Documents required with the completed declaration form pursuant to § 31:

1. Valid proof of identity (passport, national ID card, or driver’s license).
   If you do not have a Czech proof of identity, it may be replaced with another valid ID (e.g., U.S. passport, U.S. state driver’s license).
   Important: Copies of a Czech passport or ID card must be dated and signed under the statement “I consent to the copying of my document.”

2. Applicant’s birth certificate (**),

3. Applicant’s marriage certificate, proof of registered partnership, or, if applicable, proof of divorce, dissolution of partnership, or death certificate of a deceased spouse or partner (**),

4. Parents’ birth certificates, their marriage certificate, or, if applicable, proof of divorce or death certificates (**),

5. Grandparents’ birth certificates, their marriage certificate, or, if applicable, proof of divorce or death certificates (**),

6.  Document that certifies the date and legal basis on which your parent(s)/grandparent(s) lost their Czech/Czechoslovak citizenship (e.g. original of the US Certificate of Naturalization, original on the Czechoslovak Listina/Osvědčení o propuštění ze státního svazku

7. Completed personal data form of the declarant,

8. Application fee – payable according to the current exchange rate (item 159b).

 

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Declarations for children under 18

A separate declaration for acquiring Czech citizenship must be submitted by the child’s parent. In addition to the documents listed above, the declaration pursuant to § 31(5)  must also include:

1. Child’s birth certificate (**),

2. Consent of the other parent to the acquisition of Czech citizenship, with a notarized signature.
   The consent may be signed by the other parent in person during the appointment at the Consulate.
   Consent is not required if the other parent is deceased, has been deprived of parental rights, has had parental rights limited or suspended in this area, or if their whereabouts are unknown when living outside the Czech Republic.

3. For a child over 15 years of age, the child’s own consent to the acquisition of Czech citizenship, with a notarized signature. The consent may be signed by the other parent in person during the appointment at the Consulate.

 

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Important notes

(*) The option to acquire citizenship by declaration under § 31(3) does not apply if the parent/grandparent:

• * lost Czechoslovak citizenship under Constitutional Decree No. 33/1945 Coll. (regarding persons of German or Hungarian nationality), or

• * lost Czechoslovak citizenship under the Treaty between Czechoslovakia and the USSR on Transcarpathian Ukraine No. 186/1946 Coll., or

• * became (or would have become) a citizen of the Slovak Socialist Republic as of 1 January 1969, or

• * acquired Slovak citizenship after 1 January 1969 or is still a citizen of Slovakia, or

• * was born between 1 October 1949 and 7 May 1969 outside the territory of Czechoslovakia and acquired Czech citizenship by declaration under § 33 of the Act on Czech Citizenship.

 

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(**) All required documents must be submitted in originals. Documents that are not issued by the Czech/Czechoslovak Republic must be verified by an apostille and translated into Czech language by a certified interpreter that is registered at the Ministry of Justice of the Czech Republic, except for documents issued in Slovak.

Note: A U.S. naturalization certificate must be provided in the original. An apostille and translation are not required. 

If you do not have the necessary information regarding your ancestors’ documents, you may use archival research – more information is available here.
The Consulate General does not conduct archival research.

If you do not have a specific document concerning your ancestor (e.g., Czech birth or marriage certificate) but have sufficient information to obtain it, you may apply for duplicates of Czech civil registry documents – more information is available here.

 

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Competent authority and decision process

The competent authority to accept the declaration is the regional authority based on the declarant’s permanent residence or last permanent residence in the Czech Republic. If the declarant never had permanent residence in the Czech Republic, the competent authority is the Municipal Authority of Prague 1.
Abroad, the declaration may be made at a diplomatic mission, which will forward it, together with the submitted documents, to the competent regional authority or ministry within 30 days.

The regional authority or the ministry will verify whether the conditions for acquiring Czech citizenship by declaration are met. If the conditions are not met, it will decide that the declarant did not acquire Czech citizenship.

Czech citizenship is acquired on the day the certificate of acquisition of Czech citizenship is received. This date is stated in the certificate.
If the certificate is received abroad, the applicant must sign a Confirmation of Receipt at the Consulate. Without this confirmation, the procedure is not completed and citizenship is not acquired.

For the purpose of issuing a new Czech passport, the certificate of acquisition of Czech citizenship is valid for one year from the date it is received by the applicant.

A document that certifies the date and legal basis on which your parent(s)/grandparent(s) lost their Czech/Czechoslovak citizenship is, for example, a U.S. naturalization certificate.  If the applicant does not have a naturalization certificate, it is necessary to apply for the issuance of a duplicate at the local office of the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services.