The Origins Story: ZIP Citizenship
When the 2022 Citizenship Amendment was adopted, we saw an opportunity: a new law that could help people with Slovak heritage reconnect with their roots. Having lived and worked abroad as an academic — in Munich, The Hague, San Francisco, and elsewhere — my wife Lucia and I had witnessed first-hand the richness of the Slovak diaspora. Here, at last, was legislation that could offer these communities something tangible, and in doing so, build real bridges with Slovakia.
As an LSE academic, I am constantly travelling between London and Košice, and across conference circuits; I kept encountering people whose stories carried that same quiet longing. It was from these encounters that the idea took shape: a project to help Slovak diaspora communities zip together the threads of their heritage. We called it ZIP Citizenship.
Under Lucia’s leadership, we built a consultancy with a mission at its core. It was a fortunate coincidence that Lucia is a seasoned immigration lawyer with deep experience in Slovak, German, and European citizenship law. From the outset, we wanted the administrative process to feel not like a legal transaction, but like a cultural homecoming — personal, accessible, and as affordable as possible. We developed the tools and systems to make that happen, and assembled a team of specialist attorneys, genealogists, translators, and document researchers, all working together to help people obtain Slovak citizenship by descent.
Unlike conventional law firms, we offer comprehensive support to those who need it — and free public guidance and tools to those who simply have questions. The impact of that approach grows clearer with every passing day. We have now helped hundreds of people, each with a story we were privileged to be part of. Slowly, steadily, Slovakia is reaching back towards its diaspora around the world. Exactly as we hoped.
What is Slovak Citizenship by Descent (Citizenship by Ancestry)?
If you have Slovak or Czechoslovak ancestors, you may be eligible for Slovak citizenship by descent — and be able to obtain a Slovak and EU passport without relocating to Slovakia. Slovakia allows descendants of former Slovak citizens to reclaim citizenship through ancestry, even if they were born abroad or already hold another nationality. The are several options how to obtain citizenship by descent in Slovakia (I summarise them below).
We have built tools that allow you to check your chances in less than two minutes using an online form.
To understand the options more broadly, Zip-Citizenship simplified the choice into the following three options:
🟠 Orange Route: Citizenship by Descent (CBD)
Citizenship by descent (CBD) (Orange route) is granted if at least one of an individual’s parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents was a Czechoslovak citizen born in the territory of the Slovak Republic. Zip Citizenship website explains each of these points here. There is no obligation to relocate to Slovakia under this option.
🟢 Green Route: Slovak Living Abroad Certificate (SLAC)
Citizenship based on a Slovak Living Abroad Certificate (Green route) is granted to individuals who preserve national awareness and have a direct ancestor who was of Slovak nationality, which is usually proven with census records. Again, Zip Citizenship has a useful explainer here.
🔵 Blue Route: Children of (Former) Citizens
The third path (Blue route) to Slovak citizenship exists for some, usually those whose parents were former citizens. They might be eligible for immediate certification of their citizenship. See more information here. There is no obligation to relocate to Slovakia under this option.
The Most Generous Option is 🟠 Orange Route: Citizenship by Descent (CBD)
Under this option, Slovak citizenship by ancestry is available to individuals who can prove direct lineage to a Slovak or former Czechoslovak citizen. To qualify, applicants typically need to prove:
- A) Direct bloodline, which means that an individual’s parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents were at some point during their life Czechoslovak citizens who were also born in the territory of the Slovak Republic.
- a) Proof of bloodline, such as birth or marriage certificates, that proves the bloodline
- b) Proof of your ancestors’ Czechoslovak citizenship, such as passport, or circumstantial evidence of their emigration
- B) Exclusions are inapplicable, such as existence of a serious criminal record.
In practice, some applicants need help with A:b) because they do not have direct evidence of their ancestors’ citizenship. Unless you have time and interest in hunting down the relevant documents (after you self-study what these are), organisations like Zip Citizenship can hunt down such documents for you, and carefuly help you build your case.
Why apply?
Obtaining Slovak citizenship grants the full rights of an EU citizen — the freedom to live, work, study, and do business anywhere in the European Union and the Schengen Area. It opens doors to 180+ countries visa-free, the right to retire anywhere in the EEA, and access to European healthcare and education systems. And crucially, it secures Slovak and EU citizenship for your children and future generations. But there is more.
The diaspora has always been Slovakia’s hidden strength. Long before Slovakia existed as an independent state, its people were scattered across the world — and it was precisely from that diaspora that the nation was born.
In May 1918, Slovak and Czech immigrants living in Pittsburgh signed what became known as the Pittsburgh Agreement — a founding document that helped shape the creation of Czechoslovakia. These were ordinary working people: miners, steelworkers, labourers who had crossed the Atlantic in search of a better life. Yet it was they who negotiated the political framework for a new country, pledging financial support and moral legitimacy to the independence movement led by Tomáš Masaryk. Without the Slovak-American community, the map of Central Europe might look very different today.
That moment established something enduring: the diaspora is not a footnote to Slovak history — it is part of its foundation.
Throughout the twentieth century, waves of Slovaks left during times of war, occupation, and communist rule. They built communities in the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, and across Western Europe. The 2022 Citizenship Amendment is Slovakia’s formal acknowledgement of that bond: a recognition that belonging does not expire at a border, and that heritage is worth protecting across generations.
Reclaiming citizenship is, in that sense, not just a legal act. It is a continuation of something your ancestors began.
How Specialised Full-Service Can Help
To make things pleasant and easy for you, we built ZIP Citizenship as a full-service team. Getting Slovak citizenship by descent touches three very different worlds: genealogy, law, and administration. Most firms handle only one of these aspects — leaving you to coordinate the rest yourself.
ZIP Citizenship works with specialised lawyers who have a stellar track record. See for your self below, or here.
We built ZIP Citizenship differently to make the process easy and simple for you. From the start, we brought together an experienced genealogist with over a decade of archive research in Slovakia, qualified lawyers specialising in citizenship law, certified translators, and dedicated consultants who keep your case on track every step of the way. The result is a team that speaks to each other — not a group of specialists you have to manage yourself.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to gain Slovak citizenship by Descent?
Who Qualifies for Slovak Citizenship by Descent: A Complete Guide
Is residency required for Slovak Citizenship by Descent?
Does Slovak law allow double citizenship?