Beginning in April 2022, people with Slovak heritage will have easier access to Slovak citizenship. The Slovak parliament amended the Citizenship Act by including a new path to citizenship.
The two main changes are:
- individuals whose parents, grandparents or great grand-parents were at some point Czechoslovak citizens and born in today’s territory of Slovakia can claim citizenship (§ 7(2)(j));
The provision does not require that they were citizens or lived in Czechoslovakia their entire life. The fact that they gained citizenship at any point in their life will suffice. If your ancestors do not qualify (e.g. because they were born outside the territory, or were not Czechoslovak citizens), you can still gain citizenship through a certificate of a Slovak Living Abroad.
- individuals with a certificate of a Slovak Living Abroad can convert into Slovak citizenship more quickly and, in some cases, without residence (§ 7(3));
We have now incorporated these new options into the citizenship eligibility check tool that you can access free of charge here. If you wonder what your options are, try it out now. It takes less than 3 minutes.
People with Slovak heritage now have several paths to Slovak citizenship. The best option usually depends on the personal history, strength of available evidence, and personal goals of each client. If you have several options, we can provide tailored advice on how to approach your situation for a fixed fee. Just email us.