The Czech Republic and Slovakia each have their own citizenship law, and each has a route for descendants of people who were citizens of Czechoslovakia. The two routes work differently, they interact, and the right one for you depends on where your ancestor was born and when and how he or she lost or kept citizenship. This guide explains both routes as the two governments’ embassies describe them. This guide reflects official pages we checked in October 2026. Rules, fees, forms and waiting times change and differ between embassies, so confirm every detail with the embassy or consulate that will receive your application.
The two routes at a glance
| Czech Republic | Slovakia | |
|---|---|---|
| Legal basis | Act No. 186/2013 Coll., Section 31 | Act No. 40/1993 Coll., as amended with effect from 1 April 2022 |
| Who qualifies | A former Czechoslovak or Czech citizen who lost citizenship before 1 January 2014, and an adult child or grandchild of one | A person whose parent, grandparent or great-grandparent was a Czechoslovak citizen born in the territory of present-day Slovakia |
| Generations | Parent or grandparent | Parent, grandparent or great-grandparent |
| Key condition | The applicant must not be a citizen of Slovakia on the day of the declaration | Proof of the ancestor’s Czechoslovak citizenship and birth in Slovakia |
| How you apply | A declaration, made at a Czech embassy or consulate and forwarded to a regional authority | An application, made in person at a Slovak embassy or consulate |
| Read more | Czech citizenship by declaration | Slovak citizenship by descent |
The Czech route in brief
According to the Czech Embassy in Ottawa (updated 6 January 2025), former Czechoslovak or Czech citizens, their children and grandchildren may be able to acquire Czech citizenship by declaration under Section 31(1), (3) and (5) of Act No. 186/2013. Former citizens declare under Section 31(1), their adult children and grandchildren under Section 31(3), and a separate declaration can be made for a minor child under Section 31(5). The declaration is not open to someone who is a citizen of the Slovak Republic on the day of the declaration, and it excludes people who lost Czechoslovak citizenship under certain conditions, listed in our Czech guide.
The Slovak route in brief
According to the Slovak Embassy in Washington (updated 18 June 2026), since 1 April 2022 you may apply for Slovak citizenship by descent if your parent, grandparent or great-grandparent was a Czechoslovak citizen born in the territory of present-day Slovakia. One application is mandatory for every applicant aged 14 and older, and children under 14 may be included in a parent’s application. The embassy’s list of documents is long, and appointments were approximately 6 to 12 months away when that page was updated. See our Slovak guide.
Proof is the heart of both routes
- Czech route. You must document the line from you to the parent or grandparent, and a document that certifies the date and basis on which that person ceased to be a Czech or Czechoslovak citizen, such as a naturalization certificate. See our guide to proving loss of Czechoslovak citizenship.
- Slovak route. You must document the line to the ancestor, the ancestor’s Slovak birth certificate and proof that he or she was a Czechoslovak citizen. The embassy lists acceptable proof, including a Czechoslovak passport, a population register extract and US passenger manifests or naturalization records stating Czechoslovak nationality.
- Both routes. Foreign documents generally need an apostille and an official translation. See our document guide.
Which route fits your family
The Czech embassy in Ottawa says that, in very general terms, a person born in the territory of the Slovak Republic before 1953 and his or her direct descendants might be or should be considered Slovak citizens, and that people from Carpathian Ruthenia are generally eligible for Czech citizenship only if they resided in the Czech Republic after 1945. Because the Czech route is closed to Slovak citizens, the choice matters. See our guide to choosing a route.
Timing and cost
- Czech. The New York Consulate General says processing takes approximately 3 to 6 months from the time the complete application is sent to the Czech Republic, and longer if archival research is required. The Ottawa embassy says that for people who left Czechoslovakia before 1953, research in Czech archives may need a minimum of six months in addition to the routine procedure. The consular fee is item 159b of the fee schedule, and the New York page says it varies monthly with the exchange rate.
- Slovak. Appointment waits of 6 to 12 months were reported on the Washington page in June 2026. Fees are on each embassy’s administrative fees page, and we found differing figures across sources, so check the current page.
- Both. Add the cost of certificates, apostilles, translations and, if needed, archival research.
Dual citizenship
Since 1 April 2022, a Slovak citizen who acquires another citizenship does not lose Slovak citizenship if the foreign state is one where the person had permitted or registered residence for at least five years, and must notify the Interior Ministry within 90 days, according to a Slovak law firm quoting the Act. Czech practice and children are covered in our guide to dual citizenship and children.
What DNA does not do
None of the embassy pages we read lists DNA among the evidence. Citizenship rests on documents. DNA can help you find cousins and test a family story, as the DNA testing hub explains.
How to read the embassy sources
The details in this guide come from specific missions: the Czech Embassy in Ottawa (page updated 6 January 2025), the Czech Consulate General in New York, an older page from the Czech Consulate in Los Angeles, and the Slovak Embassies in Washington (updated 18 June 2026) and Ottawa, with an older page from the Slovak consulate in Sydney. These missions do not always agree. For example, Ottawa accepts Czech declarations by mail with a verified signature, while New York requires an in-person declaration, and the Sydney page describes a residence-permit step that the Washington page does not. Treat any one page as an example, and use the page of the mission that will receive your application.
Language and other conditions
The Czech declaration forms must be completed in Czech, and the Czech embassy cannot act as a translator or lawyer. The embassy pages we read do not list a language test for either descent route. The Slovak embassy page requires background checks and affidavits instead. Confirm with your embassy whether any condition not listed on its page applies to your case.
Costs to budget
- The consular fee for the Czech declaration, or the administrative fee for the Slovak application, which you should confirm on the mission’s page.
- Certified copies of birth, marriage and death certificates for each generation.
- Apostilles for each foreign document.
- Certified translations into Czech or Slovak.
- For the Slovak route, background checks such as the FBI Identity History Summary.
- Archival research if your ancestor left before 1953 and your documents are incomplete.
- Travel to your appointment, which may be in another city.
A realistic timeline
Genealogical research and document gathering usually come first and can take months. Then comes the wait for an appointment, which was about 6 to 12 months for Slovak citizenship applications at the Washington embassy in June 2026. After submission, the New York Consulate General says Czech processing takes approximately 3 to 6 months from the time the complete application is sent to the Czech Republic, and longer with archival research. Because the Czech embassy says there is no time limit to declare, you can use the wait to complete a strong file.
When to consider professional help
The Ottawa embassy suggests consulting a lawyer in the Czech Republic or a person experienced in administrative proceedings, because the agenda is very complex and multidimensional. Professional help can be especially useful if your ancestor left before 1953, if records conflict or if both routes might apply. Check a provider’s credentials, and note that the Slovak embassy lists private providers as fee-based services.
A step-by-step plan
- Build your tree and identify the ancestor’s birthplace. See how to trace Czech and Slovak ancestry.
- Work out which state governed the birthplace and whether the ancestor was a Czechoslovak citizen. See our regions guide.
- Choose the likely route and read the embassy’s page for your country.
- Collect the records with apostilles and translations. See our document guide.
- Book the appointment early, since waits can be months.
- Submit a complete file, and keep copies of everything.
- Follow up through the embassy, which forwards Czech declarations and handles Slovak applications.
Common mistakes
- Assuming the two routes are interchangeable. They have different rules and generations.
- Overlooking Slovak citizenship. The Czech route is closed to Slovak citizens.
- Sending an incomplete file. The Czech embassy says processing does not begin if forms or documents are incomplete.
- Skipping the apostille or the translation. Both embassies require them.
- Using an old page. Procedures differ between embassies and change.
Browse every article in Czech & Slovak Citizenship by Descent. Sources include the Czech Embassy in Ottawa (updated 6 January 2025), the Czech Consulate General in New York, the Slovak Embassy in Washington (updated 18 June 2026), the Czech embassy’s guide to Czech citizenship in 1918 to 1949 and Wikipedia on Slovak nationality law.
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