possible; it is very important for him that you appreciate how lucky you are to have him! 8. Determine what is important to you in life and what is not. If you feel unhappy because your beloved has again scattered his socks in the corners, then this is your problem, not his. Life is too short to be upset over such trifles!

Maybe I’ll remember something else, or you can tell me, dear readers! Of course, the most important component of a happy marriage with a Greek, as with any other man, is your sincere mutual love and respect. If this is not the case, no amount of advice or tricks will help!!! So, do you still want to marry a Greek??

Getting married in Greece in 2020

Local citizens, including foreigners and people from other countries, can enter into a legal union on the territory of the Hellenic Republic.

Return to contents

Required documents and expenses

The documents that will be required from Russians intending to get married are as follows:

Birth certificate.
Color photocopies of all pages of the internal ID card.
Copies of all pages of the international passport in color (find out how to obtain an international passport on our website).
A written statement from the future spouses about the absence of obstacles to the marriage, certified by a notary.
Original certificates from the civil registry office at the place of permanent residence of the bride and groom confirming the absence of records of valid marriages.
Certificate of divorce or death of a former spouse, if the newlyweds were previously married.
Receipt for payment of state duty (approx. 100 €).
Local newspaper in duplicate, where an announcement about the upcoming ceremony was published.

Documents required from Russians intending to get married

If a wedding is planned, the newlyweds must prove their Orthodox affiliation and present a document confirming that the ceremony has not previously been held at their place of residence. To do this, you need a baptismal certificate and a certificate from the priest.

It is necessary to bring two people to the church who are ready to confirm that the bride and groom are not relatives.

When foreigners plan to marry, including Greeks, they must first obtain a visa. It should be an ordinary guest, that is, you should receive an official invitation.

You can find out about the necessary documents for obtaining a Greek visa from the article on our website.

Every document submitted to municipalities for marriage with a Greek citizen must contain an apostille. A translation into Greek will also be required.

Find out how to fill out an invitation to Greece from the video.

Translation of documentation can be ordered from a specialized bureau. The standard price of the service is 30 euros per A4 page.

The translator must be qualified and accredited by the Greek Consulate. The accuracy of the translation is certified by a notary.

Documentation for registering a marriage in Greece is submitted to the church or municipality if at least one of the partners has a Greek passport. Documents can also be submitted to the consular departments of the country's diplomatic institutions abroad if the union is concluded by foreigners.

Documentation is submitted to the church or municipality if at least one of the partners has a Greek passport

Note: marriages with Greeks registered in religious institutions do not have legal force in the Russian Federation.

The costs of a wedding are directly related to the citizenship of the newlyweds and the features of the ceremony. It costs at least €3 thousand to complete the necessary documentation and registration.

Additional costs include transfer of guests, services of organizers, photographers, and decoration of the venue.

Additional wedding expenses