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Children and grandchildren of former Czech and Czechoslovak citizens may be eligible for Czech Republic citizenship

An amendment to the Act on the Citizenship of the Czech Republic (hereinafter "ACCR") which took effect on September 6, 2019, allows a new category of foreigners to acquire Czech citizenship by making a declaration. This declaration on Czech citizenship is anchored in ACCR's new Article 31.3.

The new option for acquiring Czech citizenship is open to foreigners:

  • who are not citizens of Slovakia
    AND
  • whose parent(s) or grandparent(s) originally was/were but ceased to be Czech/Czechoslovak citizen(s) at any time in the period up to December 31, 2013. See footnote (*) below for exclusions.

Whether or not the parent(s) and grandparent(s) are alive plays no role in determining the eligibility for Czech citizenship.

The declaration on Czech citizenship, made according to ACCR's new Article 31.3, can also be made at the Czech Consulate General in Los Angeles. There is no deadline for making this declaration.

Every declarant who wishes to make this declaration at the Czech Consulate General in Los Angeles, must submit:

  • the Czech citizenship declaration form (Article 31.3) (PDF, 269 KB);
  • a copy of his/her own valid ID (e.g. driving licence issued in the USA, or data page of passport);
  • his/her own birth certificate (**);
  • his/her own marriage certificate, domestic partnership certificate, notification of divorce, death certificate of a deceased spouse/partner (all applicable documents) (**);
  • declarant's parents' birth certificates, marriage certificate, and (if applicable) notification of divorce or death certificate(s) (**);
  • [only if neither of declarant's parents is/was a former Czech/Czechoslovak citizen:] declarant's grandparents' birth certificates, marriage certificate, and (if applicable) notification of divorce or death certificate(s) (**);
  • document that certifies the date and the basis on which declarant's parent(s)/grandparent(s) ceased to be Czech/Czechoslovak citizen(s) (e.g. original of the US Certificate of Naturalization, original on the Czechoslovak Listina/Osvědčení o propuštění ze státního svazku);
  • completed form on declarant's personal data;
  • consular fee, item 159b, paid in cash, by a money order or banker's cheque;
  • a pre-paid self-addressed UPS or USPS envelope (in case of USPS with affixed regular stamps, no USPS QR/barcode stamps).

On behalf of a minor under 18 years of age, the declaration on Czech citizenship is made by his/her parent. In addition to all of the documents above, the following must further be submitted for minors:

  • the Czech citizenship declaration form for minors (Article 31.5) (PDF, 271 KB);
  • minor's birth certificate (**);
  • other parent's consent with the Czech citizenship for the minor; parent's signature must be notarized (the consent is not required if the other parent (a) died, (b) had his parental responsibility removed/limited/suspended, or (c) lives outside of the Czech Republic at an unknown location);
  • [only in case of minor aged 15 and above:] minor's own consent with the Czech citizenship; minor's signature must be notarized.


The citizenship declaration can be submitted at Czech Consulate General in Los Angeles:

The subsequent decision-making process on the citizenship declarations takes place at the respective Regional Office (Krajský úřad) in the Czech Republic. In this process, the authority will verify the history of the Czech/Czechoslovak citizenship of declarant's parent(s)/grandparent(s).

Please note that:

  • since the declaration on Czech citizenship is governed by the ACCR, all written submissions can be made in the Czech language only;
  • the Consulate cannot act as a translator, interpreter or lawyer;
  • the Consulate cannot assist with searching for deceased ancestors: these activities are performed on a commercial basis by detective agencies or genealogic societies.
     


(*) Declaration on the Czech citizenship cannot be accepted if the parent(s) or grandparent(s):

  • lost Czechoslovak citizenship on the basis of Presidential Decree No. 33/1945 Coll. on German and Hungarian Nationals;
  • lost Czechoslovak citizenship on the basis of a Treaty No. 186/1946 Coll. on Subcarpathian Ruthenia;
  • became (or would become) citizen(s) of Slovak Socialist Republic on January 1, 1969;
  • acquired Slovak citizenship after January 1, 1969, or is/are currently citizen(s) of Slovakia;
  • was/were born outside Czechoslovakia between October 1, 1949 and May 7, 1969, and acquired Czech citizenship by declaration according to ACCR's Article 33.

(**) The document must be submitted as the original, or as a copy (only if certified by a Czech Honorary Consul). No plain photocopies can be accepted. Prior to submission for use in the Czech Republic, every public document, issued in the USA (or anywhere outside the Czech Republic), must be legalized (in the USA by an apostille issued by the respective Secretary of State, whereas some foreign countries require superlegalization). A foreign public document, with the affixed legalization, must be submitted together with a certified translation into the Czech language. Certified Czech translations are carried out by interpreters appointed by Czech courts.

 

Attachments

form osobni udaje 174 KB PDF (Adobe Acrobat document) Feb 23, 2017