Greece

Greek citizens of Turkish and Macedonian descent experience discriminatory naming practices in Greece. Greek registrars are reported to engage in arbitrary transliteration of Turkish names on identity cards written in Greek and Latin, which renders the names unrecognizable and may create problems when these documents are inconsistent with university degrees or state documents from other countries which use the proper spelling. Some Macedonians have applied to the Greek state for birth certificates for children which would resume the use of family names of their Macedonian ancestors, which Greek authorities forcibly changed in the 1920s-30s. Families have seen their requests denied. Making a change on the certificate involves costly court procedures and the payment of substantial fees to municipal registries.