Czech Republic: Whether a bill passed by the Chamber of Deputies regarding dual citizenship in July 2003 became law (July 2003 - December 2005)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa |
| Publication Date | 30 January 2006 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | CZE100724.E |
| Reference | 2 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Czech Republic: Whether a bill passed by the Chamber of Deputies regarding dual citizenship in July 2003 became law (July 2003 - December 2005), 30 January 2006, CZE100724.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/45f147242f.html [accessed 3 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
On 8 July 2003, the Czech news agency CTK (Ceská Tisková Kancelár) reported on an amendment to the law on state citizenship passed by the Czech lower house (Chamber of Deputies) that would allow some 23,000 former citizens of Czechoslovakia to obtain dual Czech-Slovak citizenship. These former Czechoslovakian citizens lost their Czech citizenship when they opted for Slovak citizenship between 1994 and 1999 following the division of Czechoslovakia into two states (CTK 8 July 2003). On 23 September 2003, 140 out of 195 deputies in the Czech lower house supported the citizenship amendment (ibid. 23 Sept. 2003), including modifications proposed by the Senate to allow children of Czech-Slovak couples residing in Slovakia to obtain Czech citizenship, provided they were under 19 years of age in 1993 (ibid.; Interfax 10 Oct. 2003).
In a 24 November 2003 article, CTK noted, without any further specifications, that "a law was passed allowing for dual citizenship of the Czechs with long-term residence in Slovakia." In 10 January 2006 correspondence with the Research Directorate, a consular official from the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Ottawa stated that the law, after being approved by Parliament, was "ratified by the Czech President and published in the Law Collection (and therefore made official) on 23 September 2003."
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Ceská Tisková Kancelár (Czech Daily News – CTK) [Prague]. 24 November 2003. "Pithart Goes to Slovakia to See Czechs, Politicians." (Factiva)
_____. 23 September 2003. "Thousands Have Chance of Dual, Czech Plus Slovak Citizenship." (Factiva)
_____. 8 July 2003. "Czech Lower House Amends Law to Allow Dual Czech-Slovak Citizenship." (Dialog/BBC Monitoring)
Czech Republic. 10 January 2006. Embassy of the Czech Republic in Ottawa. Correspondence sent by a consular official.
_____. 23 September 2003. Embassy of the Czech Republic in Ottawa. Unofficial translation sent by a consular official.
Interfax Czech Republic & Slovakia Weekly Business Report. 10 October 2003. "Czechs to Allow Dual Czech/Slovak Citizenship." (Factiva)
Additional Sources Consulted
Internet Sites, including: European Country of Origin Information Network (ECOI), The Prague Post, The Prague Tribune, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), Refworld 2005, The Slovak Spectator, United States Department of State, World News Connection (WNC).
