Since the adoption of the amendement to Slovak Citizenship Act in 2022, the Slovak authorities granted 457 citizenships by descent in the period of April 2022 to June 2025.
Category: Uncategorized
If you and your partner have different citizenships and want Slovak citizenship for your child, the path is usually straightforward—if at least one parent is a Slovak citizen at the time of birth. Below is a clear, step-by-step guide, followed by a Slovak translation.
For a long period, acquiring foreign citizenship often led to an automatic loss of Slovak citizenship. In 2022, the Slovak parliament adopted an amendment that allowed these citizens to regain their Slovak citizenship. This article explains the process and conditions. It is followed by a Slovak translation.
Back in 2023, the Slovak citizenship by descent was adopted as a new regime. Naturally, it took a while until things settled a bit, and practice of some kind emerged. Here are some basic findings from the last couple of months:
- Residence is not effectively required for those applicants whose ancestors left Czechoslovakia after 1918. They are granted a pro forma residence permit only for the purposes of the procedure. However, for those whose ancestors left prior to 1918, this does not apply. It is unclear why. There is no legal basis for this distinction (read: this could be litigated).
- The authorities seem to place rather high requirements on the evidence for the citizenship of ancestors. For those who can be found in the 1930 census, the evidentiary situation seems simpler. There is no legal basis for this high bar (read: this could be litigated).
- The authorities accepting the applications differ for different types of routes. The application for citizenship by descent can be filed at embassies or in Slovakia. The Slovak Living Abroad Certificate (SLAC) can be temporarily submitted only at embassies.