A free PDF guide — the two grounds in the Act
A guide to citizenship of Austria: restorationand a special contribution
Austria grants citizenship to the direct descendants of people subjected to Nazi persecution, and — exceptionally — for a special contribution in the interests of the Republic. No move, no German and no renunciation of your present passport.
- PDF in English
- Free of charge
- Verified on 11.08.2026
- Sent by email, WhatsApp or Telegram
This material is for information and is not a legal opinion. Whether a ground exists is proved with documents.
01 / The essentials first
What decides your path to an Austrian passport
Four things that settle which ground is yours and what will have to be proved.
- Two distinct grounds, not one programme
The restoration of citizenship for the descendants of people subjected to Nazi persecution, and the grant for a special contribution in the interests of the Republic. Their requirements, timings and documents differ.
- Restoration requires neither language nor a move
No residence in Austria, no German examination, no proof of income. The application goes through the Austrian consulate in the country where you live.
- You keep your own passport
Austria does not require you to renounce your existing citizenship in this procedure. All that is checked is whether the country of your present passport allows a second one.
- The ground extends to the family
The documents on the ancestor are gathered once and used for relatives’ applications. Every adult files for themselves, and a separate application is made for each child.
02 / Checking the ground
Which of the two grounds is yours
Three questions about the ancestor, the line of descent and the documents. At the end — the ground, and an understanding of where the work begins.
03 / Two paths
Restoration or a special contribution
These are separate procedures with different requirements. They must not be mixed: filing on the wrong ground means a refusal.
The values were checked against the official material on 11.08.2026. Only the rows for which there is no official wording are marked separately.
| Criterion | RestorationDescendants of victims of persecution | Special contributionIn the interests of the Republic |
|---|---|---|
| Who may claim | descendants in the direct line of a person subjected to persecution | an applicant with an exceptional contribution in Austria’s interests |
| Residence in the country | not required | not required |
| The German language | not required | not required |
| Renouncing your former citizenship | not required | not required |
| What is proved | the ancestor’s history and the direct line of descent | the nature and the significance of the contribution |
| Who decides | the competent authority, on the application | the government, on a submission |
| The likely timingA BRIDGES estimate | about 5 months to prepare and 3 months to consider | settled case by case |
- Who may claim
- descendants in the direct line of a person subjected to persecution
- an applicant with an exceptional contribution in Austria’s interests
- Residence in the country
- not required
- not required
- The German language
- not required
- not required
- Renouncing your former citizenship
- not required
- not required
- What is proved
- the ancestor’s history and the direct line of descent
- the nature and the significance of the contribution
- Who decides
- the competent authority, on the application
- the government, on a submission
- The likely timingA BRIDGES estimate
- about 5 months to prepare and 3 months to consider
- settled case by case
Neither path requires residence in the country, German or the renunciation of your existing citizenship.
04 / What the guide contains
How the material is put together
The PDF gathers both grounds, the list of documents and how to file through the consulate.
- Two groundsRestoration and a special contribution: what each requires.
- The documents of the lineWhat you gather and what we reconstruct.
- How to fileThrough the consulate: the timings and the order of the steps.
05 / The order of things
How the process runs
The ground is settled first, and then comes the archive work: it takes longer than the consideration itself.
- The first analysis
The family and the documents you already hold: birth and marriage certificates, the papers of parents and grandparents. We settle the ground.
- The archive search
We reconstruct the ancestor’s history and the line of descent from Austrian and foreign archives. On restoration this is the main body of work.
- Gathering the pack
From you — the passport, the birth certificate, the documents on marriage and a certificate of no criminal record. The line of descent we gather ourselves.
- Legalisation and translation
Apostilles and sworn translations into German. The requirements as to form are strict, and mistakes send the case back.
- Filing through the consulate
The application goes through the Austrian consulate in the country where you live. Every adult files for themselves.
- The decision and the passport
Once the decision is favourable, an Austrian passport and the status of a citizen of the European Union follow.
07 / Documents
What has to be proved
You gather some of the documents; the line of descent and the ancestor’s history we reconstruct.
- The ancestor’s history
It is evidenced with documents that the ancestor was subjected to persecution and left the country in the relevant period. That is the foundation of the case.
- The direct line of descent
Every link between you and the ancestor is a civil status record. A missing link halts the case until the record is recovered.
- The applicant’s documents
A valid passport, the birth certificate, documents on marriage, divorce or a change of name, and a certificate of no criminal record.
- A second citizenship
Austria requires no renunciation, but it is checked whether the country of your present passport allows multiple citizenship.
The archives of families who left the country are often scattered across several states — the search is planned with time to spare.
08 / The limits
What to take into account
Five limits that decide whether the case can be done and how long it takes.
The two grounds must not be mixedDifferent requirements, different procedures
Restoration for descendants and the grant for a special contribution are separate procedures. Filing on the wrong ground means a refusal.
The archives may be outside AustriaThe documents were scattered across countries
The history of families who left the country is reconstructed from the archives of several states. The search takes months and does not always succeed.
Every adult files for themselvesOne application does not cover the whole family
The documents on the ancestor are shared, but each adult files their own application and a separate one is made for each child.
A special contribution is an exceptional procedureIt is not an investment programme
Citizenship for a contribution in the interests of the Republic is granted exceptionally and has no fixed threshold or price list.
Your own country’s law is checkedThe limit may not be on the Austrian side
Austria allows you to keep your former passport, but the country of your present citizenship may not — that is settled in advance.
09 / Your team
Who runs your case
The work is led by specialists in the European grounds and in archive research.
The editorial record
The material was prepared and checked by
- First published
- 11 August 2026
- Last updated
- 11 August 2026
The official sources
- The Austrian Citizenship Act (Staatsbürgerschaftsgesetz 1985)Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS), Austria · checked 11.08.2026The Act as in force, including the procedure for the descendants of people subjected to persecution.
- The Ministry of the Interior of Austria — citizenshipBundesministerium für Inneres · checked 11.08.2026How applications are filed and the requirements on documents.
- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Austria — consular servicesBundesministerium für europäische und internationale Angelegenheiten · checked 11.08.2026Filing applications through the Austrian consulates abroad.
10 / Common questions
Questions about citizenship of Austria
Do I have to move to Austria or speak German?
No. No residence, no language examination and no proof of income. The application goes through the Austrian consulate in the country where you live.
Will I have to give up my own passport?
Austria requires no renunciation. All that is checked is whether the country of your present passport allows a second citizenship.
How many generations does the right run to?
The right runs to the direct descendants of the person subjected to persecution. What matters is an unbroken line of descent evidenced with documents.
How long does it take?
About five months go on preparing the documents and some three months on consideration. The timings depend on how well the archives survived.
Is any investment needed?
For restoration, no — the law provides for no contribution. Citizenship for a special contribution in the interests of the Republic is a separate, exceptional procedure with no fixed threshold.
Can the whole family file at once?
The documents on the ancestor are gathered once and used for everyone, but each adult files their own application and a separate one is made for each child.
What does an Austrian passport give?
It is citizenship of the EU: the right to live, work and study in any country of the Union, access to education and health care, and visa-free travel on an EU passport.
Where do I start?
With the documents you already hold and the family history. They settle the ground and the scope of the archive search.
Free of charge
Take the guide and an analysis of your ground
We will send the PDF with both grounds and go through your family history.
- The two grounds and what each of them requires
- Which documents you gather and which we do
- How to file through the consulate, and the timings
- An analysis of your own situation for a ground