Declaration · Open
Austria citizenship by descent: who qualifies in 2026
Since September 2020, descendants of people who left Austria before May 15, 1955 because of Nazi persecution, or the fear of it, can become Austrian citizens by declaration. More than 33,000 people have used this route, many of them Jewish American families.
- Route
- §58c declaration for persecuted persons and their direct descendants
- How far back
- All direct descendants (children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and beyond)
- Language test
- No
- Dual citizenship
- Allowed. You keep your current citizenship.
- Government fee
- Check with the consulate
- Typical timeline
- Varies; check with the consulate
The rules that decide eligibility
- Your ancestor must have left Austria before May 15, 1955 after suffering, or having reason to fear, persecution by the NSDAP or the authorities of the German Reich.
- The ancestor could have been an Austrian citizen, a national of an Austro-Hungarian successor state, or stateless, as long as their main residence was in Austria.
- All direct descendants qualify, including people adopted as minors.
- You file a declaration (Anzeige) at an Austrian embassy or consulate and do not have to give up US citizenship.