Other Pathways to Austrian Citizenship

In recognition of Austria’s historical responsibility, in October 2019, the Austrian parliament passed citizenship legislation enabling descendants of Nazi victims to reclaim their citizenship through restitution, also called declaration. Former citizens of Austria and successor states of the Hapsburg monarchy with primary residence in Austria between 1933 and 1955 who were subject to persecution by Third Reich can now apply to have their citizenship reinstated.

The eligibility of Austrian citizenship through restitution extends to victims’ descendants if their direct ancestors held Austrian citizenship and fled Austria before May 1955. Descendants of  stateless people who resided in Austria may also qualify as do adoptive children. To qualify, you must also have a clean criminal record. Since 2019, more than 40,000 people around the world have made a claim for Austrian citizenship through the simplified restitution procedure, with around 25,000 being successful to date.