Home / Citizenship / By descent
The ancestry route · within three generations
If your parent, grandparent, or great-grandparent was born in what is now Slovakia and held Czechoslovak citizenship, you may qualify for Slovak, and therefore EU, citizenship. You don’t have to move here or learn the language. It’s a citizenship that passes automatically to your future children and next generations.
01 Overview
Citizenship by descent is how Slovakia recognizes people with family ties to the country. The law doesn’t ask you to live in the country or to speak Slovak. It requires you to prove direct lineage to a qualifying ancestor born in Slovakia within the last three generations by providing vital records and documents confirming your ancestor’s status as a Czechoslovak citizen.
The benefits are clear: a Slovak passport and the right to live, work, study, and do business anywhere in the European Union. It is also a citizenship that your future children and the next generations inherit without having to apply for it themselves.
Whether you want to honor your roots or unlock European opportunities, citizenship by descent offers a legally rigorous but achievable path to recognition. And if your situation is more complex, you are not alone. Come to us when:
This is exactly where our firm steps in. We specialize in transforming uncertainty into clarity, incomplete records into sufficient evidence, and seemingly ineligible applicants into successful citizenship cases, including pre-1908/1910 emigration and early-naturalization cases.
The Slovak Ministry of the Interior changed its practice on ancestors who emigrated before 1908/1910 and naturalized in the U.S. before 1918 after a case won by FALATH & PARTNERS: on June 24, 2025, the Minister of the Interior set aside the denial of our client’s application, and the Ministry has since granted citizenship in dozens of our clients’ cases of this kind. Each case now turns on a meticulously prepared, well-argued application, often supported with robust circumstantial evidence.
Act No. 128/2026 Coll. removed the residence-permit requirement, took the Immigration Police out of descent cases entirely, and codified the evidence standard [§ 7(8), § 8(3)(k) of the Citizenship Act].
02 Application process
Your engagement begins with a complimentary legal assessment. After reviewing your initial questionnaire and any available documentation, our team conducts in-depth case research to evaluate eligibility and identify the strongest route forward. If we believe a favorable outcome is achievable, we present full legal representation terms; if your case faces fundamental obstacles, we tell you clearly.
Once engaged, our team handles all document gathering within Slovakia. Drawing on extensive archival expertise, we locate vital records of Slovak ancestors directly in 99% of cases, without the cost or delay of external genealogy services. For documents from your country, we provide step-by-step guidance to help you obtain them, including vital records, background checks, and archival documents.
You receive a complete package, prepared, translated, and formatted exactly as the officers reviewing it expect. You submit the application in person at the Slovak Embassy or Consulate serving your place of residence, hand the paperwork to the officer, and sign the necessary forms. Because we prepare files according to consular protocol, submissions run smoothly. If something unexpected comes up at your appointment, our team is available by phone in real time, regardless of the time difference. You can also file in Slovakia — in that case, we will accompany you.
Once submitted, your application goes to the Ministry of the Interior, and only then do the proceedings commence. The Ministry doesn’t provide routine status reports, but thoroughly prepared files attract fewer supplementary inquiries and move through more efficiently. We monitor your case throughout and respond immediately to any request from the Ministry on your behalf.
03 Requirements
Following the July 2026 amendment, the requirements have been simplified for most applicants. The case turns on two proofs:
You must demonstrate that your parent, grandparent, or great-grandparent was born in the territory of present-day Slovakia, and that you descend from that person in a direct line. In practice, this means a chain of birth, marriage, and death certificates from the ancestor to you, plus additional proof to tie up loose ends along the way, such as a name change or a second marriage.
Documenting Czechoslovak citizenship can be complex; Czechoslovakia only came into existence in 1918, so if your ancestor emigrated early and naturalized abroad soon after, no Czechoslovak passport or other official Czechoslovak documents exist. For our team, this is not an issue, as we have successfully represented clients in even the most challenging situations, including pre-1908/1910 emigration and early-naturalization cases where standard documentation paths were unavailable.
All documents must be originals or certified copies. Documents issued outside Slovakia need an apostille (Hague Convention countries — such as the USA, Canada, the UK, Australia, and Israel) or super-legalization (countries not part of the Hague Convention), and an official Slovak translation by a sworn translator.
We recommend obtaining freshly issued certified copies, as most authorities require recently issued documents for the apostille process.
04 Family
When you include your minor children (under 14) in the application, their citizenship is recognized alongside yours. Children aged 14 and over must file their own applications. Under Slovak law, citizenship acquired by descent then passes automatically to subsequent generations born to Slovak citizens — regardless of where they are born or live.
A spouse without Slovak ancestry cannot apply for citizenship by descent, but several routes may apply depending on the specifics: family-reunification residence, naturalization after qualifying residence with you in Slovakia, or strategically timed applications aligned with yours. Spousal cases are highly individualized, so mention it during the case review, and we’ll walk through the options together.
05 Government fees
Government fees are payable only after citizenship is granted, exactly at the time you take an oath. These are separate from FALATH & PARTNERS legal fees, which we disclose transparently at the outset.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Descent route: ancestor is a parent, grandparent, or great-grandparent | EUR 30 |
| Fourth-generation children under 15 (at oath-taking) | EUR 140 |
| Fourth-generation children, 15–18 (at oath-taking) | EUR 210 |
| SLA certificate-based naturalization | EUR 560 |
| Applicants over 65 · invalidity pensioners · persons who lost Czechoslovak/Slovak citizenship | Exempt / EUR 30 |
06 Where to file
Applications are filed in person, at a District Office in Slovakia (only in Bratislava if you’ve never resided in Slovakia), or at the Slovak diplomatic mission serving your state. For U.S. residents, jurisdiction is split between Washington, D.C. and New York.
Your consular venue appears here — along with what to expect at the appointment.
07 Questions & answers
Yes, a grandparent is well within the qualifying three generations. Your grandparent must have been born in present-day Slovakia and held Czechoslovak citizenship. You’ll need documents tracing your direct line to that ancestor and confirming their Czechoslovak citizenship.
Yes. A great-grandparent is the furthest qualifying generation for citizenship by descent. They must have been born in present-day Slovakia and held Czechoslovak citizenship. If your Slovak ancestor is further back, such as fourth generation or beyond, a separate route via a Slovak Living Abroad certificate may apply instead.
Anyone with a parent, grandparent, or great-grandparent born in what is now Slovakia who, at some point in their life, held Czechoslovak citizenship. Both conditions must be met; birthplace alone isn’t enough. You prove the link through vital records.
Not automatically. A qualifying Slovak grandparent makes you eligible to apply for citizenship by descent, but you must document the family line and your ancestor’s Czechoslovak citizenship and go through the formal process. Once approved, you take an oath and receive a Deed of Granting Slovak Citizenship; only then do you become a citizen.
Very likely. On June 24, 2025, the Minister of the Interior set aside a denial in our client’s case, where the great-grandfather emigrated to the United States more than ten years before Czechoslovakia was founded and became an American citizen before 1918; the Ministry then granted the application. Pre-1908/1910 emigration and early naturalization make it harder to document Czechoslovak citizenship because the ancestor left before Czechoslovakia existed. These cases are more complex but can still succeed with the right evidence. Specialist help is valuable here, as standard documentation routes are often unavailable — this is precisely the casework we are known for, and it’s a large part of what we do.
The standard citizenship-by-descent route isn’t available, but alternatives exist. You can obtain a Slovak Living Abroad (SLA) certificate based on your ancestor’s Slovak ethnicity, then either complete three years’ residence in Slovakia or demonstrate a significant contribution to the Slovak diaspora to naturalize with no Slovak language requirement.
No. Citizenship by descent doesn’t require Slovak language proficiency. The SLA-based naturalization route for more distant ancestors also waives the language test. The Slovak language test applies to ordinary naturalization, which is a different process.
The government fee is EUR 30, and that rate covers all three generations: parent, grandparent, and great-grandparent. The fee is due only after citizenship is granted. Applicants aged 65+ are exempt. Legal fees and document expenses (certified copies, apostilles, sworn translations) are a separate cost.
Currently, 6–10 months. Exceptionally compelling cases have been approved within four months of submission, and some exceptional cases in as little as one month — though past timelines are no guarantee. The statutory maximum is 24 months. The main delays are usually appointment wait times and the gathering and authentication of documents.
No. You don’t have to live in Slovakia before, during, or after the proceedings. Following the July 2026 reform, the requirement to hold a Slovak residence permit before applying was removed entirely (residence still applies to the separate SLA-based or naturalization routes).
In person, either at a District Office in Slovakia (only in Bratislava if you’ve never resided in Slovakia) or at the Slovak Embassy or Consulate serving your place of residence or citizenship. If you apply abroad, the Ministry of the Interior in Bratislava receives your application and decides on your case. Adults and children aged 14 and over apply individually and in person; children under 14 apply with their parent.
Core documents include your valid passport, birth certificate, proof of marital status, and recent criminal record checks from every country of citizenship and every country where you have lived in the past 15 years. Also include the birth, marriage, and death certificates linking you to your Slovak ancestor, and the document proving their Czechoslovak citizenship. Foreign documents need an apostille (or super-legalization) and an official Slovak translation by a sworn translator.
Through records such as an old Czechoslovak passport, naturalization paperwork, census sheets, and other government-issued documents, along with the birth certificate showing they were born in present-day Slovakia. This is often the most challenging part of the case, especially for cases with pre-1908/1910 emigration and early naturalization.
Yes. Acquiring Slovak citizenship by descent doesn’t require you to renounce your current citizenship, and in most cases it stays intact. Countries including the USA, Canada, the UK, Australia, and Israel permit dual citizenship. It’s worth confirming the rules in your home country as well.
Not upon approval. After your application is approved, you must take an oath at the District Office or a Slovak Embassy or Consulate and receive the Deed of Granting Slovak Citizenship, and you become a citizen at that moment. You then apply for your citizenship certificate (as necessary), register your vital records, and apply for a passport. We also handle these post-approval steps for our clients.
Not unless you become a Slovak tax resident, for example, by spending more than 183 days a year in Slovakia, registering for permanent residence in Slovakia, or keeping your habitual residence here. Otherwise, you’re taxed only on Slovak-source income. Double-taxation treaties with the USA (1993) and Canada (2001) prevent the same income from being taxed twice. We recommend consulting a tax advisor in your jurisdiction about your specific circumstances.
No. Slovakia has a professional, volunteer army with no conscription. Even if a draft were ever reintroduced, it would apply only to citizens who are also permanent residents of Slovakia; non-resident citizens would have no military obligation.
Past offenses don’t automatically rule you out. It’s essential to disclose any criminal history to our team at the start: in many instances, conduct treated as an offense in your home country may not be a crime under Slovak law, and the application can proceed. We review each situation individually and advise on the best path forward.
Yes. Minor children under 14 can apply together with you, and their citizenship is recognized alongside yours. Children aged 14 and over apply individually, provided they meet the requirements. Once you are a citizen, citizenship passes automatically to children born afterward.
08 Case review
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Fees & payment
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