![On September 1, 2023, Austria celebrated three years since it loosened the citizenship requirements for the heirs of victims of Nazi persecution.](https://dazzlingdawn.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Austria-passport.jpg)
On September 1, 2023, Austria celebrated three years since it loosened the citizenship requirements for the heirs of victims of Nazi persecution.
Since the Citizenship Law was changed, all people who are qualified have been allowed to benefit from the reforms. Austria agreed to enable descendants of Nazi persecution victims to obtain citizenship through a streamlined reporting procedure beginning in September 2020 in recognition of its duty.
On the third anniversary, Austria's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alexander Schallenberg, stated that a significant number of people who were Austrian citizens before the country's citizenship criteria for descendants of Nazi persecution victims were loosened.
Additionally, he emphasised that more and more Nazi persecution victims' descendants are asking for citizenship every day, which is a reflection of their confidence in Austria.
“The number of new Austrians continues to rise month by month. This is a strong sign of their trust in Austria. The new citizens enrich our society and contribute to the fact that the principle ‘never forget’ becomes ‘never again’,” the statement of Minister Schallenberg reads.
In addition to the above-mentioned, Minister Schallenberg said that it remains the goal of Austria to continue to meet the need for descendants of Nazi persecution victims to feel connected to Austria.
“This gesture is supported by the entire federal government. It is particularly important to my staff at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to provide professional and sensitive care and support to beneficiaries all over the world,” Minister Schallenberg added.
More than 31,000 individuals have filed for citizenship since Austria relaxed its citizenship laws for those descended from Nazi persecution victims, according to the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs of Austria.
The same revealed that more than 23,000 new Austrian citizens had been accepted into the nation during the previous three years.
“Since then, more than 23,000 new Austrian citizens have been welcomed at Austrian embassies and consulates around the world, often the first contact with “official Austria”,” the Ministry said.
The Ministry further revealed that the country’s missions abroad receive around 400 new citizenship inquiries per month.
When applying for Austrian citizenship, descendants of Nazi persecution victims must prove that they are eligible to receive the document.
In line with the current rules, they are required to include in their documents evidence proving the persecution victim’s center of life in Austria and personal documents and documents of their family members.