How does my child get Austrian citizenship?
How does my child get the Austrian citizenship?
Your child was born abroad, but you are Austrian? Can your child obtain the Austrian citizenship?
What happens if the mother has a different nationality than the father? What nationality does the child have?
Can my child have multiple citizenships?
Does my child have to give up the Austrian citizenship at some point?
We want to answer these and many other questions with this article. If you still have questions about acquiring Austrian citizenship, Austrian citizenship as a dual citizen or want to know which documents you need to apply for Austrian citizenship, click through our articles on this topic:
2 paths to citizenship
To put it simply, there are two ways to obtain the Austrian citizenship:
1st way: Citizenship through ancestry (father and/or mother are citizens)
2nd way: Citizenship is granted
1st Way: Ancestry
Children receive citizenship at birth if...
- ... the mother is an Austrian citizen.
- ... mother and father are married and the father is an Austrian citizen.
If the father has not done so, the child must apply for the Austrian citizenship.
Can my child have dual citizenship?
Yes and no.
In principle, the state of Austria does not allow dual citizenship.
However, there are some exceptions where the authorities still allow dual citizenship.
You can find more details in our article on dual citizenship in Austria:
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2nd way: Citizenship is granted
If the child does not receive Austrian citizenship at birth for various reasons, there are several ways in which it can be granted citizenship.
General requirements
for a minor (under 14 years):
1. A natural or adopted
child counts as a child
2. All legal guardians must
consent
3. No knowledge of German
necessary
4. No citizenship test
How does the child get the citizenship?
1. The awarding of citizenship is extended
to the child
2. Citizenship is granted directly
to the child
3. The child is adopted
by an Austrian citizen
4. A child born out of wedlock is granted citizenship
For a more detailed explanation, read on.
What if my child is over 14 years old?
1. The child must meet all general requirements
for Austrian citizenship. You can find these here:
2. At the time of application, the child must be legally established in Austria
(unless the father can prove that the centre of his life interests has not been in Austria for at least 12 months)
3. The child must have a status as an asylum seeker or own a legitimation card
4. There is no required length of stay
How does a minor get citizenship?
1. The granting of citizenship is extended to the child:
One parent is granted Austrian citizenship. The child must meet all the requirements. There is no required length of stay, so the grant can also be extended to newborns.
2. Citizenship is granted directly to the child:
The child must meet all requirements
themselves, including the 6-year residency period. It doesn't matter what nationality the parents have.
3. The child is adopted by an Austrian citizen:
The child must be in Austria at the time of the application (exception: center of life abroad). The child does not have to give up his or her previous citizenship.
4. A child born out of wedlock receives citizenship:
If the parents are not married and only the father is Austrian, the rule that has been in effect since August 1, 2013 is that the father must acknowledge paternity within eight weeks of the birth in order for the child to receive Austrian citizenship. If this does not happen, citizenship must be applied for.
For minor illegitimate children:
At the time of application, the child must be a legal resident in Austria (unless the father can prove that the centre of his life interests has not been in Austria for at least 12 months)
For illegitimate children over 14 years of age, the following points apply:
The child must meet the basic requirements, have asylum status or have an identity card. But there is no required length of stay.
Do I need a lawyer?
What advantages does hiring a lawyer entail?
As you can read in this article, there is a lot to consider. Every case is special and unique and there are many exceptions. In addition, there are many different documents that must be submitted with the application itself (Checklist documents). A lawyer can be of great help to you here.
Dr. Klammer
already has a lot of experience
with the procedure for obtaining the Austrian citizenship. With the help of his expertise
and his team, you will quickly notice that the whole process is not only
much easier
but also
a lot faster.
Due to many applications etc. there are often very long waiting times for citizenship applications, but with our help the whole process can be accelerated considerably: Read our
latest success stories:
Accelerate citizenship applications.
Dr. Klammer can help you with all your concerns on this topic
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