Government approves law to allow former Czech citizens to acquire dual citizenship

The Czech government has approved draft legislation which would enable Czechs who were forced to surrender their citizenship to become Czech citizens again. The draft law, which would also extend to the children of former Czechs, would no longer require applicants to surrender citizenship of their “new” home country. If approved by Parliament such legislation would cover many Czechs who went into exile following both the Nazi and communist regimes, and subsequently lost their Czech citizenships. Parliament deputies who are now debating the proposed changes will also consider whether those applying for Czech citizenship must be able to speak the Czech language and demonstrate a basic knowledge about the country’s history and culture.