For the typical Bill C-3 case, our reading is that it doesn’t. See below for why.
What Bill C-3 actually does
Bill C-3 removed the “first-generation limit” that had prevented Canadians born abroad from passing citizenship to children also born abroad. For anyone born before December 15, 2025, the effect is retroactive: if you qualify, you are treated as having been a Canadian citizen from birth, not from the date you found out or the date you applied.
The retroactive effect of Bill C-3 is the distinction that matters. You’re not being granted citizenship. You’re being recognized as someone who was entitled to it all along. The citizenship certificate you apply for is proof of that status, not the source of it. It documents a fact; it doesn’t create one.
Why that matters under Slovak law
Section 9(16) of the Slovak Citizenship Act states that a Slovak citizen loses Slovak citizenship when voluntarily acquiring a foreign one: that is, on the basis of an explicit expression of will directed at acquiring it, such as an application or a declaration. Citizenship acquired by birth is outside that rule [Section 9(17)].
If you’re still applying
Recognition from birth matters in the same way if you’re still working toward Slovak citizenship. Slovakia doesn’t require descent applicants to give up other citizenships, and being a Canadian citizen from birth is no different from being a U.S. citizen from birth.
Still, remember that for a Slovak citizenship application, you must present a criminal background check from every country you are or have been a citizen of, and from every country where you held a residence permit in the last 15 years. Naturally, you’ll also have to input information about your Canadian citizenship in the citizenship questionnaire.
General information on Slovak and Canadian citizenship law, current as of publication. Not legal advice, and not a substitute for advice on your own circumstances.
Last reviewed: September 2026.