Slovakia set to drop residence-permit requirement for citizenship by descent from July 2026

What changed

Slovakia's government has approved a draft amendment to the Citizenship Act (Act No. 40/1993, legislative process LP/2025/650) and sent it to Parliament. It is expected to take effect in July 2026.

• Removes the requirement that descent (Czechoslovak-ancestor) applicants hold a Slovak residence permit when applying.

• Allows applications for a citizenship certificate or confirmation to be filed in person, online, or by post at Slovak embassies.

• Digitises inter-agency communication and removes an extra post-grant certificate step.

• Core eligibility (parent, grandparent, or great-grandparent who was a Czechoslovak citizen born in present-day Slovakia; clean record; no language test) is unchanged.

The bill is not yet in force; the final text could change during parliamentary debate. Primary source: Latitude World.