Greece - Athens Field Office
Field Office Director
Adonis Rubinstein
Service Area
The Athens Field Office has jurisdiction over U.S. immigration matters in the following countries: Greece, Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
The Athens Field has jurisdiction over refugee processing in Greece, Cyprus, Iran, Kuwait, Lebanon, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
Street Address
American Embassy
Vasilissis Sofias 91
101 60 Athens, Greece
Please use the public entrance on Kokkali Street
Mailing Address from the US
Field Office Director
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Department of Homeland Security
PSC 108 Box 25
APO, AE 09842
Mailing Address from Outside the US
Field Office Director
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Department of Homeland Security
c/o American Embassy
Vasilissis Sofias 91
101 60 Athens, Greece
Express Mail address
Field Office Director
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Department of Homeland Security
c/o American Embassy
Vasilissis Sofias 91
101 60 Athens, Greece
Office Location
We are located near Platia Mavili, in the Ambelokipi area, directly across from the Megaron Mousikis.
Hours of Operation
The office is open to the public Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM. It is closed on Greek and American holidays.
Phone, Fax Numbers & Email
For general inquiries in Greek or English, please call the following numbers: 210-720-2404, or 210-720-2405. We are unable to provide specific case information over the phone.
If calling from the United States, please dial 011-30 first.
Fax: For specific case inquiries, a telefax is preferable. Our telefax number is 210-729-4304.
E-mail: USCIS.Athens@dhs.gov
Visiting the office in person
Appointments: An appointment is not necessary. Inform the guards at the entrance and come to Window 3.
Walk-ins: Walk-in service is always available Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM.
Public Transportation
By Bus: Take Numbers 231, 405, 408, 550, and A5, to Platia Mavili, which is across the street from the Embassy.
By Trolley: Take Numbers 3, 7, and 13 to Platia Mavili, which is across the street from the Embassy.
By Metro: Go to the Megaron Mousikis stop, one block away from the Embassy.
Parking & Handicap Accessibility
Parking is extremely difficult to find in the area and not available within the Embassy compound.
Accessibility for individuals with special needs is available.
Paying Fees
Fees for applications and petitions are in the Forms section on the USCIS website. The fees for all applications and petitions submitted to this office must be paid with Euros, U.S. dollars, postal money orders, or traveler's checks. Please do not mail cash or personal checks. The cashier's window closes at 2:00 PM.
Customer Feedback
We strive to provide quality service to our customers. If we have not lived up to this commitment, or if we have met or exceeded your expectations, please let us know. To comment on the services provided at this office, please write to the Field Office
Director at the address given above, or to the:
District Director
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Department of Homeland Security
American Embassy
Via Veneto 119/A
00187 Rome, Italy
If you feel you were mistreated by a U.S. immigration employee, or wish to make a complaint of misconduct by a U.S. immigration employee, you may write to the District Director, or write directly to the:
Department of Homeland Security
USCIS
Attn: Chief, International Operations Division
20 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Suite 3300
Washington, DC 20529-2100
Forms
Immigration forms are available under the Forms section of the USCIS website which can be found to your right under Related Links, or you may obtain them in person at the office.
Visas
For in-depth information about visas, please check the Visa Services section of the U.S. Department of State website.
Form I-407
The abandonment of lawful permanent resident status is irrevocable. An individual who relinquishes lawful permanent resident status must qualify again for such status. Therefore, one should give careful thought to abandoning lawful permanent resident status.
If you wish to abandon your permanent residence and relinquish your Permanent Resident Card (Green Card), please contact us by phone or in writing for further instructions.
Forms I-600 & I-600A
Information on intercountry adoptions may be found at the Department of State and in the Adoption section of the USCIS website which can be found to your right under Related Links.
The applicant should contact the Athens Field Office either by telephone or fax to discuss the forms needed, pre-adoption requirements, and the time range the adopted parents will be in Greece for the adoption. Appointments for filing the I-600 are given to accommodate the adopting parents. In countries that are within the Athens Field Office's jurisdiction but outside of Greece, Form I-600s are filed at the U.S. Consulate in the orphan's country. Form I-600A, Application for Advance Orphan Petition, can be filed in person or by mail with the Athens office.
The Athens Field Office provides fingerprinting services for Forms I-600 and I-600A.
Form I-130
U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents may file Form I-130 for immediate relatives at the Athens Field Office in person, provided that the petitioner and beneficiary reside in Greece. Normal processing time is 30 to 60 days.
Petitions that are commonly filed with the Athens Field Office are for:
1) spouses of U.S. citizens, 2) spouses of lawful permanent residents in the U.S. military; and 3) parents of U.S. citizens.
To file Form I-130 in Athens:
1) You must be a U.S. Citizen who is a legal resident of Greece for at least the last 6 months, or military and civilian members of the U.S. Armed Forces or U.S. government with orders to serve in Greece.
2) Make sure prior to filing, that you (the petitioner) have followed the requirements for reporting your marriage in Greece. If you have married your spouse outside of Greece, you must ensure that you have followed the rules of the country where you were married. If your spouse is a Greek citizen, the marriage needs to be registered with the Registrar's Office or the Municipality (Lixiarhio) of the area where the marriage took place.
3) All the documents (if they are not in English) should be translated into English by the Foreign Affairs Ministry (Arionos 3, Psyrri, Athens). The original documents, with one copy, and the English translation should be submitted with the petition.
4) The filing fee can be paid in U.S. or Greek currency, postal money orders or traveler's checks. The Embassy cashier cannot accept personal checks.
5) The Athens Field Office cannot accept Form I-130 by mail unless the I-130 petitioner is an active duty member of the U.S. military serving in the Athens Field Office's jurisdiction.
Form N-400
USCIS offices overseas are only authorized to process applications for naturalization for active duty military members and certain eligible family members. See the Citizenship section on the USCIS Website which can be found to your right under Related Links, to find Naturalization eligibility criteria and proper filing procedures.
The Athens Field Office provides fingerprinting services for naturalization applicants.
Form I-131 Parole
The Athens Field Office does not issue Humanitarian Parole. Individuals must apply for Humanitarian Parole by submitting their applications to:
USCIS Dallas Lockbox
For US Postal Service (USPS) Deliveries:
USCIS
PO Box 660865
Dallas, TX. 75266
For Express mail and courier deliveries:
USCIS
Attn: HP
2501 S. State Hwy 121, Business
Suite 400
Lewisville, TX 75067
Instructions on how to file an application for Humanitarian Parole are located on Form I-131 and in the Humanitarian Parole Section of the USCIS Website which can be found to your right under Related Links.
Form I-131 Re-entry
The Athens Field Office does not issue or extend Re-Entry Permits. Instructions on how to obtain or replace a Re-Entry Permit are found at How Do I Get A Travel Document section of the USCIS website which can be found to your right under Related Links.
Form I-590
We are unable to directly receive refugee resettlement applications. Please contact the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) located at Taygetou 23, Athens, Greece 154 52, telephone number 210-672-6462 or fax 210-672-6417.
Inquiries relating to the status of pending refugee resettlement applications that were submitted to U.S. immigration officials in Turkey, Lebanon, Yemen, United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait should be directed to the Athens Field Office.
Inquiries about requests to review denied refugee applications adjudicated in the countries listed above should be addressed to:
Field Office Director
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services
c/o American Embassy
Vasilissis Sofias 91
101 60 Athens, Greece
Or you may send these requests by fax to the Athens Field Office at 210-729-4304.
For general information and processing criteria please see the Department of State website and the Refugee section of the USCIS Website which can be found to your right under Related Links.
Forms I-601 and I-212
If you are outside of the United States and otherwise approved to immigrate to the United States, but a Department of State Consular Officer found you ineligible to enter because of one or more grounds of inadmissibility for which a waiver may be available, you may apply for a waiver by filing Form I-601, Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility.
If you left the U.S. voluntarily after being issued an order of deportation or removal, were deported or removed, or reentered the United States unlawfully after having cumulatively accrued more than one year of unlawful presence, you may apply for readmission the U.S. by filing Form I-212, Application for Permission to Reapply for Admission Into the United States After Deportation or Removal.
Where to File
USCIS has changed where waiver applications are filed. This may provide you with faster and more efficient application processing and will enable you to track your case status online. You may also request an email or text message confirming receipt of your waiver by completing and attaching Form G-1145, E-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance to your application.
Please read the directions below carefully so we can process your application as quickly as possible.
If you have not yet submitted your application:
• Beginning June 4, 2012, you must mail your waiver application and supporting evidence directly to the USCIS Lockbox facility specified in the form instructions.
If you have an appointment to submit your application before July 4, 2012:
• You may keep your appointment.
OR
• You may cancel your appointment and mail your application to the USCIS Lockbox facility specified in the form instructions.
If you submitted your application before July 4, 2012, and:
• Our office received it between June 4 and July 3, 2012, we will process it.
• Our office received it on or after July 4, 2012, we will return it to you. Please mail your application directly to the USCIS Lockbox facility specified in the form instructions.
You may find the address for the appropriate USCIS Lockbox facility in the form instructions or see, Direct Filing Addresses for Form I-601, Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility, and I-212, Application for Permission to Reapply for Admission into the United States After Deportation or Removal.
I-601 Expedited Adjudication Requests
Applicants for Waivers of Inadmissibility, Form I-601, may request that the USCIS office expedite adjudication of the Form I-601 waiver application when there are extraordinary circumstances that are time-sensitive, compelling, and necessitate the applicant’s presence in the United States sooner than would be possible if the application were processed under normal processing times. The strong desire to immigrate to the United States as soon as possible is not by itself “extraordinary.”
A request to expedite adjudication must be made in writing and delivered to the USCIS Field Office Director. The applicant must provide evidence of the extraordinary and compelling circumstance. If the request to expedite the adjudication of an I-601 waiver is approved, the USCIS office will notify the applicant within 15 days of receipt of the request. If no response is received with 15 days, the applicant must presume the request for the expeditious adjudication has been denied.
Please be aware that approval to expedite adjudication of an I-601 waiver application does not guarantee approval of the I-601 waiver application, but only that consideration and adjudication of the I-601 waiver application will be expeditiously handled. If the request for expedited processing is denied, the waiver will be adjudicated within normal processing times.
For current I-601 processing times for international offices, please select the "Processing Times" link on the right, under “More Information.”
Transportation Boarding Letters
A transportation letter may be issued to a Lawful Permanent Resident to replace a lost or stolen Alien Registration Card (Form I-551) by visiting the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office at the American Embassy in Athens during normal business hours.
The following documents will be required:
1. A valid passport
2. Airline ticket used to exit and to enter the United States
3. Two passport size photographs
