AKMV 
- Legal regulation of preserving Slovak citizenship
- If you are interested in the preparation and submission of the notification to retain your Slovak citizenship, please contact us at recepcia@akmv.sk or by phone at +421 915 046 749.
- Ways of proving a 5-year stay in another state
- Retaining Slovak Citizenship Upon Acquiring a Spouse’s Citizenship
- Citizenship of Children Living Abroad with a Slovak Mother
- Notification of Acquisition of Foreign Citizenship
- Important Note on Deadlines
The Slovak Republic allows dual citizenship in cases where Slovak citizenship is acquired as a second (additional) citizenship. However, a problem arises when a Slovak citizen acquires foreign citizenship.
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If you have any questions regarding the acquisition or loss of citizenship, or if you require other legal advice, please do not hesitate to contact us at recepcia@akmv.sk. We will get back to you as soon as possible.
If a citizen of the Slovak Republic acquired the citizenship of another state after 1.4.2022, he / she may request that the citizenship of the Slovak Republic be retained. The Ministry of the Interior of the Slovak Republic is notified of the acquisition of foreign citizenship and, once the legal conditions have been met, its Slovak citizenship will be retained.
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Legal regulation of preserving Slovak citizenship
According to the current legislation effective from 01.04.2022 (§ 9 paras. 18 and 19 of the Act on Citizenship), citizenship of the Slovak Republic will not be lost if the citizen of the Slovak Republic acquired foreign citizenship citizenship residence, registered residence or otherwise registered residence for at least five years. The condition is that the citizen of the Slovak Republic actually stays in the territory of the foreign state during this period.
Section 9 of the Act on State Citizenship:
(17) The loss of state citizenship of the Slovak Republic pursuant to paragraph 16 shall not occur if a citizen of the Slovak Republic acquired foreign state citizenship of a spouse during their marriage, or if the foreign state citizenship was acquired by birth, adoption, or if it was acquired by a minor child. A citizen of the Slovak Republic is obliged to notify the Ministry in writing of the acquisition of foreign state citizenship under the preceding sentence within 90 days of its acquisition and is obliged to submit, along with this notification, documents in physical form proving the acquisition of foreign state citizenship and other documents proving that the loss of state citizenship of the Slovak Republic pursuant to the preceding sentence did not occur, in particular a birth certificate, marriage certificate, or a final decision on the adoption of a child.
(18) The loss of state citizenship of the Slovak Republic pursuant to paragraph 16 shall also not occur if a citizen of the Slovak Republic acquired foreign state citizenship of a state in which they had a permitted, registered, or otherwise recorded residence for at least five years at the time of acquiring the foreign state citizenship; the residence requirement is considered met if the citizen of the Slovak Republic actually resided in the territory of the foreign state during this period. A citizen of the Slovak Republic is obliged to notify the Ministry in writing of the acquisition of foreign state citizenship under the preceding sentence within 90 days of its acquisition and is obliged to submit, along with this notification, documents in physical form proving the acquisition of foreign state citizenship and the duration of residence in the state of acquisition as of the date of its acquisition; the Ministry shall request additional documents if they are necessary to prove the residence of the citizen of the Slovak Republic in the territory of the foreign state. If, after receiving the notification under the preceding sentence, it is proven that the residence requirement under the first sentence has not been met, the Ministry shall send the person who notified the acquisition of foreign state citizenship a written notice of the loss of state citizenship of the Slovak Republic pursuant to paragraph 1, point (b), and of the entry of its loss into the Central Evidence of Acquisition and Loss of State Citizenship of the Slovak Republic and the Register of Residents of the Slovak Republic.
(19) Any person who has lost state citizenship pursuant to paragraph 16 is obliged to notify this fact in writing without delay to the District Office at the seat of the region and submit, along with this notification, documents in physical form proving the acquisition of foreign state citizenship.
A citizen of the Slovak Republic is obliged to notify the Ministry in writing of the acquisition of foreign citizenship within 90 days of its acquisition and is obliged to submit documents in paper form proving the acquisition of foreign citizenship and the length of stay in the state of citizenship as of the date of its acquisition. The Ministry will also request additional documents if they are necessary to prove the residence of a citizen of the Slovak Republic in the territory of a foreign state.
Interesting Fact
Following the amendment of April 2022, the obligation to submit a notification of the acquisition of foreign citizenship now also applies to children who acquired foreign citizenship at birth.
Please note that this legal regulation can be used only if the Slovak citizen acquired the citizenship of another state after 01.04.2022.
If you are interested in the preparation and submission of the notification to retain your Slovak citizenship, please contact us at recepcia@akmv.sk or by phone at +421 915 046 749.
Ways of proving a 5-year stay in another state
Registered residence for at least five years in the state in which he was allowed to obtain foreign nationality at the time of acquiring foreign citizenship can be proved in various ways. Most often it will be a document / certificate of length of stay issued by a foreign state, a resident card, or documents of employment / study in a foreign state, which indicate the length of employment or study in that state.
Documents issued by a foreign state must have additional verification (apostille or superlegalization) and must be accompanied by an officially certified translation into Slovak. Documents issued in the Czech Republic are not translated.
Notification of the acquisition of citizenship of another state is delivered either to the embassy abroad or to the Ministry of the Interior of the Slovak Republic, also by post. There is therefore no need for personal involvement.
If, upon receipt of the notification, it proves that the residence condition is not met, the Ministry shall send a written notification of the loss of citizenship of the Slovak Republic and the execution of a record of its loss in the Central Register of Acquisition and Loss of Citizenship of the Slovak Republic and population registers of the Slovak Republic.
Retaining Slovak Citizenship Upon Acquiring a Spouse’s Citizenship
Pursuant to Section 9, Paragraph 16 of the Act on State Citizenship: “A citizen of the Slovak Republic loses Slovak citizenship on the day they voluntarily acquire foreign citizenship based on an express manifestation of will, such as an application, declaration, or other act aimed at acquiring foreign citizenship.”
However, a legal exception exists where the loss of Slovak citizenship under Paragraph 16 does not occur if a citizen of the Slovak Republic acquired the foreign citizenship of a spouse during a joint marriage. “The loss of state citizenship of the Slovak Republic pursuant to paragraph 16 shall not occur if a citizen of the Slovak Republic acquired foreign state citizenship of a spouse during their marriage, or if the foreign state citizenship was acquired by birth, adoption, or if it was acquired by a minor child.”
A citizen of the Slovak Republic is obliged to notify the Ministry in writing of the acquisition of foreign citizenship within 90 days. Along with this notification, they must submit physical documents proving the acquisition of foreign citizenship and other documents proving that the loss of Slovak citizenship did not occur—most notably a marriage certificate.
Citizenship of Children Living Abroad with a Slovak Mother
There are three legal scenarios regarding the citizenship of descendants of a Slovak female citizen:
1. Children who acquired dual citizenship at birth
According to Section 5, Paragraph 1(a) of the Act on State Citizenship: “A child acquires Slovak citizenship at birth if at least one of its parents is a citizen of the Slovak Republic.”
Children born while their mother was a Slovak citizen are Slovak citizens regardless of other factors, such as the father’s citizenship, place of birth, or a subsequent change in the parents’ citizenship. However, if these children also acquired another citizenship at birth, the 90-day reporting obligation applies. Physical documents, particularly a birth certificate, must be submitted to prove that Slovak citizenship remains intact.
2. Minor children with Slovak citizenship who later acquire another citizenship
If a minor child (e.g., born in Slovakia to a Slovak father) holds only Slovak citizenship and is later granted foreign citizenship, they will not lose their Slovak citizenship. However, the legal representative must notify the Ministry in writing within 90 days and submit the child’s birth certificate and proof of the new citizenship.
3. Adult children who acquire foreign citizenship
For adult citizens, the conditions are stricter. According to Section 9, Paragraph 18: “Loss of Slovak citizenship shall not occur if the citizen acquired foreign citizenship of a state where they had a permitted, registered, or otherwise recorded residence for at least five years at the time of acquisition.”
The residence requirement is met if the person actually resided in that country. The individual must notify the Ministry within 90 days and provide proof of residence. If the residence requirement is not proven to be met, the Ministry will issue a formal notice regarding the loss of Slovak citizenship.
Notification of Acquisition of Foreign Citizenship
The written notification must be submitted to the Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic or a Slovak Embassy within 90 days. For children, the notification must be filed by their legal representative using the official form.
Required Documents (Based on the Method of Acquisition):
- Acquisition via Marriage:
- Slovak ID/Passport (photocopy)
- Marriage certificate (foreign certificates must be apostilled and officially translated; Slovak certificates require only a photocopy)
- Birth certificate (photocopy)
- Proof of foreign citizenship, e.g., Naturalization Certificate (apostilled and officially translated)
- Acquisition at Birth:
- Birth certificate (apostilled and officially translated)
- Proof of foreign citizenship (ID or Naturalization document)
- Valid ID of the Slovak parent and the foreign parent
- Acquisition by a Minor:
- Birth certificate (apostilled and officially translated)
- Proof of foreign citizenship acquisition
- Acquisition by Adult Children (based on residence):
- Proof of foreign citizenship and foreign ID
- Verified proof of at least 5 years of residence issued by the foreign state (apostilled and translated), OR verified proof of residence combined with a sworn affidavit (solemn declaration) from the applicant stating their residence exceeded 5 years.
Important Note on Deadlines
According to information from the District Office Bratislava, confirmed by the Ministry of Interior, failure to meet the 90-day deadline does not result in the loss of Slovak citizenship. It is considered an administrative offense (misdemeanor), though in practice, sanctions are generally not imposed. Nevertheless, it is strongly recommended to submit the notification as soon as possible.
