In 2025, the General Secretariat of Citizenship took an important institutional initiative by upgrading the way in which the swearing-in ceremonies of new Greek citizens are conducted, which constitute the milestone of the acquisition of Greek citizenship and are the top step in the integration of new Greek citizens into the Greek state.

2025 was the first year of implementation of this new way of conducting the ceremonies, following the amendment of article 9 of the Code of Greek Citizenship by article 97 of Law No. 5225/2025 (Government Gazette A’ 152/2.9.2025), to strengthen the public and symbolic character of the naturalization procedure.

In this context, the ceremonies were transferred from the premises of the Citizenship Departments to prestigious halls, ensuring a uniform and upgraded procedure for all those who are sworn in.

The new ritual includes the presence and short speeches of official guests, the screening of a short informative video and the playing of the National Anthem. At the same time, the awarding of a certificate of naturalization, printed by the National Printing House, and the provision of commemorative material (a copy of the Constitution, an informative brochure and a pin with the Greek flag) were introduced.

The first upgraded ceremony took place on 24 February 2025 at the Old Parliament Hall, in the presence of the Minister of Interior Todoris Livanios and the Secretary General of Citizenship Dimitris Karnavos (photo). From May 2025, all the Citizenship Directorates of Attica adopted the new way of conducting the survey, while the implementation was gradually extended outside Attica.

In total, twenty-nine (29) upgraded ceremonies/twenty-one (21) were held in Attica, four (4) in Thessaloniki, three (3) in Rhodes and one (1) in Alexandroupolis within 2025. In Attica, the ceremonies were hosted in iconic venues such as the Palace of the Old Parliament, the amphitheatre of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (EKPA), the Municipal Gallery of Piraeus and the “Parnassos” Literary Society. Similarly, in Thessaloniki, the ceremonies were held at the Faculty of Philosophy of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, while in Rhodes and Alexandroupolis the ceremonies were held in places of high institutional symbolism. In addition, in the twenty-nine (29) upgraded ceremonies held, a total of approximately 2,100 people were sworn in.

The young Greek citizens, through their comments and impressions, reflect the positive experience they had during their participation in the upgraded swearing-in ceremonies. Many of them spoke of the emotion and pride they felt, recognizing the ceremony as the moment that sealed their decision to acquire Greek citizenship and fully integrate into Greek society.

The upgrading of swearing-in ceremonies has now been established as an integral part of the naturalization process. It gives the required respect and institutional weight to a particularly important moment for both young Greek citizens and the Greek state. The further improvement as well as the geographical expansion of the process in 2026, is expected to further enhance its character and importance.