Bureaucracy
The procedures and documentation necessary to commit the mystery of your child’s baptism are:
Certificate of Birth of the child which you must present of the Church of your parish. The Certificate Birth Act is issued by the Registry of the municipality that you have declared the birth of the child.
If you are christening another church from the one that is in your parish, then you should ask the vicar to transfer the certificate Act of Birth of the child to the temple that you want the baptism to be made.
In the church you must also present the birth certificate of the child they gave you when you declared the birth of the baby in the registry. One of the copies they gave you has up the sign “for baptism.”
Of course you must have predetermined in time, the day and time of baptism with the priest of the church where you wish to perform the mystery.
Before the baptism, the parents along with the priest fill in a form the details of the name that will be given to the baby, the religion,the parents and the details of the Godparents. So it’s a good idea to have your ID with you.
Please also note that:
The child’s godparents should not be from different religion.
If the godparents are married, they have to be married in front of the church.
Children from parents who have only had a civil marriage, the child can only be baptized if the Godparents guarantee the indoctrination of the child.
After baptism
The priest issues and gives you a Baptism certificate. You must deposit this certificate within 90 days in your family registry. There both parents will testify to the child’s Baptism certificate.
In the event that the sacrament of baptism committed outside the parish of the child, make sure that the declaration of baptism be presented to the parish of Neophyte, to be registered in the relevant book and then deposited in the registry of the municipality.
The baptism declaration must be made within 90 days of the celebration of the mystery in the registry of the municipality you belong to. In case of delay a small fine is imposed.
Special cases
Give A Name
The naming is made in the registry of the area declared the birth of the baby or at the place of permanent residence of the parents by presenting the certificate Act of birth.
Both parents should go to the registry of their with their police IDs or passports within 60 days of the birth of their child.
If one of the parents cannot be found, authorization is required. The authorization will have the original signature of the parent and the date of birth of the child and the name to be given shall be indicated. In case the parents are foreigners, the name will be written in Greek characters.
Unmarried mother
In the case of an unmarried mother who has sole parental responsibility, the baptism may be committed only if the mother completes a declaration of N. 1599/86, with a stamped original of her signature stating that: “He has sole parental responsibility, that there is no court order which confers a right of parental responsibility on the father of the minor child. Finally, she wants her child to be baptized in the Orthodox doctrine. “
Editing – Custody
In the event that a court order, the custody of the child has one parent or guardian for the ceremony of the mystery and the naming is assumed the existence of a solemn statement of the other parent that agrees or in the case of custody, both Parents, that they agree.
Disagreement parents
In cases of disagreement by the parents, on the baptism or naming of the child, the baptism may be carried out following a judgment. Attention! A court order, which only entrusts custody of the child, temporary or not, to one of the two parents, does not cover the priest for the baptism.
In any case, before the baptism, the parents, by demonstrating their police identity, to compare whether they are their own elements with the certificate of the Act, sign for the religion and the name of the child.
Absence of Parent
In the absence of a parent, the chaplain may only perform the sacrament of baptism when the other parent brings a stamped copy of either the Certificate Act of Death or court ruling, whereby the absent parent is explicitly considered to be missing or freed from parental responsibility.
In the absence of a parent because of a reasonable impediment (sickness, emigration, etc.), the priest may proceed to the baptism, only when it is submitted on behalf of the parent;
That is missing, a certificate from a notary or a declaration with the authenticity of his signature stamped, that he agrees to the baptism of the child according to the orthodox doctrine and the specific name.
Dimension or Divorce
In the case of separation of parents or divorce or when the mother of the minor child invokes that the father of the child is other than the one indicated in the Birth certificate, the priest:
- must seek the father, whose name is written in the Birth Certificate and obtain his written consent;
- if paternity has been offended or the child has been voluntarily identified, the priest may accept as his father, who defines the registry according to the later notes and corrections of the Certificate Act of birth.
