The Austrian government offers the Austrian citizenship to descendants of persons who fled Nazi persecution.
A new Austrian law which becomes effective on Tuesday, September 1st, 2020, gives the descendants of persons prosecuted by the Nazis the possibility to become Austrian citizens without having to give up their present citizenship or nationality in order to do so.
Tens of thousands of British citizens are estimated to be eligible for an Austrian passport and therefore can take advantage of the benefits of EU citizenship. In view of Brexit exercising this option might be perfect solution to gain access to the working & residential rights in the EU.
Who is eligible?
- All direct descendants of a persecuted ancestor, i.e. children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren etc.
- Children who were adopted as minors are also regarded as descendants.
What is the definition of a “persecuted ancestor”?
This can be summarised as
- a person who was an Austrian citizen or national of one of the successor states of the former Austro-Hungarian Monarchy or a stateless person, and who
- had his or her principal residence in the Federal Republic of Austria.
This ancestor must have fled before 15 May 1955 because
- he or she had reason to fear or suffered persecution by organs of the NSDAP
- or the authorities of the Third Reich.
Please observe, that this is a brief summary of the basic criteria. If you are interested in a full overview of all necessary criteria of eligibility, the possibility and prerequisites for dual citizenship and what necessary steps have to be taken to secure an Austrian citizenship, please contact us at hertzberg@legal-team.at or call + 43 1 42 000 40. As an Austria law-firm specialized in matters of citizenship and residence permits we are happy to help.
