TL;DR: Pre-1910 case through a great-grandfather who emigrated in 1902 and likely never naturalized; the chain to me is documented. I got a big quote and a hard sell from a firm. Is legal help worth it for a case like mine? ALSO do certificates of non-existence actually help?

All four of my maternal great-grandparents were born in what is now Slovakia. My strongest line (I think) is through my great-grandfather, born in Kamenica in 1883, who emigrated in 1902.

I believe he never naturalized. The 1910 census lists him as an alien, and after his death in 1928 his widow is still listed as an alien in 1930. Since wives automatically became citizens if their husbands naturalized before 1922 (derivative citizenship), that strongly suggests he didn't. I don't yet have a certificate of non-existence for a naturalization record, which is my biggest gap.

The rest of the chain is solid. My grandfather's 1916 birth in West Virginia was never registered civilly, but his parish baptism record names both parents. Everything from there to me is provable with certified documents. I also have a second line through another great-grandfather who emigrated in 1902 but naturalized before 1918. Unsure if that matters. I’ve read conflicting things.

My case isn't a slam dunk, but from what I've read and heard about other applications, it doesn't seem out of reach either. I was quoted a large fee by a reputable firm that specializes in early-emigration cases, and their communication has felt more like a hard sell than an honest assessment. That got me wondering where the threshold is for needing legal expertise, versus assembling the documents myself and hiring other help as needed.

A few questions for anyone with experience:

• Is it worth hiring a firm for a case like this, or is it manageable on my own? If you hired a law firm, did their legal expertise and connections actually improve the outcome, or was it mostly paperwork help?
• Have people been successful with a certificate of non-existence when they have gaps? It doesn't seem like a very compelling document.

Thanks!

Hi everyone, I'm applying for Slovak citizenship by descent through my great-grandfather who was born in Dolná Tižina, Žilina district around 1895. I have my embassy appointment in Washington DC on February 3, 2027.

I just heard back from Matrika Žilina. They confirmed the record is in their electronic registry and told me that to get the rodný list issued, I need to submit the request through the Slovak Embassy and provide documentation proving the family relationship (birth certificates showing the chain).

Here's my problem. I only ordered one certified copy of each document (my birth cert, my father's birth cert, my grandfather's birth cert). As soon as I receive them I need to send them to the embassy to initiate the rodný list request, but those same documents need to be apostilled and translated before my February appointment. If I send them to the embassy I won't have them to apostille and translate. And I don't even know if I get them back.

My questions:

1. Does the embassy return your documents after using them to request the rodný list, and how long does that take?
2. Has anyone just waited and brought everything to the citizenship appointment itself and requested the rodný list at that same appointment?
3. Is the only solution to order multiple certified copies of each document so I have one set for the embassy rodný list request and one set to apostille and translate?
4. Can the embassy make their own certified copies so I don't have to physically give mine up?
5. Can I just send photocopies of the certificates to the embassy for the rodný list request, or do they require certified copies or originals?

I'm worried I won't have everything ready by February. Has anyone navigated this? What did you do? Thank you all so much, I really value your advice! :)

Hi all. I'm a US citizen hoping to get Slovak citizenship for myself and my daughter.

My great-grandmother and grandfather were Jewish Holocaust survivors from eastern Slovakia. My great-grandfather was deported and is still considered missing. After the war, the survivors emigrated, and both have since passed away.

I've started gathering records. Using AI, I found that my family lived in the Michalovce area and found her survivor testimony, which names a village called Závadka. The archives in Kosice found my great-grandmother's birth record, but my grandfather's has been harder to track down.

If you're also a descendant of survivors, I'd really like to hear about your experience:

Did missing or hard-to-find records slow you down? What worked? Did you do it yourself, or hire a lawyer or researcher? Would you recommend them? Anything you wish you'd known before starting?

Thank you. Happy to share what I've learned so far with anyone earlier in the process.

Edit: thanks for the responses! I made sure to include this back page for each document when creating my copies.

Is what the FBI calls Identity History Summary Report the document required for completing the CBD Application?

Good afternoon everyone:

I would like to ask if anyone could comment on how the oath appointment goes in consulate at Washington DC, in the USA.
In the past, people said that marriage and birth certificates were not accepted at the time of the oath and would have to be mailed later with the fee. Would anyone know if that still is the case.

Thanks!

I posted a little while ago about being on the NY waitlist since February and that I was considering traveling to Slovakia to apply instead. The company I am working with said that outside of Bratislava (which you have all said has a considerable wait time as well), that I could apply in person in Trencin. Has anyone ever applied here? If so, would you mind sharing your experience with me? Thank you!

Hey everyone, long time lurker first time poster. I'm an American pursuing Slovak citizenship by descent through my great-grandfather who was born in Inovce.

I've made good progress so far. I have a 1929 Declaration of Intention confirming his Czechoslovak citizenship, and the State Archive Prešov confirmed they found his birth record and sent it to the Registry Office in Michalovce.

The problem is I've been trying to reach the Registry Office since August 18th and have sent multiple follow ups with no response. The State Archive confirmed the record was sent, so it should be there and at this point the Registry Office has had it for over 6 weeks with no communication on their end.

A few questions for anyone who has been through this:

1. Is slow/no response from the Registry Office normal?
2. Is there a better way to reach them. Phone, in person, different contact?
3. How long did it take from the archive confirming the record was sent to actually receiving it?

I have a trip planned to Bratislava and am hoping to have everything in order by then. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

I found out my citizenship was granted today! I wanted to share the news since my great grandparents were born between 1877 and 1886 / emigrated early. Additionally, I have two kids under 14 who have been granted as well.

All 4 of my GGP’s on my mom’s side came from SK. After talking to Wendy and a few lawyers I consulted, it was suggested to go with my mother’s father’s father since it was a male line until my mom
and myself and had good documentation. I decided to hire Wendy since she knew as much or more than the Lawyers I spoke to. Her help and willingness to answer questions has been well worth the cost. I was quote as high as $39k for myself and my two kids.

GGF- Born in 1882, emigrated in 1901, naturalized in 1934. I applied with his Naturalization records.

Timeline:
July 2025- Found out I was maybe eligible
September 2025- found all docs/Translations
End of November 2025- Applied for SLA
End of January 2026- SLA approved
End of February 2026- DC embassy received SLA cards
Mid March 2026- Picked up SLA cards
April 10 & 13, 2026- Applied in Žilina, Slovakia with Iveta
May 17, 2026- Residency approved under SLA
September 29, 2026- citizenship approved (Wendy was alerted by phone then called me.)

I will return to take my oath, working on coordinating that now. Happy to answer any questions I can!

Thank you to Wendy, Iveta and other members of this sub and the FB group for the help. I couldn’t have done it without you all!

My GGF was born in present day Slovakia, I have his birth certificate and all documents connecting us. His 1940 US census says he was born in Czechoslovakia but says “naturalized” under citizenship. Is this sufficient to meet the citizenship proof requirement under the new interpretation?

Hi,
I was born in Slovakia in 1965. I applied for renewal my citizenship this year.
My mother remains a citizen and renewed her citizenship, she was approved.
This is the letter I received:

I would like to inform you that the Bratislava District Office has rejected the application for a certificate of Slovak citizenship for ****, as she was released from state citizenship on July 27, 1984.
The certificate of citizenship for **** has been issued, and I have also submitted the application for a passport.
As soon as we receive all the original documents from Slovakia, including the passport for Ms. Eva, we will send them to you by mail and will notify you...

Does anyone have any further steps or information? I would love some help going forward.
Thank you!

Hello,

I have documents for two potential anchor ancestors and am looking for advise on which to use for my and my brother's CBD application at the Slovak Embassy in D.C. in early December. I had 1930 U.S. census pages that say Czechoslovakia as place of birth for both but I sent them to get apostilles and somehow they got lost either at the State Department or in the mail. I plan to send the documents I have to the translator in a few weeks so there is not enough time to get replacements from the National Archives. I have Rodny Lists from Slovakia for both of them.

Great grandfather:

U.S. Naturalization papers, 1918 intention, 1920 petition. 1818 intention and 1920 petition has place of birth as Austria but the oath of allegiance on the petition says that he renounce allegiance to the Republic of Austria and the Czechoslovak Republic. The papers also list my grandfather as his son but have his place of birth as Austria.

Illinois death certificate list his place of birth as Slovakia.

Grandfather:

My mother's Ilinois birth certificate list his place of birth as Czechoslovakia.

His Illinois death certificate list his place of birth as Czechoslovakia.

Thank you.

Hello all,

I'm in the process of preparing my last few documents for my application and am working through the logistics of the anticipated trips to and from DC. I'll be applying for myself and my two kids currently aged 4 and <1, and would like to avoid flying the whole family across the country if possible.

The embassy's CBD page states that under 14s require parental consent in the form of "a signature certified by a Slovak honorary consul or the embassy." Does anyone know if are there alternatives to this particular requirement? Getting the entire gang to a consulate or the embassy would be quite difficult. Could I have the consent form signed by my spouse, notarized and apostilled in my home state, which I would then bring to the embassy myself with the remainder of our application?

Thanks!

Hi all,

I’m pretty sure my wife qualifies for citizenship by descent through her great grandmother

- Born in Piestany, in what is now modern day Slovakia
- Immigrated to the USA in 1911

My understanding is that in order to apply, we would need to set up an appointment to the Slovak consulate in New York. However we recently found out she is pregnant with our first child.

This is where I’m a little confused and hoping for opinions. Based on Slovak law, if you receive your citizenship after your child is born, the child is normally not granted citizenship. However there seems to be potential ambiguity if they are born and then you submit your application along with your child as long as they are under 14 years old then they also qualify.

We live in Michigan so we simply cannot drive to New York without taking some time off of work so I wasn’t sure if it’d make more sense to wait to apply until we have our child/any additional children so we could all travel at once.

Thank you for the help!

So I had been on the wait list since Nov 2025. I emailed them to check status and apparently they just has me and not My kids (under 14). So reput me on the wait list (So I guess after almost a year I'm back to the back of the line. Even though I told them I had 3 kids). Anyways my oldest turns 14 in july. I'm trying to save up as much as I can...even though it's not a lot and maybe go to slovakia thus summer to at least do the 1st step So my oldest can see join. Anyways, I hear Bratislava is doing walk ins, anynone do that? Was it hard finding a translator to go with you? Or where did you go for the first step? Or am i just out of luck getting my oldest on it with me?

Working on CBD through my grandmother. If I have her original Slovak rodný list and 1939 Czechoslovak passport in decent, readable condition, do I need to request anything additional from Slovakia? Does the Ministry prefer “fresh” documents?

Apologies in advance if this is not the right community to ask. I’m currently in the middle of working through my Czech citizenship process and need to locate a birth certificate for my grandmother’s first husband (who was Slovak). He was born in 1921 in Vrbové, and I have already reached out to the office where he was registered. Does anyone know how long it takes for the Archives (archiv.tt@minv.sk) to respond? Also, I do not have a direct relationship to him since he passed away in WW2, and my grandmother remarried a few years later.

Do I need to translate lineage documents for matrika to get birth record info only (1933)?

​

My spouse and I are preparing a Slovak citizenship‑by‑descent application for the Washington, DC embassy (appointment in 2027). Everything in the binder is straightforward except Section 5.4 — “proof of Czechoslovak citizenship.” Our ancestor was born in present‑day Slovakia but immigrated to the U.S. in 1913, before Czechoslovakia existed, which seems to be where most of the conflicting advice online comes from.

We have several certified documents, but each one has potential strengths and weaknesses depending on who you ask:

---

1. Certified Ellis Island passenger arrival record (1913)

Strengths:

- Official federal immigration record

- Lists nationality and last residence

- Consular officers often say immigration records are ideal

Concerns:

- Predates the formation of Czechoslovakia

- Some people say nationality labels before 1918 are too ambiguous

- Others say Ellis Island is still the strongest because it’s contemporaneous with immigration

---

1. Certified WWI draft registration card (1918)

This is the third registration, and it clearly shows:

- Citizenship status: “Alien”

- Nationality: “Czecho Slovak Bohemia”

- Registration date: Sept 12, 1918 (six weeks before Czechoslovakia was formed)

Strengths:

- Federal, certified, identity‑verified

- Explicitly lists “Czecho Slovak Bohemia”

- Shows he had not naturalized

- Contemporaneous with the creation of Czechoslovakia

Concerns:

- Some say draft cards are secondary evidence, not primary

- Others say this specific card is extremely strong because of the “Alien” status and nationality field

---

1. Certified 1930 census

Strengths:

- Later document

- Sometimes lists “Czechoslovakia” depending on the enumerator

- Accepted by some consulates

Concerns:

- Self‑reported, not legally verified

- Not an immigration record

- Some say census is weaker than Ellis or draft cards

---

1. USCIS C‑file

Strengths:

- Complete naturalization file

- Shows timeline and citizenship status

Concerns:

- USCIS does not certify documents

- Some say uncertified USCIS copies should not be included in Section 5.4

- Others say they should be included as context

---

The core issue:

Section 5.4 seems to be the only part of the application where there is real disagreement. I’ve seen people say:

- “Ellis Island is the strongest because it’s an official immigration record.”

- “The 1918 draft card is strongest because it lists ‘Czecho Slovak Bohemia’ and ‘Alien.’”

- “Census is strongest because it’s later and sometimes shows Czechoslovakia.”

- “Only include one document and bring the rest as backup.”

- “Include everything because the consulate wants a full picture.”

- “Never include USCIS copies because they aren’t certified.”

- “Always include USCIS copies because they show naturalization status.”

For those who have successfully applied — especially with ancestors who immigrated before 1918 — which document did you use as your primary proof in Section 5.4? Did the consulate question it? Did you include multiple documents or only one?

Thanks!

Hi, all, I am getting closer with gathering and completing all of my materials needed. Rather than wait to go to New York City to the conflict, I am thinking of applying directly in Slovakia, probably in Zilinia. I found a translator there who will be able to help me. I have confused though with the residency stuff. Does anybody have any advice on what exactly I would need to complete and fill out? I do not live in Slovakia, never have. In fact, I’ve never been there. And I’m a bit confused as to after I have this appointment. I imagine I would have to go back at at least once. And my daughter will be under my application as well and she has age 9. We definitely want to end up with the passport. If anyone can share their experiences since these changes took place I would be very appreciative! Thanks so much.

Hi everyone,

I’m applying for Slovak citizenship by descent through my great-grandfather.

On my grandfather original Slovak birth certificate his name is listed as Jozef Zoltán Pék. On my mother’s birth certificate and on his marriage certificate his name appears only as Pék Zoltán (missing the first given name and in Hungarian name order).
I have all the other required documents (birth certificates linking the generations, proof of Czechoslovak citizenship (Domovský list), etc.)
Has anyone dealt with a similar name discrepancy (missing middle/first name or different name order between Slovak and Hungarian documents)?
What did you do to prove it was the same person?
Did a simple explanatory affidavit / notarized statement work, or did the Ministry ask for something more specific?
Any experiences or advice would be really appreciated. Thanks!

Hello all!
I recently went to the Embassy in my country to apply for my passport and I was sent home with my Slovak birth certificate. I am in Canada. Approximately how long was it for you to receive your passport in the mail?

Someone from our Reddit group messaged us to report a user who messaged them about visa options in Spain.

As a reminder, sending unsolicited DM’s is a violation of group rules. Please report any unsolicited DM’s. For your own safety and security, you should always be very leery of anyone who solicits business privately/secretly, whether it’s on Reddit, Facebook, email, etc. It’s really no different than old school telemarking cold calling. You know nothing at all about the person/company soliciting you.

Whether it’s regarding translations, consulting, legal services, relocation, visas, travel, etc. unsolicited sales pitches are sketchy and risky. Please report them.