| Who this concerns | Families whose ancestor naturalized in the U.S. before 1918 |
| What used to happen | Applications were denied on the view that a naturalized emigrant could not have become a Czechoslovak citizen |
| What changed | On June 24, 2025, the Minister of the Interior set aside such a denial in our client’s case (reference SL-OLVS-2025/006324-002) |
| What still decides each case | Whether the application can show that the ancestor was a Czechoslovak citizen |
Why U.S. naturalization before 1918 was held to rule out Czechoslovak citizenship
Many Slovak emigrants left the Kingdom of Hungary before 1908/1910, and many of them became American citizens before Czechoslovakia was founded on October 28, 1918. For years, the reasoning applied to their descendants was short. Naturalization in the United States had cost the emigrant his Hungarian citizenship, and a man who was no longer Hungarian in 1918 could not, the argument went, have become Czechoslovak. Because a Czechoslovak citizen ancestor is one of the fundamental requirements for Slovak citizenship by descent, the application failed on that point. The Slovak Ministry of the Interior applied the same reasoning in our client’s case and denied the application.
What changed on June 24, 2025
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.
In his reasons, the Minister found that the earlier loss of the ancestor’s Hungarian citizenship through naturalization in the United States “could not constitute an obstacle to the acquisition of Czechoslovak citizenship.” The full account of the case, including the Minister’s reasons in his own words, is in Pre-1908/1910 Emigration: The 2025 Landmark Case on Slovak Citizenship by Descent.
What every family still has to prove
The 2025 decision answered the legal question. It did not prove anyone’s case. Every application must still show that the ancestor was a Czechoslovak citizen, and the applicant bears the burden of proof. When the ancestor left before 1918, that is the hardest part of the case. A family can no longer be ruled out by date alone; the question now is what the evidence can show.
Where to start
If your family history includes an ancestor who left early and became an American citizen before 1918, the first step is the same as for any family: submit your case for review. FALATH & PARTNERS was the first in Slovakia to take up citizenship by descent when the route opened in April 2022, and it has since represented 1,025+ applicants. The review is complimentary and commits you to nothing.
General information on Slovak citizenship law, current as of publication. Not legal advice, and not a substitute for advice on your own circumstances. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.