This whole Brexit thing is a bureaucratic nightmare, but it doesn’t have to be for Brits in Greece and other countries. There is an organization that can help. EuroBrits Greece is funded by the AIRE Center to help British expats secure their residence status, and services are free.
A guestimated 20,000 British citizens reside in Greece.
We got this email from Myrto Stavridi, an attorney and case worker with The AIRE Centre:
I am sending you this email on behalf of The AIRE Centre, a legal charity based in London which provides free legal advice to individuals in need. The AIRE Centre, with the support of the British Embassy in Greece and the British Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is currently running the EuroBrits project to help British citizens secure their residence right in Greece after Brexit. Through the EuroBrits project, we provide necessary information and personalised assistance to British citizens, in both Greek and English, to facilitate their registration with the Greek authorities. Registration is essential to maintaining residence status.
The EuroBrits project aims to reach and assist as many British citizens as possible. From December 2020 until March 2021, EuroBrits will offer personal appointments through video conferencing. Starting in December and going into 2021, they have designated specific weeks for specific regions throughout Greece.
• From 1 December to 4 December, it’s the Ionian Islands, including Corfu.
• From 9 December to 13 December, it’s Peloponnese.
• From 16 December thru 20 December, it’s the Northern Aegean islands including Samos, Chios and Lesvos.
For those without email and/or the Internet, there’s a phone help line open Mondays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to noon local time. If you or anyone you know is in this situation, please call +30 698 85 91 229.
Whoever needs EuroBrits’ free assistance can contact the organization through email at [email protected] or over the phone at (country code +30 698 85 91 229.
EuroBrits offers a number of information sheets that might come in handy as we move toward 31 December:
• UK nationals’ right to reside in Greece now that the UK has left the EU
• What does the Withdrawal Agreement mean for UK nationals in Greece?
• How can UK nationals in Greece secure their residence status now the UK has left the EU?
• UK students’ right to reside in Greece now that the UK has left the EU
There’s also assistance for Brits in:
• Bulgaria
• Iceland
• Norway
For more information on Brexit, see Dispatches’ guide to the rules of all the European Union countries here.
About the AIRE Center: The AIRE Centre (Advice on Individual Rights in Europe) is a specialist legal charity that uses the power of European law to protect fundamental rights.
