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Certified Greek Name Change Document Translation
Certified translation of the documents that record a change of name in Greece, including the marginal annotations and registry endorsements that carry the legal effect and that a reader unfamiliar with the system will otherwise skip.
$24.95/page
Flat rate per page, up to 250 words. No hidden fees.
100% USCIS acceptance
Every certified translation is guaranteed to be accepted by USCIS.
24-hour delivery
Most 1-3 page documents are delivered within 24 hours. Same-day available.
The mayor decides
A change of first name or surname in Greece is granted by decision of the mayor of the municipality where the person is registered, following a published notice — an administrative route through the δήμος rather than a court.
The decision is then recorded against the ληξιαρχική πράξη γέννησης, the birth registration act, and the μητρώο αρρένων or δημοτολόγιο updated. We name the municipality and the decision number exactly.
Married women keep their surname
Since the 1983 family law reform, Greek women retain their birth surname on marriage as a matter of law. A US reader expecting a married surname on a Greek document will not find one and may conclude the documents belong to different people.
A married surname may be used socially and may appear on some documents as an addition, and where the document shows both we reproduce both and say which is the registered one.
Transliteration is a document in itself
Greek romanises several ways — Ιωάννης as Ioannis, Ioannes or John; Γεωργίου as Georgiou or Yeoryiou — and Greek passports follow a specified scheme that may differ from what a family has used in the United States for fifty years.
A "name change" in a Greek-American packet is very often a transliteration difference rather than a legal change, and saying so plainly in the translation is frequently the most useful thing on the page.
Patronymics, and the father's name field
Greek documents carry a father's name field (πατρώνυμο) and often the mother's, and these are identifying data rather than part of the person's name. A US form treating the patronymic as a middle name produces a mismatch with the passport.
We render the field as what it is and label it. See our Greek page.
Ordering, and what the certification covers
Upload the document, choose certified translation at $24.95 per page of up to 250 words, and it comes back typically within 24 hours as a PDF formatted to mirror the original, with a signed certificate of translation accuracy on letterhead. Marginal annotations are translated in place, in the margin, so the reader can see that the change was recorded against the original entry rather than written into a fresh document. See how we translate and certified versus standard.
Frequently asked questions
Who grants a Greek name change?
The mayor of the municipality of registration, by decision, after a published notice. It is not a court order.
My Greek wife's surname did not change on marriage.
Correct since the 1983 reform. Greek women retain the birth surname as a matter of law.
My name is spelled differently on my passport.
Greek passports follow a specified transliteration scheme that may differ from long-standing family usage. Frequently there was no legal change at all, and we say so.
What is the father's name field?
A patronymic recorded as identifying data, not a middle name. We label it as what it is.
Ready to get started?
Upload the order, the resolution or the annotated certificate and receive the certified translation, typically within 24 hours.