On Monday, March 20, Attorney George Kounopis, partner and co-founder of our firm, spoke along with several other renowned presenters about the state of mediation as it pertains to Greek-American relations. The International Meeting for Mediation event was held in Athens, Greece, at the behest of the Greek Prime Minister. It was co-sponsored by a number of key international finance and commerce organizations, including the:
U.S. citizen living in Greece? Don't forget your tax returns.
If you are an American or permanent resident (or you have dual citizenship) and lived in Greece for a substantial portion of 2016, you may owe taxes on any income you earned while living in Greece or from a Greek business. U.S. tax laws require any American citizen residing in Greece who makes more than $10,350 a year as an individual or $20,720 as part of a married couple to file an American tax return by June 15 of the tax year.
Inheriting property in Greece
Issues involving Greek law can come up for Greek Americans in a variety of situations. This includes when they have discovered that a deceased loved one has left them property, such as real estate or a bank account, in Greece.
When a Greek American has an issue to deal with in Greece
There are many active connections Greek Americans can have to Greece. This could include business connections, like owning a company in Greece. It also could include other financial connections, like owning Greek real estate. Also, it could include family connections.
International gifting issues
There are many ways in which planning an estate, or simply properly filing one's taxes, can become quite complex rather quickly. Whenever an individual resides in the U.S. but is not a U.S. national, or if a U.S. national receives a significant gift or inheritance from outside of the country, then great care must be taken to ensure that matters are handled correctly. Especially if you are dealing with complex assets and establishing or maintaining your estate plan, it is always wise to double-check to make sure that you are abiding by all the applicable laws.
What is the Hague Convention?
Child custody matters of any type can get messy and complicated. However, when the two parents are from different countries, such as the U.S. and Greece, a whole other layer of complexity can be added. All manner of different types of intricate laws could end up being relevant in such cases. International child custody matters cannot only end up dealing with the laws of nations, but also international treaties.