Slovakia · Citizenship by naturalisation
Retention of Slovak Citizenship on Naturalising Abroad
The punitive 2010 law was substantially defused but NOT abolished by the 2022 amendment. Retention is now possible but conditional on a 90-day notification.
From 17 July 2010 Slovakia automatically stripped citizenship from anyone acquiring a foreign citizenship by an act of will — genuinely punitive and it caught many people unaware. The 2022 amendment defused it, but retention is now conditional on filing within 90 days. A client who naturalises abroad after five years' residence and simply does not notify is at risk of losing Slovak citizenship.
Qualifying routes
Permitted where the foreign citizenship is acquired by marriage, birth or adoption, or after residing in that country at least 5 years — with notification to the authorities within 90 days
The facts
- Total landed cost
- n/a
- Physical presence
- n/a
- Family
- applies to each individual
- Permanent residency
- n/a
- Citizenship
- n/a — this concerns keeping citizenship you already hold
- Language test
- n/a
- Dual citizenship
- Permitted
- Requirements
- foreign citizenship acquired by marriage, birth, adoption, or after 5 years' residencenotification to the Slovak authorities within 90 days
- THE 90-DAY NOTIFICATION IS A LIVE TRAP. Retention is conditional on the filing. Diarise it the moment a foreign naturalisation is contemplated.
- The 2010 law is defused, not repealed — acquiring a foreign citizenship outside the permitted grounds (marriage, birth, adoption, or 5 years' residence) still triggers loss.
- Those stripped between 17 July 2010 and 31 March 2022 can reacquire, but only if the foreign citizenship was obtained after at least 5 years' residence in that country, and they hold a Slovak residence permit.