Czechia Czech citizenship by declaration

A person who lost Czech or Czechoslovak citizenship before 1 January 2014, and since 6 September 2019 anyone with at least one parent or grandparent who was such a former citizen, can acquire Czech citizenship by a simple declaration at a regional office or Czech embassy, unless they are a Slovak citizen. The fee is CZK 500 (≈ $23) and the decision is due within 60 days. ^{1 2}

What you must show and pay

• A fee of CZK 500 (≈ $23) · Administrative fee for a Section 31 declaration filed in the Czech Republic; embassies charge the consular tariff item 159b instead. ^{1 2}

Requirements

• At least one parent or grandparent is or was a former Czech or Czechoslovak citizen who lost citizenship before 1 January 2014. ^{1 2}
• Loss under the 1945 decree on persons of German and Hungarian ethnicity or the 1946 treaty on Transcarpathian Ukraine does not qualify. ^{1 2}
• The declarant must not be a Slovak citizen on the day of the declaration. ^{1 2}
• Former citizens themselves may declare, including those who had permanent residence in the Czech lands before leaving. ¹
• The fee is CZK 500 (≈ $23) at a regional office; at an embassy the consular tariff applies, payable by card or cash. ^{1 2}
• Your birth certificate, marriage or divorce documents, and the birth, marriage and death certificates of the parents and grandparents needed to prove the chain. ^{1 2}
• Proof of the date and manner of loss of Czech or Czechoslovak citizenship, such as a foreign naturalisation certificate or release from the state bond. ^{1 2}
• A valid identity document; the embassy also requires a declaration of not having acquired Slovak citizenship. ²
• Declare at the regional office for your last Czech residence (Prague 1 district office if you never lived there) or at a Czech embassy abroad. ¹
• The office decides within 60 days and issues a certificate of acquisition; a child over 15 must consent to a declaration made for them. ¹

Stay

• Citizenship is permanent once acquired; it is not a time-limited permit.

Nationality

Open to children and grandchildren of former Czech or Czechoslovak citizens of any nationality, except Slovak citizens. Not open to: Slovakia.

Work

A Czech citizen may live and work in Czechia and, as an EU citizen, across the EU and EEA.

Family

Parents can make a separate declaration for a child under Section 31(5) with the other parent's certified consent.

Checked 2026-10-12

Official sources

1. Nabytí státního občanství České republiky prohlášením podle § 31 zákona o státním občanství České republiky · Ministerstvo vnitra České republiky · checked 2026-10-12
2. Nabývání státního občanství České republiky prohlášením / Acquisition of Czech Citizenship by Declaration · Embassy of the Czech Republic in Washington (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) · checked 2026-10-11