How To Get Czech Citizenship Through Your Grandparents
By Angelo Cerasiotis
Have you ever dreamed of becoming a Czech citizen?
Achieving this goal not only connects you with your ancestral heritage but also provides you with an EU passport that grants you access to the world-renowned European Union. As a Czech citizen, you would have the freedom to live, work and study across all 27 EU member states and best of all, if one of your grandparents were a Czech citizen, you are already a lot closer to this opportunity than you might think!
Can you get Czech citizenship through your grandparents / great-grandparents?
Czech citizenship can be acquired through your grandparents / great-grandparents due to jus sanguinis, Latin for ‘right of blood’. This principle allows individuals to inherit Czech citizenship through their lineage rather than place of birth, meaning that if your grandparents / great-grandparents were citizens of Czechoslovakia or the Czech Republic, then you could qualify for Czech citizenship by descent.
What are the requirements?
For you to claim Czech citizenship by descent, you will need at least one direct ancestry who:
- Was born in the Czech Republic. AND
- Did not leave the land prior to the year 1918. AND
- Never became or would have become a Slovak citizen. AND
- Lost Czech or Czechoslovak citizenship. OR
- Was a Czechoslovakian citizen up to December 31, 1992, and has not specified whether they are a Czech or Slovak citizen since.
Are there any limits on generations for Czech citizenship?
There is no generational limit for obtaining Czech citizenship through descent, so you can claim citizenship based on your lineage from your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents and beyond.
However, since Czechoslovakia was established in October 1918, while there is no restriction on how many generations back you can trace your ancestry, you must ensure that your ancestors’ citizenship status was after 1918, as otherwise, they would have been considered citizens of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which would not qualify you for Czech citizenship through descent.
Note: In some cases for Czech citizenship by declariation, eligibility is limited to parents and grandparents only.
How complex is the process for obtaining Czech citizenship through descent?
The process for obtaining Czech citizenship through descent becomes more complex when claiming citizenship through your great-grandparents and beyond due to the generational gap. Not only will you need to consider documentation that must show that your great-grandparents were Czech citizens, but you will also need evidence to establish a continuous line of citizenship.
Given the complexity and the detailed nature of this process, it is advisable to contact a citizenship specialist to assist you along this process. A specialist can assist with the necessary research, gather the required documents and guide you through the application process to ensure all necessary requirements are met.
Where do I begin?
Through our Czech citizenship services, we offer individuals with Czech heritage the opportunity to reconnect with their ancestry and as we have handled over 15,000 EU citizenship cases from across the world, you can rely on us for all your Czech citizenship needs! We can make your EU citizenship dreams a reality with a trusted global network of researchers, project managers and translators. Start your journey today by booking a discovery call with one of our Czech citizenship specialists.