A shocking story has come to light, centered around a young woman, just 19 years old, from Lesvos, who has spent years fighting a bureaucratic dead end. Despite living in Polichnitos, she is unable to obtain an identity card, preventing her from exercising fundamental rights that most people take for granted. The case begins with her birth in 2007, as her father recounted to local news outlet stonisi.gr. Her father is a Greek citizen, while her mother is of Bulgarian origin and was a permanent resident of Lesvos at the time. The two parents were not married when the girl was born, but this did not stop them from following all legal procedures to formally recognize the child. Through a notarial deed, the newborn daughter was duly registered in the municipal registry under her father’s record. In the years that followed, family life progressed normally. The parents married and had another child.
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A 19-year-old’s ordeal through the bureaucratic labyrinth
The daughter grew up in Lesvos, attended Greek schools, and never faced any issues regarding her identity or citizenship — until the moment she needed to obtain her first identity card. According to her father, during the process at the responsible police station, a serious administrative problem came to light. Despite being registered in the Greek municipal records, the authorities treated her not as a Greek citizen, but as a Bulgarian national. From that moment on, the family began a prolonged struggle, as — according to their account — the young woman does not appear to be registered anywhere in Bulgaria either. They report that she does not appear in Bulgarian municipal records, and that her mother’s marriage has not been registered there either, meaning the mother continues to appear as single in the relevant Bulgarian authorities. The 19-year-old’s daily life changed dramatically, as the lack of an identity card prevented her from participating in activities her peers consider ordinary. She was unable to join a school trip with her classmates and, according to her family, could not even sit the national university entrance exams after graduating from high school. Her father describes the profound psychological distress his daughter is experiencing, as she feels trapped in a reality that prevents her from planning her future. Without an identity document, she cannot work, complete administrative procedures, or fully exercise her rights as an adult citizen.
Lawyer Prokopis Tzimis speaks out on the 19-year-old’s case in Lesvos
Recently, the family, with the assistance of lawyer Prokopis Tzimis, filed an appeal with the Citizenship Directorate of the Decentralized Administration of the Aegean, requesting a review of the file and the pursuit of a definitive resolution. However, as they report, no final response has been received so far, and additional documents continue to be requested from the Bulgarian authorities. Particularly noteworthy are the statements made by the family’s lawyer, who emphasizes that this case is not about the preferential treatment of a foreign national or the naturalization of an alien, but about the formal recognition of an existing legal status.
He stated specifically:
“This is a case I took on about a month ago. From the very first moment, I believed — and continue to believe — that it must be handled with composure, legal precision, and respect both for the applicant and her family, and for the Administration, which is called upon to examine the evidence and apply the law. We are not talking about preferential treatment, nor about the naturalization of a foreign citizen. We are talking about the recognition of a legal status that, according to the documents in the file, is provided for under the Greek Citizenship Code. Specifically, my client was born in Greece, grew up here, attended a Greek school, and her entire life is connected to this country. The critical legal element, however, is that she was legally recognized as the child of a Greek father through a notarial deed while she was still a minor. In such cases, the law provides that Greek citizenship is acquired from the moment of recognition, provided of course that the legal requirements are confirmed to have been met. What my client is therefore requesting from the competent Citizenship Directorate is not to retroactively create a right, but to examine the file, verify the public documents — birth certificate, deed of recognition, paternity details, etc. — and issue the declaratory act that corresponds to the applicant’s lawful status.
Even if the Administration has any reservations as to whether the applicant has or could have Bulgarian citizenship, this does not mean that the request can be left unresolved. The competent Citizenship Directorate has, under the Greek Citizenship Code itself, both the authority and the responsibility to investigate the relevant civil registry and municipal records. If there is any doubt concerning a foreign legal order, the Administration has institutional tools available — it can request clarifications through the appropriate consular or diplomatic authorities and, within the European framework, make use of administrative cooperation mechanisms between member states. What I believe is not appropriate is for the entire burden to be shifted onto the applicant, especially when there is an objective difficulty in obtaining foreign documentation. This case must therefore be decided on the basis of the law, the public documents, and the ex officio investigation that the competent authority is obligated to conduct, in accordance with the principle of good administration.”
