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Greece Boosts ID Card Appointments as Old Ones Expire for Travel
🇬🇷 Greece /Culture & Society

Greece Boosts ID Card Appointments as Old Ones Expire for Travel

From Ta Nea · () Greek

Translated from Greek, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Official statement New plan
  • Greece is increasing appointments for new ID cards as old ones expire for international travel on August 3.
  • The General Secretary of Digital Governance stated that old blue IDs will no longer be valid for travel abroad after this date.
  • Efforts are underway to boost appointment availability, particularly in Athens and Thessaloniki, to meet high demand.

Greece is accelerating the issuance of new identification cards as the deadline for using old ones for international travel approaches. Starting August 3, the older blue Greek ID cards will cease to be valid for travel abroad, requiring citizens to possess a passport for international journeys.

From August 3, the blue ID card will no longer be valid. The immediate consequence is that one cannot travel abroad with it and will need to have a passport.

— Demosthenis AnagnostopoulosExplaining the impact of the new ID card deadline on international travel.

Demosthenis Anagnostopoulos, the General Secretary of Digital Governance, informed ERTnews that efforts are being made to increase the number of available appointments for new ID cards. This is particularly crucial in Athens, where demand is highest. Approximately 30% more appointments have been added in the capital, with similar measures being implemented in Thessaloniki to accommodate the surge in applications.

The available appointments in Athens have increased by about 30%, while similar actions are being taken in Thessaloniki to serve citizens rushing to issue new identification cards.

— Demosthenis AnagnostopoulosDetailing the measures taken to increase appointment availability for new IDs.

Anagnostopoulos emphasized that citizens can apply for new IDs at any police department across Greece, not just in their place of residence. He described the application process as "very easy and fast," highlighting the convenience of using digital photographs. Applicants can have their photos taken by a professional photographer, which are then electronically submitted to gov.gr and can be reused for other services, eliminating the need for repeated photo sessions.

One can go to any region of Greece and issue their ID with a much faster process.

— Demosthenis AnagnostopoulosHighlighting the flexibility and speed of the new ID application process.

The push for new IDs comes as Greece transitions to a new generation of identification documents, aligning with European standards. The increased appointment availability and streamlined process aim to ensure that citizens can obtain their new IDs smoothly before the August 3 deadline, avoiding travel disruptions.

very easy and fast

— Demosthenis AnagnostopoulosDescribing the process for issuing new Greek ID cards.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Ta Nea in Greek. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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