The Council of State (CoS), Greece’s supreme administrative court, ruled that police are obliged to accept old ID cards as official documentation for the issuing of a new passport or a renewal of an old one.
The ruling stems from a case in which a citizen applied last year to renew his passport using a police-issued identity card dating back to May 1972. The Passport Directorate of the Hellenic Police rejected the application, claiming that the ID should have been replaced after 15 years.
After an administrative appeal to police authorities was rejected, the applicant turned to the Council of State, arguing that the refusal lacked proper justification and would cause irreparable harm, as he needed to travel abroad for personal reasons and for his wife’s medical care.
In its decision, the court said it had already ruled in 2021 that old ID cards remain valid even after the 15-year period has elapsed, until they are formally replaced. It added that passport services are required only to verify that the legally required documents have been submitted and that the identity card must be accepted unless there is reasonable doubt as to its authenticity.
The Council of State granted the suspension request, noting that police authorities had not cited any overriding public interest to justify refusing the renewal. It also pointed out that the applicant had been issued a passport in 2015 using the same identity card and that denying renewal could cause serious disruption to his family life.
The ruling obliges the Hellenic Police to proceed with the passport renewal pending a final judgment on the case.
