Eloping in Greece: Paperwork, Witnesses, Places

Eloping in Greece: Paperwork for Two, Witnesses and Where It Is Allowed

Eloping in Greece sounds simple: the two of you, a photographer, a sunset. The legal version has one more requirement people forget. A Greek civil wedding needs two adult witnesses, so the smallest legal wedding in Greece has at least four people plus the official who marries you.

This guide covers the paperwork, who can be your witnesses, where a legal ceremony can happen, and when a symbolic elopement is the better plan.

TL;DR:

• A legal elopement in Greece is a civil wedding: the same documents as any foreign couple, a licence about a week after you file, and a ceremony before the mayor or a deputy.
• You need two adult witnesses. Greece's register of public procedures says they can be anyone adult, relatives included.
• The ceremony happens at the town hall or a place the municipality has designated, sometimes a park, a harbour front or a beach. Not just anywhere.
• A symbolic elopement has no legal effect, needs no Greek paperwork and can happen wherever the landowner or venue agrees. Many couples marry legally at home first.

What's the smallest wedding you can have in Greece?

Four people and an official. Greece's register of public procedures (mitos.gov.gr) describes a civil wedding as the couple declaring that they agree to marry, in front of two witnesses and the mayor or the mayor's deputy. The witnesses must be adults, and mitos adds that they can be anyone, even close relatives of the couple.

The US Embassy in Athens adds a practical detail: one witness acts as interpreter, since the ceremony is in Greek, and witnesses should bring a passport or Greek ID.

So an elopement for two still has a guest list of two. Couples usually bring two friends, ask the photographer and a planner or venue contact, or invite two family members who fly in for a long weekend. Check with the town hall whether it is happy for your photographer to also act as a witness.

The paperwork for two

Eloping doesn't shrink the paperwork. Each foreign partner files the same documents as any couple marrying in Greece: proof from your own country that you are free to marry, a birth certificate translated into Greek, and a passport. You file in person at the town hall, the mayor waits one week for objections, then issues a licence valid for six months. After the ceremony, the marriage is registered at the local registry (lixiarcheio) within 40 days.

That means a legal elopement needs about ten days in Greece, not a long weekend, unless the town hall lets a representative with a power of attorney file for you. Our Greece wedding timeline from abroad sets out the dates, and the guides for EU citizens and Irish, Canadian and Australian citizens cover the documents.

Where can you elope legally in Greece?

Where the municipality allows. Each mayor decides the days and places for civil weddings. Some examples from the municipal decisions we read:

• Rhodes lists beaches such as Faliraki, Tsambika and Vlicha near Lindos, plus St Paul's chapel and jetty in Lindos.
• Chania has used spots on the harbour front and in its parks, and its port fund has let couples use the Agios Nikolaos bastion in the Venetian harbour.
• Central Corfu uses its town halls, the Ionian Parliament and gardens such as Mon Repos and the Boschetto.

A clifftop, a private beach or a boat is not on these lists. For those, a legal civil ceremony usually isn't possible, and a symbolic one is. Our guide to marrying on a Sunday, in a town hall or on a beach has the detail and the fees.

Can you elope in a Greek Orthodox church?

An Orthodox wedding is a legal marriage in Greece, but it is not a quiet option for most foreign couples. At least one partner must be Orthodox, the other a Christian with a Trinitarian baptism, and the church asks for its own documents and a newspaper notice. The ceremony also has a sponsor, the koumbaros or koumbara, who has a role in the service. Our posts on civil, Orthodox and symbolic ceremonies and on whether you can marry without a koumbaros explain it.

Legal or symbolic: which elopement suits you?

Many couples split it: a short registry wedding at home with two friends, then a symbolic elopement in Greece with a photographer and nobody else.

A few practical points

• Book the official's time. The mayor or deputy has a schedule. Some municipalities marry couples on a few fixed days, so check before you book flights.
• Ask about the place, not just the date. If you want a specific spot, ask whether it is on the municipality's list and what the fee is.
• Photographs at protected sites. Archaeological sites have their own rules. Ask your photographer what is allowed before you plan a shoot there.
• Tell people afterwards. A short wedding website with your photos and a note for family is a gentle way to share the news, and it can carry the details of a party at home later.

Ask us about your elopement

We're not wedding planners. Email us at [email protected] and we'll suggest Greek vendors that fit your date, place and budget, such as a photographer or a small venue, and explain the paperwork. Neutral advice, free, and we pass your details to a vendor only once you say so.

Frequently asked questions

Can two people elope in Greece with no guests? A legal civil wedding needs two adult witnesses, so you need at least two other people. A symbolic ceremony can be just the two of you.

Who can be a witness at a Greek civil wedding? Any adult, including relatives, according to Greece's register of public procedures. Witnesses bring a passport or Greek ID, and the US Embassy notes that one acts as interpreter.

Can you elope legally on a beach in Greece? Only if the municipality lists that beach as a place for civil weddings, as Rhodes does with several. Otherwise a beach elopement is symbolic.

How long do we need to be in Greece to elope legally? About ten days for a civil wedding, because the town hall waits a week after you file before issuing the licence.

Is an elopement in Greece recognised at home? A civil wedding registered in Greece is recognised in most countries, with the conditions our nationality guides describe. A symbolic elopement isn't a marriage, so you would also marry legally at home.

Recommended

• Sunday, Town Hall or Beach Wedding in Greece: Rules
• Civil, Orthodox or Symbolic Wedding in Greece
• Greece Wedding Timeline From Abroad, Month by Month
• Greece Wedding Cost Per Person, Outside Santorini