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[Please refer to How to Read a Country Entry for help interpreting this material. It was produced prior to March 2001 as part of a US government report entitled Citizenship Laws of the World. The accuracy and depth of these country listings varies significantly, and some information may be incorrect. At best, this page presents only part of the story for a particular country. Additional information for this country may be available in Country Information]

CZECH REPUBLIC


CITIZENSHIP: Czech citizenship laws are based on an Act of January 1, 1993, of the Czech National Council on Acquisition and Loss of Citizenship, as amended by Law 272 dated October 12, 1993, on Law 140 dated June 28, 1995, and on Law 139 dated April 26, 1996. Any individual who was jointly a citizen (Czechoslovakian), or was a citizen of the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic on December 31, 1992, shall become a citizen of the Czech Republic.

BY BIRTH: Birth within the Czech Republic does not automatically confer citizenship. Persons under 17 years old, found in the Czech Republic, shall acquire Czech citizenship, if such person does not have citizenship of another country. Child born in the territory of the Czech Republic to stateless parents, one of whom has permanent residency in the Czech Republic.

BY DESCENT: Child, at least one of whose parents is a citizen of the Czech Republic. Child born out of wedlock, whose mother is not a Czech citizen, is only granted citizenship if their father is a Czech citizen. Either of the parents must declare paternity or a court judgement assigns paternity.

OTHER: Any person who was a Czechoslovakian citizen up to December 31, 1992, and has not specified whether they are a Czech or Slovak citizen can choose Czech citizenship. They may proclaim this either at local district offices in the Czech Republic or at the Czech Embassies abroad.

BY NATURALIZATION: Czech citizenship can be applied for upon fulfillment of the following conditions: Person has resided within the Czech Republic for at least five years, possesses knowledge of the Czech language, has renounced previous citizenship, and has not been convicted of a crime in the previous five years. The five year residency requirement may be waived if the person has permanent residency and falls under any of the following categories: Person was born in the territory of the Czech Republic. Person was a citizen of the Czech Republic or Czechoslovakia. Person is married to a Czech citizen. An adopted child, one of whose parents is a Czech citizen, shall acquire Czech citizenship at the date of adoption.


DUAL CITIZENSHIP: NOT RECOGNIZED. Exception: Person has been living in the Czech Republic for five years and the law of their home country does not allow them to be released from their citizenship. Person obtains dual citizenship (citizenship ex-lege).


LOSS OF CITIZENSHIP:

VOLUNTARY: Voluntary renunciation of Czech citizenship is possible under the following conditions: Person does not live permanently in the Czech Republic. A Czech citizen shall lose Czech citizenship at the moment they acquire, at their own request, the citizenship of another country (unless it is acquired by marriage). Person has been living abroad for at least 10 years.

INVOLUNTARY: The involuntary loss of citizenship is constitutionally prohibited.


ANY QUESTIONS concerning Czech citizenship, or requests for renunciation of citizenship, should be directed to the address below:

Embassy of the Czech Republic 3900 Spring of Freedom St., NW Washington, DC 20008

Embassy/Consul Telephone: 202-363-6315 ext. 25 Fax: 202-966-8540

 

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