Do you have to stay physically in Slovakia to be able to apply for Slovak citizenship by descent? In this article, we explain the legal situation and practice.
Back in 2023, the citizenship by descent was adopted as a new regime. Naturally, it took 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 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 differs 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.
This article explains the length of the process.
This article explains who could have gained Czechoslovak citizenship.
This article explains who qualifies for citizenship based on their Slovak ancestry.
Categories
SLAC vs CBD
There are two basic routes to citizenship for people with Slovak heritage: citizenship by descent (CBD) and citizenship based on a Slovak Living Abroad Certificate (SLAC). This article compares them.
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