Renewing your Passport? Update your Details!

Thanks to Sue Watt from the Crete Courier for publicizing this and to Margaret and Andrew Hellens for bringing this to our attention, too. If you have renewed your passport whilst you have been living here, then you will need to update your details at various places or risk facing a fine. This bureaucratic hoop has become a bit more of an issue recently as internal Greek legislation has (apparently) recently changed. It’s one of those things that might not automatically occur to you in the first instance, but it makes sense when you come to think about it.

Depending on where you come from, when you renew your passport / ID card, it is possible that the ’number’ on the document will change. And numbers are tied into other numbers…. For example, most permanent residents will have a tax number ‘ΑΦΜ’ (A Fi Mi), which is linked to your passport number. You will need to pay a visit to your local tax office to get the records changed (this is the top priority, and the one that the authorities seem to be most worried about). Your lawyer or accountant may be willing to do this on your behalf. Other ports of call will probably include bank, national insurance office, and don’t forget about things like car registration, house insurance, anything that has involved a notary.

And as for the residence permit? Well, the rules seem to vary according to where you are, what your nationality is and who you talk to (familiar scenario?). When we went to the police station here in Rethymnon we were told that as EU citizens we were not required to update the records for the initial ‘five year’ residence permit, and that the new details would be entered when we were issued with ’the one for life’. But we have also heard that people living in the Hania region have been required to re-register at the police station, and our experience may by atypical in any case, so we would advise people to check this out for themselves.

The Bugle is now on Facebook

Some of our readers might be interested to know that in February we launched an online group for the Bugle on Facebook (the social networking site). It’s an open group, anyone can join, and we would love to receive your feedback, suggestions for features, and photos etc. It’s also another way for us to post details of up and coming events as and when they happen - in between publication dates - and to make announcements . And remember, the forum on www.rethymnon.biz is alive and kicking, too!

This is the link for the Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=54919322524

Apart from using the blue and yellow recycling bins for household waste other items can be recycled as follows:

Disposal of broken electrical goods. There is a depot just outside town which will take anything ‘that had a plug on it’ (including washing machines and fridges). Drivers, take the National Road towards Heraklion in Misiria. Turn off the highway after about 100—150 metres, hang a right and you should soon see recycling bins etc. The depot is open from 6am to 3pm on weekdays, and from 6am to 12 noon at weekends. For further information call 28310 57940. For large objects that need collection call 195 from any phone.

Old telephones and small telecoms items. There is a green bin in the entrance of the main OTE office..

Batteries. various places in town including OTE, DEI, Germanos, Marinopoulos and Champion.

Old cars. DRAKOS on the left hand side of the National Road a short way out of Rethymnon. They even pay you as they recycle the spares and give you a paper for tax purposes!