Having multiple citizenships is a life hack. It allows you to travel freely. It lets you work, live, and own real estate in another nation.
With dual citizenship, you make relocating overseas a lot easier. After all, you won't have to deal with work permits and visas in your new "home" nation!
There is! Descent citizenship is one of the simplest methods. Many nations will grant you citizenship if a parent, grandparent, (or great grandparents in certain situations) were born there.
Regardless, there are multiple paths you can try. If you have no descent privileges, you can try naturalization or investment routes.
Czechia is a country that offers dual citizenship. Below, we’ll go over the procedure of getting that citizenship. Also, we’ll provide you with a list of nations that grant citizenship (along with their eligibility requirements).
But before we get started, we need to make one thing clear: you should seek professional help if you’re pursuing citizenship overseas. Before you try to claim a second nationality, you must first grasp the requirements, tax ramifications, and other commitments required of you!
First, you have to understand the ancestral requirements.
Starting in 2014, Czechia has supported dual citizenship. Thus, if you’re American, you can legally hold both Czech and US nationalities!
Children or grandchildren of citizens of the Czech Republic (and the currently non-existent Czechoslovakia) can apply, assuming they aren’t already citizens of Slovakia.
Again, we’d like to stress the need for help when getting overseas citizenship. If you have family in the Czech Republic who have gone through the process, we recommend asking for their help. Otherwise, be sure to contact a lawyer!
That being said, the procedure isn’t difficult to understand. Below is a rundown of the steps required to obtain citizenship and a passport. It's critical to note that each process is different, as you'll often need to have citizenship before getting a passport.
You need to submit the following documents (each document must be apostille stamped):
The documents can be originals or official copies from the United States government. You can have a family-member (or local lawyer) obtain them for you, before being locally apostilled in your state of residence.
You can then take the documents to Czechia after collecting and apostilling them. On arrival, you’re required to fill out some forms to obtain your Czech birth certificate (called a Rodn list). Knowledge of the Czech language is required to fill out each form, so it’s best if you ask for professional help at that point.
Next, you should go to Prague’s immigration office and drop off the citizen applications and paperwork for processing. This normally takes a few weeks, and the documents should be delivered to your representative's address.
Normally, a Rodn list is all that’s needed to get a Czech passport. You can receive it from any Czech embassy.
Your Czech Rodn must have been processed prior. And it’s recommended if a representative can pick up the document and ship it to your address.
The paper should clearly demonstrate that you are a Czech citizen by ancestry, allowing you to start the process of obtaining a passport.
You can head to the website of Czechia’s Consulate General. You’ll find a list of the paperwork and information required to claim a passport.
You’ll see that not much is necessary. Only a recent Czech birth certificate, a US driver’s license or passport, and fees are required. Fees are paid in US dollars (cash only).
The consulate will also demand a passport photo, which is a new requirement. Prior to that, photos were taken in the consulate when the application was filed.
After getting the necessary documentation, you’ll need to contact the closest Czech consulate and schedule an appointment.
Your first appointment should be pretty straightforward. You’ll walk in and speak with a consulate employee. They’ll take your paperwork, money, a photo, and fingerprints.
Following some small conversation, you’ll be told that the interview is complete, and you’ll be contacted when the passport is available at the embassy.
There’s also an option where you can get the passport shipped, but this requires you to pay a Priority Mail postage.
Some weeks later, you’ll be phoned by the consulate to schedule a pick up for your passport.
The entire procedure should take around 6 months as you apply and get your passport. After that, you'll have a dual passport ready for travel!
You can travel in and out of Europe using your Czech passport. And like other EU citizens, you can enter EU nations on a Czech passport and stay permanently.
This will save you a lot of time while traveling. It will allow you to reside and work across the entire EU indefinitely!
Want a similar experience to the above?
Descent citizenship is available in a few nations across the world. Qualifications vary, but they often allow people whose ancestors were born overseas.
The list below shows the nations that grant ancestral citizenship, plus their main eligibility criteria. Full criteria might be more stringent. Thus, we recommend doing some prior research if you believe you qualify!
Also, there are some countries on the list that provide citizenship to anybody who can demonstrate cultural links to those countries.
Please keep in mind that not all countries are on this list. Those eliminated are ones that restrict dual citizenship.
One of your parents must carry Argentine citizenship when you were born.
One of your parents must carry Australian citizenship when you were born.
Have a parent who carries Austrian citizenship (with certain exceptions).
One of your parents must carry Brazilian citizenship when you were born.
Have one parent born or naturalized in Canada before the applicant's birth.
One ancestor (up to grandparents) must carry Cape Verdean citizenship when you were born.
Must have a Chilean parent while showing that an ancestor (up to their grandparents) received Chilean citizenship by naturalization or birth.
Have a parent that was a naturalized citizen of Colombia.
Must have one parent with Costa Rican citizenship.
Have a parent with Croatian citizenship when you were born, as long as you register with Croatia’s government before the age of 18. Even if you do not register, you still qualify if both parents carry Croatian citizenship.
Have a Czechoslovak or Czech ancestor (up to grandparents).
Have a parent with Danish citizenship.
Have a parent with Dominican citizenship.
Have a parent with Estonian citizenship when you were born.
Applicants must have a legally married Finnish father to their mother.
Must have a parent with French citizenship at the time of your birth.
Must have a parent with German citizenship at the time of your birth (some exceptions do apply).
Have a parent that carries Greek citizenship. Citizenship may be passed down to future generations indefinitely.
Pass a Hungarian language exam (basic level) and have a Hungarian ancestor (up to grandparents).
Have an ancestor (up to grandparents) who was Irish. Must be born in Ireland if it's a grandfather or grandmother.
Have a parent with Israeli citizenship at the time of your birth, or make a claim under the Law of Return.
Prove Italian ancestry. No generational limit exists, though there are certain restrictions.
Have a parent carrying Kenyan citizenship when you were born.
Have an ancestor (up to great-grandparents) who was a Lithuanian citizen from 1918 to 1940, and who fled the nation during the Soviet Union’s occupation.
Have a parent with Luxembourgish citizenship at the time of your birth.
Applicants must have a Mexican parent whose birthplace was in Mexico.
Both parents must carry Mongolian citizenship when you were born.
Have a parent with Dutch citizenship when you were born.
One of your parents must have Norwegian citizenship when you were born.
Have a parent carrying Nigerian citizenship when you were born.
Have a parent carrying Filipino citizenship when you were born.
Have ancestors (great-grandparents included) who lived in Poland post 1920 (or) who had addresses that can be traced in different records and were Polish citizens to the day you were born.
Must have a Portuguese-born ancestor (up to a grandparent). Grandparent applicants must show knowledge of the local language while having links to the Portuguese community.
Must gave an ancestor (up to grandparents) who held Romanian citizenship at a point in their lives. Alternatively, qualifying ancestors may be great-grandparents who lost their Romanian citizenship unwillingly.
Have a parent who carried Singaporean citizenship when you were born.
Have a parent who carried Slovakian citizenship when you were born.
Have an ancestor who carried Slovenian citizenship (up to grandparents).
At the moment of your birth, you must have a parent with South African citizenship.
Must have a parent with South Korean citizenship.
Have an ancestor (up to grandparents) carrying Spanish citizenship. Certain restrictions do apply.
One parent must be Swedish. Swedish mothers immediately qualify applicants for citizenship. Swedish fathers must be married to the applicant’s mother.
Must be born to any Swiss parent, where location of birth isn’t a factor. If born abroad, the applicant should’ve been registered at a Swiss consulate before the age of 22.
Must have a father with Taiwanese citizenship at the time of your birth.
Must be born to a Thai mother. May be born to a Thai father married to the applicant’s mother.
Must have a parent carrying a Tunisian citizenship when you were born.
At the moment of birth, applicants must have a Turkish parent.
Have a parent with Ukrainian citizenship when you were born. May qualify if an ancestor was born in territory counted as part of modern day Ukraine (after August 24, 1991).
Must have a British parent when you were born.
Have a US citizen parent when you were born.
Descent citizenship is the simplest path to a new citizenship. With that, more options do exist that you can try.
Here's a short rundown of alternative options for obtaining dual citizenship.
Many nations let you receive citizenship after a certain amount of residency time.
Expats, for example, can receive Czech citizenship status if they carry permanent residency permits there (five years for non EU applicants - and three years for EU nationals). They’re also required to be fluent in Czech.
Many nations have similar styles of regulation. And this makes naturalization a fitting route for those working abroad!
Many nations throughout the world grant citizenship to anyone who invests significantly in their economies. Those programs aren’t cheap though.
Malta is a prominent example. To be eligible for citizenship, you must make a nonrefundable gift of €650,000 (or $736,000) to a local government fund, then buy €150,000 (or $170,000) of 3-year government bonds, while investing €350,000 (or $396,000) towards local property!
Because Malta is a member of the EU, this is considered a popular route for "buying" EU membership.
Another example is the Caribbean island of St. Lucia. To be eligible for citizenship there, you must give $100,000 to government funds and acquire $300,000 (minimum) in local real estate.
This citizenship will allow you to reside and work in St.Lucia while traveling to countries with visa-free arrangements. This is usually not profitable for US citizens, but it may be useful for individuals with weaker passports.
Some nations will grant citizenship to those who demonstrate certain religious convictions.
Religious and ethnic Jews, for example, can petition for Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return. They may also apply for citizenship if they have Jewish ancestors (up to grandparents), become converts to Judaism, or fulfill other legal conditions.
If you have Jewish grandparents, you may apply for Israeli citizenship at any time.
Dual citizenship can take you far. It’ll make living abroad and traveling much simpler, and it should become a popular asset post-coronavirus!
You now know how to get Czech ancestry citizenship. You should have an idea of how the process will develop.
Czech citizenship by ancestry is a privilege. If you are qualified for a dual nationality by ancestry, we strongly advise you to take advantage of it. After all, you can’t tell when you'll wish to reside and work overseas, or visit a location where your present passport does not allow you non-visa entry.
To get started, contact a representative first. With a representative, you’ll ensure that you completely grasp the process of claiming dual citizenship!
