People were moving to the US from all over the Europe, the Austro-Hungarian Empire being no exception. Between 1820 and 1920 over 3,700,000 people emigrated from the Austrian-Hungarian Empire to the United States. Czechs living in the Empire emigrated in great numbers and created significant colonies in cities such as Chicago or New York.[1]

In 1870, the two countries agreed to regulate the citizenship of emigrants and The Naturalization Convention Between the United States and Austria-Hungary was concluded. The treaty prevented dual citizenship of emigrants who were naturalized in the other territory.

In 1918, following the Great War, the Empire broke down. A new state – the Czechoslovak Republic, was formed. Most of the laws effective in the Empire remained in force in order to prevent a legal "vacuum". On the contrary, international agreements no longer applied.

A question of how to deal with Czechoslovak immigrants to the US after 1918 therefore emerged.

Even though it was the intention of both parties to reinstall prevention of dual citizenship between Czechoslovakia and the US, it was not before 1928 that a new agreement came into being: The Treaty of Naturalization between the United States and Czechoslovakia. Under the treaty, Czechoslovaks naturalized in the United States lost their Czechoslovak citizenship and vice versa.

In order to be entitled to Czech citizenship by descent, one of the conditions is that an applicant or his or her ancestor lost Czech or Czechoslovak citizenship. Due to the Naturalization Treaty, this is what automatically happened if a Czechoslovak citizen was naturalized in the US.

How about the period between 1918 and 1929? Luckily, in most of the cases, it will still be possible to apply for Czech citizenship by descent.


If you are unsure about the impacts of the Treaty of Naturalization on your claim or you need assistance with your application for Czech citizenship by descent, let us know.

[1] https://spartacus-educational.com/USAEah.htm