Granting of the Czech citizenship to holders of permanent residence permits in the Czech Republic
- The basic requirement is always that the applicant for the Czech citizenship must hold a permanent residence permit in the Czech Republic for a specific period of time (5 years as standard, 3 years for EU citizens, but shorter periods are possible if the total period of lawful residence in the Czech Republic exceeds 10 years – especially for non-EU students who cannot apply for permanent residence after 5 years of long-term residence);
- The applicant must also be able to prove his/her actual and factual residence in the Czech Republic (work, business, study);
- Other conditions to be met are language integration (language exam or previous studies), no criminal record, no debts with the Czech authorities, sufficient financial resources, etc.
Special cases of our specialization:
Citizenship on the grounds special contribution to the Czech Republic (especially scientists, athletes etc.)
Our leading experts will provide you with a legal consultation if you intend to apply for the Czech citizenship. We assist clients in the complete preparation of the citizenship application, help them to obtain properly legalized registry documents from abroad and navigate you through the system of exemptions, provide accompaniment of the clients to the registry office for submission of the citizenship application. The attorney engaged in the proceeding receives all correspondence related to the citizenship procedure from the Czech authorities. Therefore, legal representation is particularly appropriate if you are currently abroad for a long period of time due to work or other reasons. The client is guaranteed not to miss any delivery of important documents such as requests for amendments or summons. Long-term residence outside the Czech Republic is not a primary obstacle to obtaining the citizenship if the applicant otherwise meets all the requirements.
It doesn’t end with the granting of the citizenship…
- obtaining Czech birth and marriage certificates
- reporting of changes to the Czech authorities
- legalization of Czech documents for their use in a foreign country (Apostille, superlegalization)
After taking the citizenship oath, we also represent our clients in the procedure of registration of their birth and marriage with the Special Registry Office in Brno. Czech civil registration documents such as birth and marriage certificate must be presented to the authorities when applying for a passport and ID card.
We also assist clients in reporting of changes related to the acquisition of the Czech citizenship (health insurance company, Department for Asylum and Migration Policy of the Ministry of Interior of the Czech Republic, trade licensing office etc.).
In case you needed to present your newly acquired Czech official documents in a foreign country, we offer help with obtaining the proper legalization of the documents (Apostille or superlegalization).
Our attorneys will be happy to provide you with a consultation.
Lenka Morávková, email: lenka.moravkova@rutlands.cz
Simplified method of acquiring Czech citizenship for young foreigners between 18-20 years of age who have spent at least 2/3 of their lives in the Czech Republic
If you were born in the Czech Republic or arrived here before your 11th birthday at the latest and have lived here since then and have a permanent residence permit, there is a good chance that you are eligible to acquire the Czech citizenship – simply by making a declaration of acquisition of the Czech citizenship at the relevant registry office. Knowledge of the Czech language is not a requirement for the acquisition of the Czech citizenship.
Read more in this summary: Acquisition of Czech citizenship by second generation immigrants – rutland & partners (rutlandandpartners.com)
Our attorneys will be happy to provide you with a consultation.
Lenka Morávková, email: lenka.moravkova@rutlands.cz
Czech citizenship through ancestry / Czech citizenship for descendants of the Czech or Czechoslovak citizens or for people who have lost their citizenship in the past
Act No. 186/2013 Coll., on the Czech citizenship, has enabled a large number of former Czechoslovak or Czech citizens and their descendants to acquire the Czech citizenship since 1st January 2014, in order to eliminate the unfairness caused by the Czechoslovakia’s totalitarian citizenship legislation. This discriminated heavily against Czechoslovak citizens who had emigrated abroad for various reasons, and especially against their descendants born abroad in marriage to a foreigner.
Subsequent amendments to the Citizenship Act, including the one currently under discussion in the Czech Parliament 10 years after the Citizenship Act came into force, have further expanded the range of possible Czech citizens from among the descendants of the Czech emigrants. Now, children, grandchildren and, in the future, great-grandchildren of those who have lost their Czech citizenship (for example, due to acquisition of a citizenship of another country), i.e. direct descendants up to the fourth generation, can also become Czech citizens.
We wrote about the upcoming major amendment to the Czech Citizenship Act, which will have a positive effect on persons who have not yet qualified for the Czech citizenship (estimated legal force of the amendment: second half of 2024) here: Expanding the range of eligible applicants for the Czech citizenship through ancestry – rutland & partners (rutlandandpartners.com)
Why applying for the Czech citizenship through ancestry?
- It is a simple way to obtain an EU Member State passport
- A great way to strengthen relations with your country of origin and preserve your family heritage
- Because the Czech legal system allows dual citizenship, you won’t lose your original citizenship
- No need to know the Czech language
Our attorneys will be happy to provide you with a consultation.
Lenka Morávková, email: lenka.moravkova@rutlands.cz
Marta Malinovská, email: marta.malinovska@rutlands.cz
Permanent residence on the basis of membership in the Czech compatriot community abroad
Czech expatriates living abroad are not always entitled to the Czech citizenship, even though they subjectively consider themselves Czechs and actively participate in expatriate activities. There is a large number of cases of expatriates whose Czech ancestors left Bohemia before 1910 and therefore their Czech citizenship cannot be confirmed. However, even such persons are allowed to apply for a permanent residence permit in the Czech Republic without any previous residence here, just on the basis of their membership in the Czech expatriate community. They can then apply for the Czech citizenship in a standard procedure for foreigners, but using the advantages of certain exceptions.
The requirements for obtaining the permanent residence permit for reasons worth special consideration:
- obtaining a confirmation of membership in the Czech compatriot community from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic (submitting a family tree, registry and other supporting documents related to Czech ancestors, confirmation from the expatriate association of which the applicant must be a member);
- submitting an application for permanent residence through the Czech Embassy abroad – the Ministry of Interior of the Czech Republic decides on the application
Permanent residence permit is recommended for compatriots who are not entitled to Czech citizenship but plan to settle in the Czech Republic. Permanent residence will make it much easier for them to enter and stay in the country and to travel around the European Union.
Our attorneys will be happy to provide you with a consultation.
Lenka Morávková, email: lenka.moravkova@rutlands.cz
