All the documents must be certified firstly by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country of issuance and then by the competent Greek Consulate. If the refugee cannot provide these certificates, the authorities take into consideration other appropriate evidence. In GCR’s experience, this is not the case when it comes to travel documents, as the refugees who cannot objectively provide certified copies of travel documents of their family members are not given alternative solutions [e.g., laissez-passer, acceptance of commitment letter of International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)].1387 As per information provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in December 2024, “in 2024, nine (9) temporary travel documents were provided following family reunification applications, while no travel document of the Red Cross namely Emergency Travel Document (ETD) was issued to family members for family reunification”.1388 As far as the Emergency Travel Documents (ETDs) of the International Committee of the Red Cross are concerned, it has to be mentioned that, contrary to data provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during 2024 three (3) ETDs were issued. More precisely, in a case represented by GCR and pending before the European Court of Human Rights, the ICRC in September 2024 issued ETDs to stateless refugees’ family members following a positive family reunification decision. 1389 Regarding ETDs, it is stressed that, according to ICRC’s regulations, they cannot be issued without a prior positive family reunification decision, while pursuant to P.D. 131/2006, copies of travel documents must be submitted as a prerequisite for the issuance of positive family reunification decision. On the other hand, if the refugee is an adult and the application refers to their parents and/or the application is not filed within three months from status recognition, apart from the documents mentioned above, further documentation is needed:1390 (a) Full Social Security Certificate, i.e., certificate from a public social security institution, proving the applicant’s full social security coverage; or (b) Tax declaration proving the applicant’s fixed, regular and adequate annual personal income, which is not provided by the Greek social welfare system, and which amounts to no less than the annual income of an unskilled worker – plus 20% for the spouse and 15% for each parent and child with which they wish to be reunited; (c) A certified contract for the purchase of a residence, or a residence lease contract, or other certified document proving that the applicant has sufficient accommodation to meet the accommodation needs of their family. The Asylum Service, implementing the law properly, requires either a social security certificate or a tax declaration. On the contrary, the Headquarters of the Hellenic Police (“old procedure”) requests the cumulative submission of both documents. To date, in only one case represented by GCR before the Headquarters of the Hellenic Police, a positive decision on family reunification has been issued, solely upon the submission of the social security certificate, following GCR’s statement of grounds and several interventions.1391 The abovementioned additional documents are not required in case of an unaccompanied child, recognised as refugee, applying for family reunification after the three-month period following status recognition.1392 The Asylum Service has decided that unaccompanied or separated children who are 1387 1388 1389 1390 1391 1392 Decisions 59/2018 and 861/2022 of the Administrative Court of First Instance of Athens. See AIDA, Country Report: Greece, 2022 Update, June 2023, available at: https://bit.ly/3PUOVk9. Reply of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, DH2 Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to GCR’s request for information for the preparation of the updated Annual Report on Greece for 2024 in the framework of the Asylum Information Database (AIDA) project, prot. no. Α.Π.Φ 171/ΑΣ 19 ΣΗΔΕ 195, 06 January 2024. ECtHR, Suji v. Greece, App. No. 13250/23, available in French here. Article 14(3) PD 131/2006, citing Article 14(1)(d). Decision No. 95/148106 / 22.08.2024, Director of Aliens Directorate / Headquarters of the Hellenic Police. Article 14(3) PD 131/2006, citing Article 14(1)(d). 271