Oh, Dear.
I’m writing this only a couple of hours after I wrote yesterday’s post because I want to get ahead of myself. As only two hours have passed, you’d think that not a lot has happened. Actually, since 4.30 this morning, apart from the sun coming up on a more or less cloud-free but grey dawn, the Blue Star has been in and gone out, the coastguard and other patrols have either set off for the early shift or returned from the night shift, and the cockerels have finally hushed up while their take their first breakfast. Neil has set off for a walk to the highest monastery on the island, I’m on my third cup of tea and roughly the 3,000th word of the day, and I’ve ordered an online statement from my bank. I must soon think about breakfast.
The bank statement is in readiness for April when I am going to do the paperwork for my biometric card. I was browsing through a Facebook group earlier (I have time for that now and then) when I noticed a post that made my eyes go wide. This was in a group for people who are British immigrants in Greece, and where experts generously give free advice. Over the last couple of years, it’s been clogged with questions about post-Brexit regulations, expectations, issues and news. I’d consider it the go-to place for anyone unsure about where they stand now we are third party nationals. So, you’d think that by now people would have realised that the regulations have changed thanks to Brexit and we can’t go on living here as European citizens. Well, the post that made me gasp was one that popped up with Captain Mainwaring style bluster saying, ‘What’s all this about having to change our residency cards? I only got mine last year and was told it was good forever. This is ridiculous! Bloody bureaucracy…’ Or something along those outraged lines. I mean, where have you been?
My suspicion is that the person who posted either hasn’t been online or read a newspaper for some years or has not thought about this subject because they only come to Greece for extended holidays. Maybe they rent a property for six months at a time and being damn British y’know, have never had to worry about their status. I don’t know, maybe they just bury their head in sand for fun. Either way, the reactions to the post ranged from helpful to disbelief to the ‘shocked’ emoji, mainly because the poster was so outraged that something had happened without his/her knowledge as if it was someone else’s fault. (It is, actually. It’s the fault of those who voted for Brexit, but let’s not go there.) Let’s go here:
Anyway, the situation is something like this: If you are British and want to live in Greece or stay for longer than three months at a time, you need to have had permanent residency established before the end of 2020. Even if you have a card, you now need to change that card to a biometric one, and you are entitled to apply if Greece is your permanent home. To prove that, you will need to prove five years of Greek tax returns, your address, that you have health care coverage, and that you are you, so passport and original residency card are needed, plus photos. Now a disclaimer: There are other things needed or not needed for other people, especially around health care and income, S1 forms, age and other things that don’t apply to me and which I don’t know about – so do your own research. But, the point is, as I see it, you can’t expect to carry on as you are without this card, and you can’t get one if you only ‘live’ here when you feel like it. I think I’m writing this here (badly) because I wanted to write it on that post, but, frankly, I couldn’t be bothered with people who huff and puff like we did when we still had the Raj, and blame it all on Greek bureaucracy when, in fact, the fault lies firmly at the feet of those who voted to leave the EU. And on that note, I shall leave you with another stunning photo from Neil and continue with my editing.
