Q: How long did your naturalisation process take from start to finish?

Naturalisation timeline based on my experience I had my information appointment in April 2017, and was given an appointment for the application (Antragstermin) in late October 2017. The decision confirming eligibility (Zusicherungsbescheid) came through at the end of April 2018, with the ceremony for Austrian citizenship taking place at the start of July 2018.

Question 1

I am a British citizen and my child is born in Austria, and my partner (the child's mother/father) is also not Austrian. Can my child claim Austrian citizenship purely by virtue of being born on Austrian soil?

brit_in_wien · Accepted Answer

No. Austria uses lex sanguinis (ie. citizenship by descent, so you are the nationality/nationalities that your parents are) and therefore you are the nationality that your parents hold. In my case, my first child was born in Austria to a Briton and a Russian, and therefore had claims to British and Russian.

We did not exercise the claim to Russian, since he would have lost Russian citizenship automatically when my wife naturalised as an Austrian, as Russians don't allow the retention of Russian citizenship by minors of parents renouncing their Russian citizenship.

Were the child's mother or father to be Austrian, the child can of course take Austrian citizenship (as was the case of my second and third children, who were Austrian by birth) by descent (durch Abstammung) and are treated as Austrian from birth. To note is that this also applies even if the parent through whom they have a claim to Austrian citizenship has only been naturalised shortly prior to their birth (in my case, I was an Austrian citizen for only 57 days before the twins were born).

In the event of the child's parent through whom they have the claim to Austrian citizenship (most likely to be the father logically) dies prior to their birth, provided that at the time of death the parent was Austrian they would have a claim to Austrian citizenship.

NB: currently under British law, a child who is only British by descent (ie. my son through me, who was born in Vienna) is unable to pass on his/her British citizenship to his children by descent unless they were to be born on British soil, or in the event that they would be otherwise stateless, were this the case for both parents.

Question 2

At what point do I have to pay for my citizenship?

brit_in_wien · Accepted Answer

The citizenship procedure is paid for upon its conclusion. Some costs for submission of documents are paid while the procedure is ongoing.

Question 3

The Austrian Staatsbürgerschaftsgesetz 1985 sounds a bit out of date, does it really still apply?

brit_in_wien · Accepted Answer

The Staatsbürgerschaftsgesetz 1985 related to the fact that the recasting of the Austrian Citizenship Act took place in 1985. It has been amended on many occasions since then, with Articles and paras. than no longer apply being repealed or amended accordingly. Similarly the same has happened to the British Nationality Act of 1981.

Question 4

How long in the processing time for renunciation of British citizenship?

brit_in_wien · Accepted Answer

When I did my renunciation back in 2018 it took me 6 weeks using the paper submission of the RN1 with all supporting documents. However, others have said that doing their online has meant a considerably longer wait - many did not hear anything for six months and in one case, the renunciation papers were returned back to the Home Office as undelivered. Factoring in six months for the renunciation would mean that it is advisable to do it at latest eighteen months after gaining Austrian citizenship, although my personal belief is that it is best to press on with it as soon as possible, since the last thing I would want is for a long and strenuous procedure to be rendered null and void by a failure to get the paperwork done in time. The complications of the process "lapsing" that Uzbek and Ukrainian citizens I know have told me about are simply not worth the hassle.

Question 5

How long did your naturalisation process take from start to finish?

brit_in_wien · Accepted Answer

Naturalisation timeline based on my experience

I had my information appointment in April 2017, and was given an appointment for the application (Antragstermin) in late October 2017. The decision confirming eligibility (Zusicherungsbescheid) came through at the end of April 2018, with the ceremony for Austrian citizenship taking place at the start of July 2018.

Question 6

How long in the processing time for renunciation of British citizenship?

brit_in_wien · Accepted Answer

When I did my renunciation back in 2018 it took me 6 weeks using the paper submission of the RN1 with all supporting documents. However, others have said that doing their online has meant a considerably longer wait - many did not hear anything for six months and in one case, the renunciation papers were returned back to the Home Office as undelivered. Factoring in six months for the renunciation would mean that it is advisable to do it at latest eighteen months after gaining Austrian citizenship, although my personal belief is that it is best to press on with it as soon as possible, since the last thing I would want is for a long and strenuous procedure to be rendered null and void by a failure to get the paperwork done in time. The complications of the process "lapsing" that Uzbek and Ukrainian citizens I know have told me about are simply not worth the hassle.

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Dependents

I am a British citizen and my child is born in Austria, and my partner (the child’s mother/father) is also not Austrian. Can my child claim Austrian citizenship purely by virtue of being born on Austrian soil?

Financial

At what point do I have to pay for my citizenship?

Legal

The Austrian Staatsbürgerschaftsgesetz 1985 sounds a bit out of date, does it really still apply?

Paperwork

How long in the processing time for renunciation of British citizenship?

Personal

How long did your naturalisation process take from start to finish?

Renunciation

How long in the processing time for renunciation of British citizenship?