Czechia · Citizenship by descent
Czech Citizenship by Declaration for Children and Grandchildren (Section 31(3))
Open
Last verified July 2026
Open under Act No. 186/2013 Coll. section 31(3), inserted by Act No. 207/2019 Coll. and effective 6 September 2019. IMPORTANT: the widely-marketed 'great-grandchildren / 4th generation' extension has NOT passed — see watch-outs.
Cleaner and faster than Poland's descent route — a declaration rather than a contested legal analysis, with no language test and no residence. But it stops at grandchildren, where Poland has no generational limit and Slovakia reaches great-grandparents. And it carries a trap that catches families with Slovak connections.
Qualifying routes
—
Child or grandchild of a Czech or Czechoslovak citizen
At least one parent or grandparent is or was a Czech or Czechoslovak citizen who lost it by 31 December 2013. Second generation only.
The facts
- Total landed cost
- Low — this is a declaration, not a naturalisation. Budget for apostilles and certified Czech translations.
- Timeline
- 6–18 months — Filed at a Czech consulate or in Czechia
- Physical presence
- None
- Family
- each descendant declares in their own right within the two-generation limit
- Permanent residency
- n/a — direct citizenship
- Citizenship
- Immediate on the declaration being accepted; full EU citizenship
- Language test
- None — this is a declaration, with no language test and no residence requirement
- Dual citizenship
- Permitted
- Requirements
- at least one parent or grandparent who is or was a Czech or Czechoslovak citizen and lost it by 31 December 2013not a Slovak citizen on the date of declarationdocuments in Czech with apostille and certified translation
What can go wrong
- HARD BAR: you must NOT be a Slovak citizen on the date of the declaration. A client eligible for both Czech and Slovak citizenship must sequence deliberately — taking Slovak citizenship first forecloses this route permanently.
- MARKET FALSEHOOD: numerous sites assert a 2024 amendment extended eligibility to great-grandchildren or the 4th generation. It has NOT passed. It had not begun its passage through the Chamber of Deputies before the October 2025 elections and must restart the entire legislative process in the new parliament. Grandchildren remain the limit. Do not price it in.
- Excludes cases where the ancestor lost citizenship under Nazi or Hungarian decrees, Soviet treaties, or became a Slovak citizen after 1969.
- All written submissions must be in Czech; foreign documents need apostille plus certified Czech translation (US naturalisation certificates and Slovak documents excepted).
- The Certificate of Acquisition is valid only 1 year for the passport application — do not let it lapse.