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Searching on line in regards to residents permits and what has to be done to change them, Zakynthos Informer came across an interesting post written by Julie Cross administration of the social media page British in Greece.
This is what she posted:-
We finally heard back from the Citizens’ Rights Officer at the British Embassy ?
Excellent news. She confirmed that anyone who is registered as resident in Greece before 31/12 (beige and blue permit holders) will AUTOMATICALLY secure their rights under the provisions of the Withdrawal Agreement. This means that none of us will have to re-apply. It will be a straight swap for the biometric. No paperwork ? So by definition none of us can be refused even if your status has changed since you got your residence permit (loss of income, savings or property, loss of health insurance, separation, divorce etc.) Those who haven’t got residence permits yet will still have to meet the deadline of 31/12/2020 for registration (as EU citizens) and we all need to meet the deadline for the application for the biometric (unknown but likely 30/6/2021). So it is very important we continue to reach as many people as possible to get them to register. You should still upgrade to blue if you can because it will give you a different status on the biometric.
The Greek government is finalising its legislation and they should be updating their Brexit site as soon as they announce it – likely in July.
Most importantly it seems that the British Embassy have been fighting our corner after all behind the scenes. The proof of the puddding is in the eating of course so let’s not break out the champagne quite yet. It’s still a mammoth task to get everyone registered and all those cracks papered over.
Edit Just to add a huge thank you to Jane Golding of British in Europe who has been quietly pressing our case with the FCO for the last month.
Full text of the email below.
Dear Ms. Cross,
Thank you for your email and my apologies for not replying to you earlier. I was hoping I could provide specific answers next time I would write to you but I am afraid this is still not the case. I understand the frustration this may cause to you and other members of the British in Greece group and I can only ask for your patience.
Citizens’ Rights has always been our priority and despite the unexpected covid19-related developments globally, our work here continues apace, at the highest level and with the same commitment as always; I cannot share details yet but you may have seen some relevant activity online. Sarah Taylor, FCO Director for Europe, recently led a two-day, high-level, virtual visit with Greek officials to discuss all aspects of British-Greek relations; future relationship and the implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement included. Indicatively, a brief video can be found here. Alternate Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs Miltiadis Varvitsiotis also commented publically on internal preparations, currently taking place at intra-MFA and inter-ministerial level; an indicative example can be found here. The British Embassy in Athens also supports UK-European Commission talks for the work being done within the context of the Specialized Committee on Citizens’ Rights. I believe British in Europe follow this strand of work closely too.
The transition period provides time for member states to prepare their systems. We have been informed that the Greek authorities, having reached the final stage of internal preparations will be soon in a position to proceed with public announcements. We expect that to happen in July, possibly early in the month. Once done, the official Greek Brexit website will be updated to include the new information and we will do the same with our Living in Greece guide once we have clarity on policies. The good thing is that Greece chose not to introduce a new system in order to minimise disruption. Those legally resident, in line with the Free Movement provisions, automatically comply with the conditions in the Withdrawal Agreement and will see their rights protected. They will have to take action later in the year to get the new residence document but will not have to re-qualify. This is why the key message to all UK nationals resident here remains the same for the time being: go register. We know the number of applications has been reduced in the past couple of months, given the lockdown and social distancing measures in place but now is a good time to communicate this message again. We would be grateful if you could multiply through your channels too.
We follow the implementation of the WA closely and we work with the Greek authorities to streamline processes locally as much as possible; we are aware of certain issues that may complicate procedures in practice and thanks to our community members, many of them in Crete, who bring evidence to our attention we are able to strengthen the cases we submit to Greek authorities for review. We have resolved many issues but there are some we are still working on. Please encourage the members of the group to get in touch via our contact form in order to share such evidence. We analyse all the information we get and we take action when we can be specific.
I understand you got a chance to meet the AIRE reps while in Crete; I hope your discussions were constructive and thank you for your help to get the word out so that the information can reach those who are not online and may need it the most.
Best wishes,
Arete Ketekidou | Regional EU Consular Policy Adviser | Greece – Cyprus – Bulgaria |
Main photo fearture from:- https://www.politico.eu
