The Core Rule: Austria Prohibits Dual Citizenship Austria's nationality law bans dual citizenship in most cases. Find out when you can keep both passports and avoid losing them. Topics: News, .

Austria’s nationality law is built on the principle of avoiding multiple citizenships. When an applicant naturalises, they must renounce their previous citizenship, unless they qualify for a narrow set of exceptions.

The Core Rule: Austria Prohibits Dual Citizenship

Austria’s nationality law (Staatsbürgerschaftsgesetz, §§ 25‑28) is built on the principle of avoiding multiple citizenships. When an applicant naturalises, they must renounce their previous citizenship, unless they qualify for a narrow set of exceptions. This rule sets Austria apart from neighbouring Germany, where as of 27 June 2024 most naturalised citizens may retain a Doppelpass. The procedural details are described by the ID‑Wizard portal ID Wizard.

According to § 32 of the Austrian Citizenship Act, Austrian nationality is automatically lost the moment a person acquires another citizenship without prior permission. The loss takes effect instantly, without any court proceeding or notification, which makes the process particularly risky for those unaware of the legal nuances Staatsbürgerschaft Österreich: Beantragen und Kosten.

Nevertheless, the law provides a few exceptions that allow dual citizenship. These include birth to an Austrian and a foreign parent, humanitarian grounds for descendants of Nazi‑victims, granting citizenship as a merit‑based exception, and certain categories of refugees for whom renouncing the original passport is legally impossible Russische Staatsbürgerschaft 2026: Der Weg für Nicht-Repatrianten - Moya Rossiya.

EU and UK citizens occupy a special niche. Until the United Kingdom left the EU, they enjoyed a privilege: nationals of EU and EEA states could obtain Austrian citizenship without having to give up their existing passport. Since Brexit this concession no longer applies to British nationals, whereas citizens of the remaining EU states continue to enjoy the same right Staatsangehörigkeitsausweis - Staatsbürgerschaftsnachweis - Auswärtiges Amt.

For those who do not fall under any of the above exceptions, the only viable route is to obtain a Beibehaltungsgenehmigung — an official permit to keep the previous citizenship. Such a permit is granted when renunciation of the former passport is impossible, entails disproportionate costs, or when retaining the original citizenship serves Austria’s interests in economics, science or the arts. The application must be filed before the naturalisation request; otherwise the Austrian citizenship is lost automatically Nur noch 30 Sekunden – Wien beschleunigt Einbürgerung | Heute.at.

Conclusion.

If you intend to acquire an Austrian passport while keeping your original one, first verify whether you belong to one of the statutory exceptions and, if necessary, secure a Beibehaltungsgenehmigung in advance. Mistakes at this stage can result in the loss of both passports, and restoring the lost citizenship may take many years.