Former Czechoslovak/Czech citizens, their children and grandchildren may be able to acquire Czech citizenship by declaration according to Article 31/1, 3 and 5 of the current Act on the Citizenship of the Czech Republic.

The agenda regarding issues of citizenship is very complex and multidimensional.

Therefore, if you wish to make a declaration according to Article 31 of the Act on the Citizenship of the Czech Republic, please read the following instructions carefully.

Former Czechoslovak/Czech citizens can make declarations directly according to Article 31/1.

Their adult children and grandchildren can make declarations according to Article 31/3.

A separate declaration for a minor child can also be made according to Article 31/5.

How to submit the application?

In person - you need to make an appointment for a personal submission by sending the request to the email address: Ottawa.Consulate@mzv.gov.cz. 

By regular mail - our mailing address is

Embassy of the Czech Republic, 251 Cooper Str., Ottawa, Ontario K2P 0G2

We would also appreciate receiving a pre-paid trackable envelope with a sufficient stamp or an already pre-paid label (certified mail with a tracking number). We recommend using Xpresspost envelopes.

Applicants under the age of 15 - applications are submitted by a parent or a legal guardian. Both parents must be present at the Embassy for the declaration, or signatures of both parents on the application has to be verified
Applicants over the age of 15 up to age of 18 - both parents as well as the minor must be present at the Embassy for the declaration, or signatures of both parents and the applicant on the application has to be verified.

The appropriate regional authority for accepting a declaration is determined by the applicant's last place of residence in the Czech Republic. If the applicant never resided in the Czech Republic, the declarations are accepted by the Municipal Office in Prague 1.

The Embassy accepts the applications submitted by the applicants residing in Canada in its consular jurisdictions, then forwards the application to the appropriate Czech regional authority that decides on the application.

If the conditions to become a citizen of the Czech Republic by declaration are met, the applicants will receive a certificate of acquisition of Czech citizenship (Listina o nabyti statniho obcanstvi Ceske republiky).

The applicant becomes a Czech citizen as of the day the certificate is received by the applicant. After receiving the certificate, the applicant is able to register his birth, marriage in the Czech Republic and then apply for a Czech passport.

The ways of acquiring and losing citizenship of the Czech Republic  are regulated by the Act No. 186/2013 Coll., on the citizenship of the Czech Republic.

Pursuant to Section 31, Paragraph 1, of the Act no. 186/2013 a person who has lost Czech or Czechoslovak citizenship before the effective date of this Act (January 1, 2014) may acquire citizenship of the Czech Republic (hereinafter referred to as the “Declaration”), unless he/she lost Czechoslovak citizenship under any of the following conditions:

1. On the basis of the Constitutional Decree of the President of the Republic on the regulation of Czechoslovak citizenship of persons of German or Hungarian nationality.
2. On the basis of the agreement between the Czechoslovak Republic and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on Transcarpathian Ukraine.
3. He/she is not a Czechoslovak citizen who became or would become a citizen of the Slovak Socialist Republic on January 1, 1969.
4. After January 1, 1969 he/she acquired citizenship of the Slovak Socialist Republic or the Slovak Republic, and still holds that citizenship.

Please verify that you fulfill these conditions.

General rules:

- In very general terms, a person born in the territory of the Slovak Republic before 1953 and his/her direct descendants might be or should be considered as Slovak citizens.

- As a rule, only people from Carpathian Ruthenia who resided on the territory of the Czech Republic after 1945 might be eligible for the Czech citizenship).

- Moreover, the handling of applications concerning persons who left Czechoslovakia before 1953 requires comprehensive research in Czech archives. Research work requires a minimum of six months fieldwork in addition to the routine administrative procedure.

- The Embassy is not authorized to draw final conclusions and is not bound to make a thorough assessment of the eligibility for Czech citizenship. Especially in the case of people who left Czechoslovakia before 1953, it is not possible to reliably predict the result as it depends on the archival research.

- Each case must be examined and considered by competent authorities in the Czech Republic. However, the Embassy is primarily responsible for ensuring that the whole application file transmitted to the Czech authorities is complete and complies with the requirements of the law.

The application file prepared by an applicant should therefore contain the required forms, all supporting documentation and a consular fee.

If the forms and supporting documents received are incomplete, processing will not begin. It might therefore be useful to consider the possibility of consulting a lawyer in the Czech Republic or a person experienced in administrative proceedings in the Czech Republic.

- There is no time limit to submit the declaration.

- If applications are mailed, the applicant's signature must be verified by the Czech Honorary Consulate in your area.

- Submitted documents must be originals or officialy verified copies. Plain photocopies will not be accepted.

- If submitting official documents such as birth, marriage or death certificates issued abroad, they must be submitted as originals, with appropriate legalizations (in case of Canadian documents, they must be apostilled and accompanied by a translation into Czech language.

- If submitting a Canadian citizenship certificate, it must be submitted as original, apostilled and accompanied by its translation into Czech language. If you have commemorative certificate on Canadian citizenship only, please contact our consulate by email. The citizenship card is not accepted.

- Application forms must be filled out correctly, legibly, in Czech language and nothing is to be omitted.

- Leaving items blank delays the processing and may result in the application being returned. If there is an item that is not applicable to your situation, it must be indicated on the form (write "not applicable" or make cross out the space after the item).

- A consular officer will review the form and may be able to answer your questions but is unable to fill the forms out for you.

- The application is subject to a consular fee.

- If you do not have the  relevant Czech documents concerning your ancestors in your possession and you know their place of birth/last residence in Czechoslovakia/Czechia before 1953, apply for them at our Embassy.

- If you do not have any relevant Czech documents concerning your ancestors in your possession and you do not know their last residence in Czechoslovakia/Czechia before 1953, we would recommend starting with Genealogical Research in the Czech Republic.

A. Declaration according to § 31 section 1 and 2 of the Act no. 186/2013 – former Czech or Czechoslovak citizens

 

Supporting documents:

1. Completed form (PDF, 164 KB) of Declaration  (Prohlášení o nabytí státního občanství České republiky podle § 31 odst. 1, 2)
2.  Birth certificate;
3. Marriage certificate, domestic partnership certificate, divorce decree, proof of dissolution of the partnership, or death certificate of a deceased spouse or partner;
4. Declarant’s Czech parent’s/parents’  birth certificate(s), marriage certificate(s), divorce decree, or death certificate(s); - if necessary for making the declaration;
5. Declarant’s Czech grandparent’s/grandparents’  birth certificate(s), marriage certificate(s), divorce decree, or death certificate(s); - if necessary for making the declaration;
6. Document that certifies the date and the basis on which the declarant ceased to be Czech/Czechoslovak citizen(s) (e.g. original Canadian citizenship certificate, original Czechoslovak Listina/Osvědčení o propuštění ze státního svazku);
7. Valid ID and its photocopy;
8. Completed form of Declaration (DOC, 29 KB) of non-acquisition of citizenship of the Slovak Republic – (Prohlášení o Slovenském občanství);
9. Filled in personal data (DOC, 32 KB) form (Osobní údaje).

 

B. Declaration according to § 31 section 3 of the Act no. 186/2013 –  a child of former Czech or Czechoslovak citizens 

The Czech citizenship may be acquired by a person whose at least one parent or grandparent is or was a former citizen as defined in secton 1, unless such person is a citizen of the Slovak Republic as of the date of the declaration.

Supporting documents:

1. Filled-in Declaration form (PDF, 163 KB)  (Prohlášení o nabytí státního občanství České republiky podle § 31 odst. 3);
2. Create a family tree (names, dates of birth, places of birth and dates of marriage of both parents and grandparents). Please use the Family Tree Form (DOCX, 26 KB);
3. Birth certificate;
4. Marriage certificate, domestic partnership certificate, divorce decree, proof of dissolution of the partnership, or death certificate of a deceased spouse or partner;
5. Declarant’s Czech parent’s/parents’ birth certificate(s), marriage certificate(s), divorce decree, or death certificate(s); - if necessary for making the declaration;
6. Declarant’s Czech grandparent’s/grandparents’ birth certificate(s), marriage certificate(s), divorce decree, or death certificate(s); - if necessary for making the declaration;
7. Document that certifies the date and the basis on which declarant’s parents or grandparents ceased to be Czech/Czechoslovak citizen(s) (e.g. original Canadian citizenship certificate, original Czechoslovak Listina/Osvědčení o propuštění ze státního svazku);
8. Valid ID and its photocopy;
9. Filled-in Declaration (DOC, 29 KB) of non-acquisition of citizenship of the Slovak Republic - (Prohlášení o Slovenském občanství);
10. Personal data (DOC, 32 KB) form  (Osobní údaje).

C. Declaration according to § 31 section 5 of the Act no. 186/2013 –  a child of former Czech or Czechoslovak citizens

For minors, parents may submit a citizenship declaration according  § 31 section 5 of the Act no. 186/2013.

The declarant‘s – parents or legal guardians shall submit the following:

1. Filled in Declaration form (PDF, 183 KB) (Prohlášení o nabytí státního občanství České republiky podle § 31 odst. 5)
2. Birth certificate;
3. Declarant’s Czech parent’s/parents’ birth certificate(s), marriage certificate(s), divorce decree, or death certificate(s); - if necessary for making the declaration;
4. Declarant’s Czech grandparent’s/grandparents’ original birth certificate(s), marriage certificate(s), divorce decree, or death certificate(s); - if necessary for making the declaration;
5. Document that certifies the date and the basis on which declarant’s parents or grandparents ceased to be Czech/Czechoslovak citizen(s) (e.g. original Canadian citizenship certificate, original Czechoslovak Listina/Osvědčení o propuštění ze státního svazku);
6. Valid ID of both parents and their photocopy;
7. Child’s birth certificate – long form, superlegalized and translated into Czech language;
8. Other parent’s written consent to obtaining citizenship by declaration (his signature must be verified by the Czech Honorary Consulate in your area, if he is not present at the submission. The consent is not reqquired if the other parent has lost or was stripped of his/her parenting responsibility, his /her whereabouts or died (documents proving this must be submitted in original);
9. Personal data (DOC, 32 KB) form (Osobní údaje).