When providing your personal details to the Greek authorities (e.g., the Police or the Reception and Identification Service), ensure they are recorded accurately. These details typically include your:

  • Full name and surname
  • Father's and mother's names
  • Date of birth
  • Nationality
  • Place of birth

Double-check the information to avoid any errors that could cause complications later.

What to do when your personal details are registered for the first time by any authority, including the Police:

  • If you have official documents: Present your passport, identity card, birth registration certificate, or other official documents proving your identity. Your details will be registered based on these documents.
  • If you don't have the original documents: The authorities know that most asylum seekers do not have original documents. In such cases, your personal details will be recorded based on your declaration. If you have photos or copies of these documents, show them to the authorities to ensure your details are registered properly.
  •  If you notice a mistake: You should inform the authorities immediately and ask them to correct it. Correcting errors at a later stage is very challenging, so it's important to address them as soon as possible.

How to Correct Your Personal Details:

If you discover an error after your initial registration, you can request a correction at any stage of the asylum process, including before the Appeals Committee or even after you receive your ID and your Travel Document. Here's how:

  • When you have the original documents, submit an application in person to the Asylum Office, which is responsible for your case, or online via the Ministry Platform. You need to submit along with your application original documents proving your identity, such as your passport, identity card, birth certificate or marriage certificate. The certificates must be officially certified and translated in Greek. If you do not have the original documents, the Asylum Service will not accept photocopies or photos of the relevant documents.
  • If the mistake is due to a spelling error, incorrect recording of your information by the registering authority, or mistakes in how your name was written in Latin letters, you do not need original or other documents to correct the mistakes, a simple application is usually enough.
  • During your interview, you can ask the interviewer to correct your details. Explain the reasons for the initial error and provide any evidence you may have.  You might be able to change your nationality, place of birth or even other identity details if you present valid and strong reasons for not initially providing your correct details.
  • Correcting your age: To change your year of birth without original documents, an age determination procedure is usually required. This process involves a medical and psychosocial assessment to estimate your age when there are doubts about whether you are a minor or an adult. However, if, during your asylum interview, it is clear that you are under 18 but were mistakenly registered as an adult, this can be corrected with a decision of the Asylum Service without the need for an age assessment procedure.

Important Notes:

  • Consult a legal professional or organization: It is important to consult with a legal professional or organization before asking for the correction of personal details, as in some cases, wrongful registration of information could raise questions regarding you and might lead to negative consequences such as the rejection of your asylum application.
  • Handing over your passport: If you have a national passport, you must hand it over to the asylum service when you apply for asylum.
  • Contacting the authorities of your country of origin: Withholding and using a passport after applying for asylum or contacting the authorities of your country of origin to issue a document, such as a passport, identity card, or birth certificate, might jeopardize your asylum case, as Greek authorities might consider that you don't fear persecution in your country. You are advised to seek legal advice to understand how such actions may affect your asylum application.

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