ΕλληνικάWhich is the minimum adequate income needed for naturalization?
The new naturalization process started in April 2021, after the changes made by Law 4735/2020. All those who are going to apply for naturalization or have already applied but have not been examined by the Naturalization Committee until 31/03/2021, must first successfully pass the examination process to obtain the Certificate of Adequacy of Naturalization (greek abbreviation: PEGP). Then, the Directorate of Citizenship, to which applicants have submitted their dossier, invites them to an interview in order to examine their criteria for economic and social integration. Adequate income is now one of the criteria for economic integration that must be proven for specific years before applying, depending on the type of the residence permit. The circular, published on 18/10/2021, specifies all the details of the new naturalization process.
In particular, the following applies to adequate income:
a) Those who must have 7 years of continuous lawful residence in the country before submitting the application for naturalization, (recognized refugees, those who have subsidiary protection status, second generation residence permit, ten-year residence, long-term residence, humanitarian reasons residence permit or are family members of a Greek citizen ) need to prove adequate income for at least 5 of these 7 years.
b) Those who must have 3 years of continuous lawful residence in the country before submitting the application for naturalization (citizens of EU countries, spouses of Greek citizens with children) need to prove adequate income for these 3 years.
c) Those who have the other types of residence permits, which require 12 years of continuous lawful residence in the country before submitting the naturalization application, need to prove adequate income for 7 years during these 12 years.
How much is the minimum adequate income per year?
Adequate income is calculated per year and changes depending on the period.
→From 2007 to 2011, 2019 and 2020 the minimum adequate income is estimated per year
at:
a) 7,500€ for singles
b) 8,250€ for married
c) 9,000€ for married with one child
d) 9,750€ for married with two children.
e) 10,500€ for married with three children
g) 8,250€ for single-parent families with one child
h) 9,000€ for single-parent families with two children
i) 9,750€ for single-parent families with three children
→ From 2012 to 2018 the minimum adequate income is calculated per year at:
a) 6,500€ for singles
b) 7.150€ for married
c) 7.800€ for married with one child
d) 8.450€ for married with two children
e) 9.100€ for married with three children
g) 7.150€ for single-parent families with one child
h) 7,800€ for single-parent families with two children
i) 8,450€ for single-parent families with three children
The detailed table with the adequate income, as it is in the circular:
(Minimum adequate income per year in relation to family status)
Attention:
⇒The adequate income is proved by the tax return statements filed with the application for naturalization.
⇒It is the total declared income, i.e. the net annual income after the withholding tax. It is the income that the applicant has earned, from work, pension, business, or other funds.
⇒If the applicant is married, the income declared by his / her spouse is also calculated in the total income.
⇒If the applicant has been certified with a disability of more than 67%, all the benefits she/he receives from the state are also calculated in the annual income.
⇒If the applicant is a dependent family member then his / her adequate income is calculated based on the income of the person on whom he / she depends.
⇒Unemployment benefit is calculated on the applicant’s required adequate income.
Generation 2.0 RED, on the occasion of this information, reiterates its public disagreement about the condition of adequate income in naturalization. This is a very strict criterion that ignores the Greek reality of the last decade and the serious consequences of the financial crisis throughout the population of the country. Particularly problematic is the fact that adequate income must be proved not only by those who wish to submit new applications but also by the old applicants, whose naturalization application was not examined until 31/03/2021. Thus, people who have filed applications for naturalization under a different procedure are now being faced with new criteria and the risk of having their applications, which have beenare pending for years, to be rejected, as well as to lose the expensive fees they had paid in the past (700 or 550 euros depending on the period they applied) .
