Eligibility Quiz
Was your ancestor a victim of the National Socialist regime who left Austria before May 15, 1955, due to persecution or fear of it?
Requirements
The Standard Track (Automatic Acquisition)
Eligibility for the standard track depends on your date of birth and your parents' marital status at that time.
- Born on or after September 1, 1983: You are an Austrian citizen if at least one parent was an Austrian citizen at the time of your birth. If your parents were unmarried and only your father was Austrian, he must have acknowledged paternity (or had it determined by a court) within 8 weeks of your birth.
- Born before September 1, 1983: Due to historical gender-based laws, you generally only inherited citizenship if your father was Austrian (if your parents were married) or if your mother was Austrian (if your parents were unmarried).
- The Dual Citizenship Exception: If you acquired Austrian citizenship and another citizenship at birth by descent (e.g., an Austrian father and a Canadian mother), you are permitted to keep both for life. However, if you voluntarily apply for another citizenship later in life, you will typically lose your Austrian status automatically.
The Restitution Track (Section 58c)
This pathway is for descendants of individuals who were forced to flee Austria during the Nazi era. You qualify if you are a direct descendant (child, grandchild, great-grandchild) or were adopted as a minor by a person who:
- Was an Austrian citizen, a citizen of a former Austro-Hungarian successor state, or a stateless person residing in Austria.
- Left Austria before May 15, 1955, due to fear or reality of persecution by the NSDAP or Third Reich authorities, or because they supported the democratic Republic of Austria.
- Dual Citizenship: Under this specific track, you are legally entitled to keep your current citizenship alongside your new Austrian citizenship.
Conditions & Warnings
Historical gender discrimination: Children born before September 1, 1983, to an Austrian mother and foreign father did not automatically acquire citizenship unless qualifying under restitution rules.
MA 35 Backlogs: The Vienna immigration office is known for significant delays; Section 58c applications often take 12–24 months despite shorter official estimates.
Automatic loss: If an Austrian parent naturalized in another country before the child's birth, they likely lost Austrian citizenship, preventing the child from inheriting it.
Qualifications
No language test is required for citizenship by descent or restitution under Section 58c.
Fees
The Section 58c restitution track is free of charge; standard citizenship certificates for those born to Austrian parents cost approximately €64.30.