# Czechia: ordinary naturalisation Ordinary naturalisation requires permanent-resident status and qualifying residence, integration and tests. Russian-national applications face a separate statutory suspension, so the general route is not universally available. Scope: Ordinary adult grant under Act 186/2013; special declarations, descent, restoration and exceptional-merit routes are separate. Jurisdiction: Czech Republic. Sources reviewed 2026-09-17; review due 2026-12-16. General information, not legal advice or a finding of eligibility. Requirements depend on the route, applicant and filing date. Verify the official instructions before applying. ## Permanent-residence routes Permanent residence is required at application: normally five continuous years, or three for EU, EEA and Swiss citizens; alternatively, permanent residence plus immediately preceding lawful stay can total ten years. Lawful residence before age 18 is credited. Statutory duration waivers do not remove permanent-resident status. Evidence: conditional. [Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic: Granting citizenship of the Czech Republic](https://mv.gov.cz/udeleni-statniho-obcanstvi-ceske-republiky). Source location: Conditions 1 and permitted duration waivers; footnote [1]. ## Actual presence and credited absences Normally at least half the qualifying period must be actual presence. Absences up to two consecutive months count; up to six can count for serious reasons. Specified family and minor cases can obtain a waiver. Evidence: conditional. [Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic: Granting citizenship of the Czech Republic](https://mv.gov.cz/udeleni-statniho-obcanstvi-ceske-republiky). Source location: Condition 2: actual presence, credited absences and waivers. ## Czech language and civic knowledge Normally Czech at CEFR B1 and civic knowledge are required. The language examination covers reading, listening, writing and speaking. Exemptions cover three Czech-medium school years, applicants under 15 or over 65, and disabilities preventing acquisition of the relevant knowledge. Accepted equivalent language examinations and exceptional discretionary waivers are separate possibilities. Evidence: conditional. [Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic: Granting citizenship of the Czech Republic](https://mv.gov.cz/udeleni-statniho-obcanstvi-ceske-republiky); [National Pedagogical Institute of the Czech Republic: Information about the Czech language citizenship examination](https://cestina-pro-cizince.cz/obcanstvi/zkouska-z-ceskeho-jazyka/informace-o-zkousce-jazyk/); [Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic — Cizinci.cz: Citizenship](https://www.cizinci.cz/web/en/citizenship). Source location: Naturalisation conditions 4–5; language portal introduction, exam parts and exemption section. ## Integration, income and oath Integration, security and criminal-record conditions apply, alongside recent legal compliance and adult income-source evidence. Excessive welfare reliance is assessed with defined health, study, parental and caring exceptions. A grant normally becomes citizenship upon the oath, unless the oath is lawfully waived. Evidence: conditional. [Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic: Granting citizenship of the Czech Republic](https://mv.gov.cz/udeleni-statniho-obcanstvi-ceske-republiky). Source location: General conditions; conditions 3 and 6–8; further information on oath. ## Multiple nationality: general rule Czech law generally allows dual or multiple nationality. This does not resolve the former country's law or the separate restrictions affecting Russian nationals; no general retention assurance is given to that cohort. Evidence: conditional. [Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic — Cizinci.cz: Citizenship](https://www.cizinci.cz/web/en/citizenship); [Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic: Citizenship: suspension of ordinary Russian-national applications](https://mv.gov.cz/statni-obcanstvi-ceske-republiky). Source location: Citizenship portal: Acquisition of citizenship; ministry notice on Russian applications. ## Russian-nationality processing restriction Ordinary Russian-national applications pending at the ministry by 10 February 2025 were suspended on 11 February; later arrivals are suspended the following day. The ministry ties resumption to section 2 of Act 65/2022 losing effect. Asylum holders and guardian applications for children under 15 are excluded; exceptional section 16 grants are separate. Evidence: conditional. [Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic: Citizenship: suspension of ordinary Russian-national applications](https://mv.gov.cz/statni-obcanstvi-ceske-republiky); [Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic: Information response MV-1477-9/OSO-2026 of 11 February 2026](https://mv.gov.cz/volby/soubor/mv-1477-9-oso-2026.aspx). Source location: Ministry notice points 1–3; 11 February 2026 response, pages 2–3, points I–III. Effective from 2025-02-11. ## Scope and limitations - Naturalisation is not an entitlement; waivers and equivalent documents require the competent authority's assessment. - Russian-nationality cases require separate confirmation of current nationality-loss requirements as well as the suspension. The current consolidated section 7x text was not readable through e-Sbírka, so this candidate does not treat the general multiple-nationality rule as an exemption. - The ordinary guidance does not enumerate every special grant or declaration route. ## Explore this passport - [Passport rank and travel access](https://multipassrank.com/passport/czechia) - [Tax residence & income](https://multipassrank.com/passport/czechia/taxes) - [Country-profile JSON, including sources and scoped requirements](https://multipassrank.com/api/v1/country-profiles/CZ) - [Multiple-citizenship policy guide](https://multipassrank.com/dual-citizenship-countries) [Canonical page](https://multipassrank.com/passport/czechia/citizenship)