More than 40,000 descendants of Austrian Holocaust survivors have taken up Austrian citizenship since 2020, officials said.
More than 40,000 descendants of Austrian Holocaust survivors have taken up Austrian citizenship since 2020, the chair of Austria’s National Fund for Victims of National Socialism said on Tuesday.
Hannah Lessing said the high number in such a short period was a “beautiful sign of trust”, speaking on the occasion of International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Following a reform of the Citizenship Act, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Jews and other victims of National Socialism who were forced to leave Austria because of persecution by the Nazi regime have been able to apply for an Austrian passport since September 2020.
Previously, only Holocaust survivors themselves had been eligible.
Under the reform, Austria issues passports without requiring applicants to live in Austria or give up their existing citizenship. This is a special provision, as Austria generally does not allow dual citizenship.
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Who has taken up citizenship
According to Austria’s foreign ministry, more than half, or 51 percent, of those who acquired Austrian citizenship following the reform from 2020 onwards are Israeli nationals.
They are followed by US citizens at 22 percent and British citizens at 13 percent.
Before Austria’s annexation by Nazi Germany, around 200,000 Jews lived in the country.
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More than 65,000 were murdered during the Holocaust, while the vast majority of those who survived were forced to flee abroad.
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