The amendment of Austria’s citizenship law in 2020 has once again proven to be a groundbreaking move, with a large number of descendants of Nazi victims being able to restore their connection to the country.
According to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Austria, Alexander Schallenberg, to date, more than 26,000 descendants of Nazi victims have regained their Austrian citizenship, expressing their desire to hold the country’s passport.
The restoration of Austrian citizenship to this group of individuals was predominantly facilitated by Austria’s embassies, consulates, and cultural forums all over the world.
The vast majority received their citizenship at Austrian embassies, consulates, and cultural forums worldwide, often serving as the first point of contact with ‘official Austria.
Commenting on the number of descendants of Nazi victims who have regained Austrian citizenship, Minister Schallenberg said that every single person is an enrichment for Austria.
Minister Schallenberg’s statements were made during the presentation of the new publication “Us and Austria – Austria and us”. The publication featured narratives from 15 descendants of victims of National Socialism, who, thanks to the changes made to the citizenship law, have successfully reclaimed their Austrian citizenship.
Austria has sent an important signal with the amendment to the Citizenship Act. But it was only through you – who decided to resume Austrian citizenship decades after their families’ identities and lives were cruelly robbed – that this symbol was brought to life. They are the beginning of a new story with and in Austria. This is not a given!
Austria marked three years since it eased its citizenship rules for Descendants of Nazi persecution victims on September 2023.
In an attempt to acknowledge its responsibility, Austria decided to permit descendants of Nazi victims to gain citizenship through a simplified procedure.
Back then, Minister Schallenberg revealed that since the introduction of eased rules, a high number of eligible people had applied for citizenship. The same stressed that the number of applications is expected to increase, saying that this is a sign of their trust in Austria.
The number of new Austrians continues to rise month by month. This is a strong sign of their trust in Austria.
Minister further noted that one of the main goals of the country is to make this group of people feel connected to Austria.
The Austrian missions abroad receive around 400 new citizenship inquiries per month.
