In a groundbreaking development, Greece has addressed the long-overdue needs of Greek-born adoptees, marking a significant stride towards justice, recognition, and belonging for thousands affected by international adoptions.
Thousands of Greek children were sent from Greece for adoption abroad, mainly to the US, through often questionable means during the Cold War decades of the 1950s and 1960s. Many adoptees had lived their entire lives unaware of the fact they had been adopted or Greece was their birth place.
There may be 3,000 to 5,000 Greek adoptees, most residing in the US, with smaller numbers in European countries such as the Netherlands.
This milestone is the result of a powerful collaboration between dedicated advocates at The Eftychia Project and a specialized legal team.
For years, The Eftychia Project has steadfastly supported and advocated for Greek-born adoptees, especially those adopted abroad, providing hope, a better understanding of individuals’ identity, and re-connection with one’s roots. The Ministerial Order establishes a definitive legal precedent and a clear pathway for Greek-born adoptees seeking the restoration of their citizenship.
It formalizes and expands access to Greek citizenship for individuals who were separated from their heritage through adoption, often during periods of profound social and political upheaval.
A dream has become a reality for Greek-born adoptees
“This is truly a day for Greek-born adoptees everywhere to celebrate, something that none of us were certain we’d ever see in our lifetime,” said Linda Carol ‘Eftychia’ Trotter Forest, founder of The Eftychia Project.
“Four years ago, The Eftychia Project launched its adoptee-led initiative for citizenship. Today, through the continuous efforts of its board of directors and the legal team of Tsoromokos & Papadopoulos, in close cooperation with the Ministry of the Interior,” Carol elaborated. “What was once a dream has become reality with this groundbreaking Ministerial Order. We are ecstatic!”
Greece makes it easy for adoptees to register
Nasos Balerbas, Secretary General of the Ministry of the Interior, said that after years of bureaucratic and legal obstacles, Greece has finally delivered.
He recounted how as early as his previous role as Secretary General of Citizenship, he met adoptees seeking to reconnect with their homeland. “They said to me, ‘We want to become Greek citizens again.’ But these individuals had Greek citizenship. The issue wasn’t naturalization. The issue was restoration,” he revealed.
The groundwork for understanding the scale of this issue only began around 2012 to 2013. “That’s when historical researchers first uncovered evidence of this adoption phenomenon,” Balerbas said. Until then, despite its presence in public memory and anecdote, it had never been systematically documented, especially not its darker aspects, he added.
“This new Ministerial Order is essentially a roadmap,” Balerbas explained. “It outlines in detail how adoptees can register, even if they don’t have all the typical civil documentation. We’ve expanded the acceptable evidence—school records, baptismal certificates, and orphanage entries. The goal is identification.”
This development doesn’t just benefit adoptees themselves, he emphasized—it extends to their children and grandchildren.
A few adoptees have already successfully re-registered and were able to do so even before the Ministerial Order was issued as a result of more complete documentation. “We know of at least two groups—hundreds of people—who have expressed a desire to reconnect with their Greek roots and reclaim their citizenship,” he said.
When asked why this recognition took so long, Balerbas offered a sobering reflection: “It took time for historical research to catch up. For decades, this story remained hidden in the margins. But now, finally, we are restoring what was always theirs.”
Related: Greek Adoptees Fight for Citizenship, Access to Records
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