- How to obtain citizenship of Slovakia by law?
- Acquisition of citizenship through adoption
- Applying for citizenship of Slovakia
In terms of tourism, the Slovak Republic remains in the shadow of its more creative and advanced neighbor, the Czech Republic. In other areas of economics, science, culture, jurisprudence, they are on an equal footing. For example, if we turn to the problem of how to obtain the citizenship of Slovakia, we can see that this legal procedure is identical to that of the neighbors, and, in general, has common features with the world practice of acquiring citizenship.
Below we will consider in more detail the ways and mechanisms to help you become a citizen of Slovakia. Let's pay attention to the conditions that apply to foreign citizens who wished not only to move to a permanent residence in this European state, but also to receive the rights of citizens, and with them, obligations.
How to obtain citizenship of Slovakia by law?
The legal aspects of acquiring Slovak citizenship are considered in various regulatory legal acts. Chief among them is the law called “On Citizenship of the Slovak Republic”. So, according to him, the following possibilities of obtaining a passport are determined: by birth; on adoption / adoption; through admission to citizenship.
Each of the ways to become a citizen of Slovakia has its own mechanisms and characteristics. One of the most common ways is citizenship by birth, that is, the so-called right of blood is in effect in this state. A child born to citizens of the country (at least one of the parents is allowed citizenship), to stateless persons (when born within the Slovak territory) automatically becomes a citizen of the Slovak Republic.
The second principle, typical for many countries of the world, is also in force - the “right of the land”, which allows a child born in the country to acquire Slovak citizenship, provided that the mother and father are stateless (stateless). That is, this principle is applied to a limited extent, unlike the United States, where it does not matter whether the parents have citizenship of another country or not.
Acquisition of citizenship through adoption
If at least one of the adoptive parents has citizenship of the Slovak Republic, then the child has every chance of obtaining the same citizenship. In this case, it does not matter in the territory of which country at the time of adoption the adoptive parents and the child lived.
There is a slight difference in the legislation of the two countries - Slovakia and the Czech Republic, parents - Slovak citizens will be able to adopt and transfer citizenship only to minor children. In the Czech Republic, citizenship of the country can be obtained by an adopted child who has reached the age of majority.
Applying for citizenship of Slovakia
Naturalization is the most optimal way for an immigrant to become a citizen of the Slovak Republic. To do this, you must submit an application and attach certain documents, and then await the decision of the immigration authorities. But not everything is so simple, in this state the same rules apply as in other countries of the world. To apply, you must fulfill certain conditions, one of the most important is the period of uninterrupted residence in the country. Slovak legislation requires a potential applicant to have lived in Slovak territory for at least eight years (a rather serious period), and the countdown will begin from the moment of obtaining the right to permanent residence.
There are, of course, people who can not wait for the end of the eight-year period of residence in Slovakia and apply for citizenship. Among them, the following categories can be distinguished:
- persons in which the Slovak Republic is interested;
- persons who have achieved significant success in the economic, scientific or cultural fields;
- minors adopted by a Slovak citizen (with a residence permit for two years);
- deprived of citizenship and planning to restore it (two years after deprivation);
- ethnic Slovaks who returned to their homeland (after three years in the country);
- stateless persons, persons who do not officially have citizenship (after three years of residence in Slovak territory);
- persons with official refugee status (after four years of living in Slovakia).
Interestingly, the relaxation of Slovak legislation also made for those persons whose one parent had the citizenship of Czechoslovakia, the second parent was a foreigner who did not apply for admission to Czechoslovak citizenship.
In addition to the condition regarding the time of residence in the country, other requirements will be put forward to the potential applicant. During the interview, the commission will find out the knowledge of the state language, history, socio-political and cultural development of Slovakia, the degree of integration into the local society. The decision on admission to citizenship or refusal is made within two years.
