Austria’s ancestry citizenship program for victims of Nazi persecution and their descendants continues to show remarkable uptake. The Austrian government has released a new report through the Austria Government Statistics Agency on the total number of naturalizations in Austria in the first half of 2025. The new statistics reveal the ongoing significance of this historical restitution measure under the Austrian Citizenship Act. The program has now facilitated over 37,000 citizenships since its inception in September 2020.
The Numbers Behind the Headlines
In the first half of 2025, 4,352 people obtained Austrian citizenship under §58c of the Nationality Act – the special provision established by the Austrian Parliament for those persecuted by the Nazi regime and their direct descendants. This represents a 5.5% increase compared to the same period in 2024 (4,125 people) and accounts for 37.3% of all Austrian naturalizations during this six-month period.
Perhaps most tellingly, 4,343 of these 4,352 new citizens live abroad – demonstrating that this is fundamentally a diaspora reconnection program rather than traditional immigration-based naturalization. Many applicants complete their process through an Austrian embassy or Consulate General, coordinated by Austrian authorities abroad.
Austrian Citizenship by Descent
The geographic distribution of new Austrian citizens by descent tells the story of historical displacement and modern diaspora communities:
Top Countries (January-June 2025):
- Israel: 2,409 people (20.7% of all Austrian naturalizations – including other naturalization types)
- United States: 1,088 people (9.3%)
- United Kingdom: 432 people (3.7%)
Five Years of Impact: The Complete Picture
Since the program’s launch in September 2020, the cumulative impact has been substantial:
| Year | Number of Citizens via §58c (Nazi persecution victims & descendants) |
| 2021 | 6,427 |
| 2022 | 8,530 |
| 2023 | 7,975 |
| 2024 | 8,795 |
| 2025 (Jan–Jun) | 4,352 |
Estimated figure based on Austrian Foreign Ministry reports
What Makes This Program Unique
Austria’s §58c provision stands out in the Austrian law and broader European citizenship landscape for several key reasons:
Dual Citizenship Allowed: Unlike most Austrian naturalization routes, applicants don’t need to renounce their existing citizenship – a crucial factor for diaspora families with deep roots elsewhere.
Direct Descendant Access: The law covers not just direct victims of persecution, but their children and grandchildren, recognizing that historical injustice affected entire family lines.
Streamlined Process: While documentation requirements are strict, the legal pathway is relatively straightforward compared to standard naturalization procedures.
Looking Forward
The Austrian Citizenship by Descent program is part of a wider European trend toward “restitution citizenship.” Germany’s Article 116(2), as well as Portugal and Spain’s now expired Sephardic Jewish citizenship laws, all reflect(ed) similar principles of historical redress through nationality law.
With applications continuing at a steady pace and showing no signs of dramatic decline, the program appears set to continue attracting substantial numbers. The slight year-over-year increase in the first half of 2025 suggests that word-of-mouth within diaspora communities and family networks continues to drive awareness.
For the estimated hundreds of thousands of people worldwide with potential Austrian nationality through Nazi persecution, the program represents both practical opportunity – European Union citizenship and its associated rights – and profound symbolic significance as a form of historical justice.
For more information about Austrian citizenship by ancestry and other European nationality programs, visit our comprehensive guides at citizenship.eu.