Slovak Citizenship by Descent (CBD): Do You Qualify?
What is Slovak Citizenship by Descent?
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Slovak Citizenship by Descent (CBD) is based on your ancestor’s place of birth and their connection to Czechoslovak citizenship.
To potentially qualify, your parent, grandparent, or great-grandparent must have been born within the present-day borders of Slovakia and meet the applicable citizenship requirements.
There are no Slovak language or physical residency requirements for citizenship by descent.
Use the questions below to determine whether you may qualify for Slovak citizenship by descent.
Was your parent, grandparent, or great-grandparent Slovakia?
If you have Slovak ancestry or Slovak heritage, your ancestor may have been recorded as being born in:
- Austria
- Hungary
- The Kingdom of Hungary
- The Austro-Hungarian Empire
- Czechoslovakia
The key questions are:
Was your ancestor born within the present-day borders of what is now Slovakia?
Do you have evidence they were a citizen of Czechoslovakia, or did they live past the creation of Czechoslovakia on October 28, 1918?
If yes, you may be eligible for Slovak citizenship by descent.
If no, you may want to determine whether you qualify for a Slovak Living Abroad (SLA) Certificate and a Slovak residency permit.
Did your "Anchor Ancestor" live past October 28, 1918?
Under the Ministry of Interior’s new interpretation, if your “anchor ancestor”:
- Was born within the present-day borders of Slovakia; and
- No further back than your great-grandparent; and
- Was still living when Czechoslovakia was created on October 28, 1918; and
- Did not obtain another citizenship by birth,
it is now presumed that your ancestor was, or would have become, a citizen of Czechoslovakia.
Czechoslovak citizenship is a key requirement for Slovak citizenship by descent.
If your ancestor did not live past October 28, 1918, you should also consider whether you may qualify for a Slovak Living Abroad Certificate and Slovak residency permit.
Important: New Ministry of Interior Interpretation — June 2025
In June 2025, a well-known Slovak immigration law firm had a client whose Slovak citizenship by descent application was denied by the Ministry of Interior (MOI).
The applicant's ancestors had left Europe for the United States in the early 1900s and later acquired U.S. citizenship before the creation of Czechoslovakia in 1918.
Under the original interpretation, this disqualified the applicant. The law firm believed the original decision was incorrect and appealed to the Minister of the Interior.
The Minister agreed with the law firm’s position, overturned the previous decision, and referred the matter back to the Ministry of Interior. The Ministry subsequently approved the application.
What Does the New Interpretation Mean?
It is important to understand that this is not a change in the law. It is a change in how the law is being interpreted.
Under the original interpretation, an applicant needed evidence that:
- Their ancestor was born within the present-day borders of Slovakia; and
- Their ancestor had been a citizen of Czechoslovakia.
Under the new interpretation, if the ancestor was born within the present-day borders of Slovakia and was still alive when Czechoslovakia was created on October 28, 1918, it is now presumed that the ancestor would have become a Czechoslovak citizen.
As a result, many more descendants of Slovak ancestors may now be eligible to apply for Slovak citizenship by descent.
We can help you understand your options and navigate the process.
MOI's New Interpretation in Slovak
MOI's New Interpretation in English
Original Interpretation: Immigration and Naturalization Years
Original Interpretation: Immigration and Naturalization Years
You may have previously been told you were not eligible due to your ancestors' immigration or naturalization date.
Under the original interpretation, the date your ancestor permanently left the “Old Country” was important.
October 28, 1908 was the earliest date they could have permanently left and still potentially qualify as your anchor ancestor for citizenship by descent.
The final departure date and immigration date was what mattered.
For example, if your ancestor:
- First left in 1905,
- Returned to the Old Country, and
- Left again permanently in 1910,
then 1910 would have been the relevant departure year when determining eligibility under the original interpretation.
What If They Left Before October 28, 1908?
If your ancestor left before October 28, 1908, the next questions are:
- Were they under the age of 24?
- Did their parents remain in the Old Country?
What if they naturalized before 1918?
- They must not have naturalized before 1918.
- If they naturalized before the creation of Czechoslovakia, then under the original interpretation, they would not have become citizens of Czechoslovakia.
Those questions mattered and were relevant under the original interpretation of the Citizenship by Descent law that went into effect in April 2022.
Need help determining your family's eligibility?
Original Interpretation: Immigration and Naturalization Years
Need help determining your family's eligibility?
Understanding Slovak citizenship by descent can require more than simply knowing that you have a Slovak ancestor. Slovak genealogy, historical records, place-of-birth research, immigration records, naturalization records, and the specific history of your ancestor can all be important when evaluating your potential eligibility.
At Jamieson Consulting Firm, we help individuals and families with Slovak ancestry obtain Slovak citizenship by descent and Slovak Living Abroad (SLA).
If you have a parent, grandparent, or great-grandparent from Slovakia, we can help you understand your potential options and determine the appropriate next steps.
Are you ready to change your family's life?
Original Interpretation: Immigration and Naturalization Years
Need help determining your family's eligibility?
Through expert, personalized guidance, lead by someone with personal, firsthand experience — from evaluating eligibility for citizenship by descent, helping you to prepare necessary documents, to application submission and relocation support — we simplify the processes for obtaining Slovak Citizenship by Descent (CBD) and the Slovak Living Abroad (SLA) Certificate.
Grounded in lived experience and deep cultural understanding, our mission is to reconnect people to their roots and open doors to new opportunities across the European Union.
Read more about our services here and then complete the client intake form and self-schedule your 15-minute intake appointment here.
Consulting Services
Service Fees:
Citizenship by Descent (CBD) and Slovak Living Abroad (SLA) Full Service Consulting Options
💼 Our consulting fee options:
1800€ for Citizenship by Descent (CBD)
-or-
1800€ for the Slovak Living Abroad Certificate (SLA)
-or-
3000€ for both SLA & CBD
What’s Included With Your Consulting fee:
Your application is more than a collection of forms. Our consulting service provides personalized guidance and support throughout the process, helping you understand what is required, prepare properly, and navigate the process with confidence.
- Personalized Application Guidance
- Receive individualized, step-by-step guidance for your Slovak Citizenship by Descent (CBD) and/or Slovak Living Abroad (SLA) application based on your specific circumstances.
- Application Preparation Support
- Get guidance on required materials, application forms, declarations, questionnaires, formatting, and pre-submission requirements so you understand what needs to be prepared before applying.
- Resources for where to obtain all necessary documents, what to do with them once you've received them, genealogy resources, step by step guides, and more.
- Document Strategy & Organization
- Learn which supporting records are needed, how they fit into your application, and how to properly organize and prepare your documentation.
- Case-Specific Consultation
- Discuss your individual circumstances, questions, and concerns with a consultant who can provide personalized procedural guidance throughout your engagement.
- Expert Resources & Client Portal
- Access comprehensive checklists, resource guides, templates, FAQs, educational materials, and other resources through your online client portal. (NEW Client Portal coming in September 2026!)
- Ongoing Communication & Support
- Communicate directly with your consultant through email, phone, and your client portal as you work through your application.
What is not included
- Official translation services
- Interpretation services
- Appointment-setting fees
- Document collection, and anything not explicitly included in consulting services.
- NOTE: We facilitate the requesting and collection of Slovak documents needed for client applications (additional service fee), but we do not request US/CA/UK/etc documents.
Our Goal
To take the uncertainty out of the process.
Rather than trying to navigate Slovak citizenship or Slovak Living Abroad requirements on your own, you have a structured process, personalized guidance, educational resources, and a consultant available to help you understand what to do at each stage.
We also provide or assist with the following services at an additional cost:
Ready to Begin the Process?
Our Mission
Through expert, personalized guidance, lead by someone with personal, firsthand experience — from evaluating eligibility for citizenship by descent, helping you to prepare necessary documents, to application submission and relocation support — we simplify the processes for obtaining Slovak Citizenship by Descent (CBD) and the Slovak Living Abroad (SLA) Certificate.
Grounded in lived experience and deep cultural understanding, our mission is to reconnect people to their roots and open doors to new opportunities across the European Union.