How I Moved To Crete Greece From Kenya
Today I want us to talk about how I moved to Crete Greece from Kenya. I just want to share my process with you so you can get a rough idea of how it would be if you are African planning to move to Greece. Before we start I just want to say that each process is unique depending on your situation, and why you are moving to Greece.
This is how I moved to Crete Greece From Kenya, my reason for moving to Crete was to come and live with my husband, we had just gotten married in Kenya, and we immediately started the process of getting things ready for me to move. The first step was to visit the Greek Embassy in Nairobi so they can inform us what is needed and what we needed to do in order for me to be able to travel to Greece, and also apply for a residency permit.
Well, we didn’t know what was in store for us. We thought it will be straightforward, we submit our marriage papers and then we fill out some forms and we get the visa, so we can come to Greece and wait for my residency permit. It was not that simple.
How I Moved To Crete Greece From Kenya, Lets Start From The Begining
For those who don’t know me, my name is Rose, I was born and raised in Kenya,(East Africa) in a town called Nakuru which actually just got upgraded into a City ( so I guess I am a city girl now lol) My husband and I got married in February of 2015, he is from Denmark but lives here in Greece.
So when we went to the Greek embassy, they informed us that we have to go to the Danish Embassy because my husband is not a Greek citizen, they cannot process my case, therefore The Danish embassy has to process my case. Well, off we went to the Danish Embassy, we presented our case, to which they responded by saying, they cannot process our case because we are not going to live in Denmark.
How I Moved To Crete Greece From Kenya Wait There Is More We Had To Return To The Greek Embassy
Again, we were sent back to the Greek embassy, The Greek embassy said that for them to process our case, they need to know that the Danish embassy recognizes our marriage, so they need them to state that they acknowledge that we are married, and they need to sign and stamp our marriage certificate.
Then it was back to the Danish embassy, they did stamp our papers, and they also gave us a copy of the EU document that talks about matters regarding an EU citizen marrying a person like me(from Africa) The paper explained how the process should go. The Danish Embassy also informed us that they would be OK issuing a visa valid for a period of 90 days.
But they said that will further complicate things because we don’t plan to live in Denmark. They said in order for my residency permit to be processed by Greece, I must enter Greece with a Greek visa. So guess what? yup, we had to go back to the Greek embassy.
At The Greek Embassy, I Was Told I Can Only Stay In Greece For 90 Days Then I Have To Go Back To Kenya
I was told that they will issue a visa valid for 90 days, but once those 90 days are over, I must return to Kenya. This was if they were to process my residency permit at the embassy, they also informed me that the process can take anywhere between 6 months to a year, maybe longer.
So the plan was, I come to Greece, stay for 3 months, then go back to Kenya, stay for another 3 months before I can apply for another visa to return to Greece a period of another 3 months, I was to do that until my residency permit is issued. alternatively, I could come to Greece, file my residency permit application, but if it’s not through before the 90 days are over, then I must return to Kenya.
Well, We Decided To Apply For My Recidency Permit In Greece
We asked the embassy to give me the visa, and then I would travel to Greece and apply for my residency permit from here. Well, they issued the visa and gave me a list of documents that I will need in order for me to apply for the residency permit. I must say they were very helpful, once we informed them we would like to file the application here in Greece.
So the day came when we should go to the Immigration office here in Chania Crete. And we submitted my documents, at first things looked really good, until the officer pointed at my birth certificate and said ” this is not good” I asked what the problem was, it turns out I was missing a stamp from the Greek embassy in Nairobi.
I asked if it was possible to have it stamped in Athens by the consulate,( Kenyan Consulate) since the stamp was to verify that my birth certificate was genuine. They said it has to be stamped by the Greek Embassy in Nairobi. Things were getting complicated. When I called the Greek embassy to ask if I can send it by DHL, they said that’s not possible because it has to be handed into the embassy in person.
How I Moved To Crete Greece From Kenya
So I had to call my family and ask them to help me deliver the birth certificate to the embassy, and then send it back to me via DHL, thank God all worked well and very quickly. I took the birth certificate to the immigration office, they told me it had to be translated into Greek together with other documents like marriage certificate and the certificate for good conduct( that’s the police background check that I had done in Kenya) and finally, they could start processing my application.
Once they certified that all documents were in order, they issued me with an extension, so I could stay and wait for my card to be issued.
How I Renewed My Residency Permit In Greece
The first residency card that I got was valid for 5 years, I was told to go back 3 months before it expires so I can apply for renewal, I must say the renewal process was much easier. I didn’t need to send any documents to Kenya, I just needed to fill out the application form, and my husband and I had to sign a document that stated that we are still married.
Then I had to go for biometrics and give photos, and of course a copy of my card and passport.
Conclusion
Well, that is how I moved to Crete Greece From Kenya. I wanted to share my experience because I feel like, it could help someone who is maybe planning to move to Greece from Kenya or another African country to be with their spouse. As I mentioned each process is different, I am sure if my husband was Greek things would have been easier.
Anyway, I hope you have found my article helpful today, if so, then please leave me a comment below, and also share it on your social media so more people can read it. You might be interested in this article too titled How To Move To Crete Greece
Thank you for your time.
Rose
