Greek consulates all over the world will soon become digital, offering the diaspora a fast and easy way to communicate with officials and apply online for documents and certificates.
A pilot version of digital platform, myConsulLive, will be launched imminently by the Greek Embassy in London and the Greek Consulates in New York and Toronto, Canada.
These will soon be followed by Greece’s Consulates in Boston, Istanbul, Dusseldorf and Perth, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s office. The current Consul General in Perth is Ms Georgia Karasiotou.
READ MORE: Georgia Karasiotou: ‘No matter how far we are, Greece is always in our hearts’.
Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, was briefed on the first steps of the digitisation of consular services abroad at an e-meeting he held with the Greek Consulate General in New York on Tuesday.
“Through this platform, citizens would be able to talk to a consulate official through a video-call,” Mitsotakis said during the meeting.
“This is a first step in the plan to digitise the consular services, aiming to offer a better service and less hassle for Greeks abroad.”
As part of the digital pilot program, the Greek diaspora will be offered three things:
- Using the myConsulLive service, citizens will be able to talk to a consular officer through a scheduled video call for operations that do not require an in-person presence at the Consulate.
- A “Virtual Assistant” will answer questions submitted by interested parties, will offer instructions for the processing of their requests, will allow the digital submission of documents and will schedule appointments with its employees. It will also be possible to pay consular fees electronically.
- In the long run, the “Virtual Assistant” will also function as a gateway to access a range of services such as the Register of Hellenes Abroad, the Greek Citizens Abroad Emergency Information System and the myConsulLive application.
This shift of services online is expected to be completed in 2021.
READ MORE: Mitsotakis: The role of Greek diaspora in Australia crucial to Greece’s recovery.
