Does the Czech Republic allow dual citizenship? (2026)

Does the Czech Republic allow dual citizenship?

Yes. Before 2014, Czech law generally forced a choice: Czechs who acquired a foreign nationality usually lost their Czech one, and naturalising foreigners had to renounce their old passport. The Citizenship Act (No. 186/2013), in force from 1 January 2014, swept that away. Multiple nationality is now broadly accepted, and involuntary loss of Czech citizenship is constitutionally barred.

The catch to watch

Dual citizenship being allowed is not the same as citizenship being easy. Naturalisation still demands long residence, a Czech-language exam, and a civics test — the reform removed the renounce requirement, not the qualifying bar. And your other country's rules still apply: some nationalities restrict holding a second passport, so check both sides before you act.

How dual citizenship arises

Three main routes. By descent from a Czech parent (jus sanguinis — automatic at birth, wherever you are born, and it can pass through grandparents). By declaration — since September 2019, children and grandchildren of former Czech or Czechoslovak citizens who lost their nationality can reclaim it without residence, language, or renunciation. Or by naturalisation after living in the country long-term, now without surrendering your other passport.

Naturalisation, briefly

The standard path expects continuous permanent residence — in practice around ten years of legal stay — plus proof you have no tax or social-security debts, Czech at roughly B1 level, and a passed test on Czech culture, history, and civics. The Ministry of the Interior decides, and can take up to 180 days. Slovak nationals and former citizens have eased requirements.

No golden visa, no citizenship by investment

The Czech Republic does not sell residence or passports. There is no golden visa and no citizenship-by-investment programme. Entrepreneurs can pursue business or long-term residence through ordinary immigration channels, but that is a route to living there, not a shortcut to a passport.

At a glance

Where it fits in a borderless plan

A Czech passport is an EU passport — freedom to live and work across the bloc — but it is one flag of several. Pair it with a deliberate tax residency and a self-custody plan for your Bitcoin. New to the idea? See which countries allow dual citizenship, or claim one through ancestry.