I have been searching FamilySearch for ship manifest records for my grandparents. Each census I have, unfortunately, lists various dates as to when they came to the US. They were married here in 1900. So it would likely have been between 1890-1895. They do not appear in any name search no matter how many variations of the spelling I try. Has anyone had any luck finding difficult records from 1890-1899?

Is there a better way then jist flipping through thousands of pages and looking for names? I am not sure I absolutely NEED them. I have their birth and death records showing they were born in Slovakia and died in the US, plus various census copies, but I'd really like to have the manifests also even if for my own records and benefit.

Thanks 🙂

Hello! I have my passport appointment soon in DC (woohoo!) and they gave me instructions to bring a pre-paid envelope from either USPS or UPS. They didn't say anything about it needing to be international shipping, so I guess they are getting it in the mail from Slovakia at the embassy and then mailing it to me from there? I went to the UPS store and just got a regular pre-paid UPS Ground envelope/label addressed back to me. Is that ok or do I need something international if they are mailing it from Slovakia? Any help would be great thanks!

Has anyone had luck hearing back from DC recently? We submitted our paperwork in early May, and I wanted to follow up and see if there's been progress after an entire summer of silence. I emailed once in mid-September, and followed up last week, and it's been radio silence. Odd, since I feel like they normally reply quickly...

I know we're still well within ranges of hearing back. I just would love an update!

Anyone had luck with DC emails?

I am familiar with slovakiana.sk/en/census-forms, I really like that page.

I started making census records searchable using the names of people on them, rather than using only District and Municipality. It's not easy. I managed to get 100 sheets transcribed. You can see the results here: 1930.sk.

Since it's quite cumbersome to make this available for the whole country, I will stop until someone who actually needs this reaches out. [hi@1930.sk](mailto:hi@1930.sk). It was fun working on this, I hope you'll like it.

Can anyone show me (or describe) what an acceptable certified copy of a Pennsylvania birth certificate looks like? I thought that I had acceptable copies, but now I am not sure. The PA Vital Records website isn’t much help. Thank you so much!

Hi everyone, looking for insight or experiences regarding parental consent forms for minor child Slovak Citizenship by Descent (CBD) applications.

My situation / background:

• I have already submitted and been approved for Slovak CBD.
• My anchor ancestor is my grandfather (my mother's father).
• I live in Texas and applied through the Slovak Embassy/Consulate in Washington, DC.

My brother's situation:

• My brother now wants to apply for Slovak CBD for himself and his 12-year-old daughter using the same anchor ancestor (our maternal grandfather).
• They reside in the Ohio, so their jurisdictional consulate is the Slovak Consulate General in New York.
• The issue: My brother is divorced, and he and his ex-wife are not on amicable terms.
• We know that for a child under 14, the "Parental consent – child under 14 years" form must be signed by the non-applying parent.
• From what we understand, this consent typically needs to be signed in person before an official at the Slovak NY Consulate or at a Slovak Honorary Consulate.
• His ex-wife will definitely not travel to New York, and there are no Slovak Honorary Consulates within a reasonable driving distance of where they live.

Questions:

1. Has anyone in a similar situation successfully submitted the parental consent form using an alternative method (e.g., local US notary public + Apostille, or getting it signed/verified via a local Slovak Honorary Consulate in a different region)?
2. Will the Slovak NY Consulate accept a notarized and apostilled parental consent form if she refuses to travel to a consulate in person?
3. Are there any specific court orders, custody agreements, or alternative legal provisions under Slovak citizenship law that allow one parent to sign on behalf of a minor without the other parent's explicit consulate signature?

Any advice from people who have navigated tricky parental consent requirements with the NY Consulate would be greatly appreciated!

My great-grandfather, was born in the United States to Hungarian immigrants that then returned to Slovakia in 1903 when he was 4 years old. 

My great-grandmother was born in Eastern Slovakia in 1901. I have located the church birth/baptism record online and submitted an archive request for an official civic birth record. She married my great-grandfather in 1919, had 3 children in Slovakia, including my grandfather in 1923, and then left to the United States in 1928. 

I’ve located the ship manifest for their journeys, however, the manifest states that my great-grandmother and all of their children were already “naturalized” through my great-grandfather who was a US citizen through birth. 

I believe my great-grandmother certainly would have been granted Czechoslovak citizenship and it’s likely my great-grandfather as well even though he was born in United States. What are my paths to proving this if they left prior to 1930 census and were already considered US citizens on their ship manifest? Is it possible to find Czechoslovak passports somewhere? I have located their 1919 Czechoslovak marriage certificate, but I still haven't received the document so I don't know the exact information included on it.

Any guidance is very appreciated!

Technical advice needed please: What does this question (from Slovak CBD application) mean? What would happen if the applicant had / had not acquired Czech citizenship prior to 31 December 1992? Appreciate any and all advice. Thanks!

I have my oath appointment coming up so I am looking at the applications for birth certificate, marriage certificate and citizenship certificate. I’m curious to see how others have handled this. Did you just use Google Translate to fill them out or did you get some help? I want to make sure I fill out everything correctly the first time.

Has anyone been accepted to the facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1454484788071370/, that is mentioned in this subreddit's resources list? My request to join, submitted months ago, is still outstanding; so presumably it's been rejected; but I have no idea why. Wondering if the facebook group is obsolete or defunct now?

Hi,

I'm not sure if what I am looking to acquire is out of scope, but I figured I would check here for some feedback.

I emailed [archiv.sna@minv.sk](mailto:archiv.sna@minv.sk) about getting a confirmation of nationality for a ancestor. I provided them with the link to the 1930's census, a scan of that ancestor's birth record, and then a scan of two subsequent generations, the last of which is my anchor ancestor all three born in Slovakia.

I emailed in July, then again (respectfully to inquire if the request was in processing) in September, both times I haven't received an email to confirm they have received the email. Any other archive usually emails back to confirm they have received the email. I'm just a bit worried, I hope my follow up didn't annoy anyone. It was respectful. I respect the office is under a lot right now especially from state side folks. I understand it will take time. I guess I am asking what is best to expect in terms of next steps with getting a certificate? I haven't been in touch with the New York office as I hope to apply in Slovakia. I just want to have proof that my anchor retained his citizenship via the Slovak census. Would a US census past 1918, stating Czechoslovakia, and his official Slovak birth record be enough? My AA has a early immigration and naturalization date, and was a minor immigrating but given the info I have read, demonstrating he lived past a certain date, and that he was born in Slovakia are the key parts. Would love some advice. thank you!

We are applying in Slovakia and are wondering if the Dec of Honor for a minor child will need to be officially translated?

Will this document need to be notarized in the US? Apostilled? Will informal translation suffice or does this need to be an official translation?

We were planning to apply in the US (where the second parent would be present and could sign at the appointment) but our plans have changed due to the slowness of the NYC consulate.

Thank you!

So I am looking at getting a credit card to help pay for the trips to apply in slovakia. I am confused on how many trips people usually take/how long it takes? Do kids under 14 have to go to any of the appointments? I know things changed with the new law so wasn't sure what that means for going there to get everything done.

I got them just in case. But all the birth records have maiden names. Do I still need to add the marriage documents to the packet? I feel like I've seen mixed things about that.

If so I need to send two to get apostilled.

What has been the community experience when only Austria-Hungry is listed?  I have the Rodný List with birth in the 1880s establishing birth in Slovakia.  However, all the US governmental records including census records, Declaration, Petition, draft cards and a few other records all list place of birth as Austria-Hungary or Hungary.  CZ is never listed except for the obituary in the newspaper (he was a man of note and the death was widely published).

Has anyone used “any other public document issued by a competent authority that reliably proves Czechoslovak citizenship of the ancestor” that wasn’t a governmental record to demonstrate citizenship?

Hi all! I have read through hundreds of posts on many platforms and every one seems to have anchor ancestors pre-1930. My grandma was born in Czechoslovakia in 1945 and from my understanding reading the law at that time is that if her parents had citizenship when she was born (they did), then my grandma would have birthright citizenship.

So my question is: can I use my grandma as my anchor when my only proof of citizenship is her US naturalization petition that lists her nationality as Slovak (it does not say anything explicitly about prior citizenship).

OR if her naturalization petition isn’t sufficient, based on the law that she has birthright citizenship through her parents, can I just include one document from her parents showing they had citizenship? Therefore, proving she had birthright citizenship.

Thanks for all your help over the last few months 🫶🏼

My Slovak ancestors were my Great-Great Grandparents.

One of the requirements to obtain a Slovak Living Aboard Certificate is to have two Slovaks living aboard write a written testimony on your behalf.

What are you experiences with having two Slovaks write a testimony on your behalf? How would one make friends with two Slovaks that live aboard?

Thank you.

I have an appointment for Slovak citizenship by descent through my grandfather. I have all the necessary documentation but my son turned 14 while waiting for the appointment and the embassy told me that he need to apply separately. Do I need to get him the FBI background check and get it translated? It’s the only missing document right now.

TL;DR: Pre-1910 case through a great-grandfather who emigrated in 1902 and likely never naturalized; the chain to me is documented. I got a big quote and a hard sell from a firm. Is legal help worth it for a case like mine? ALSO do certificates of non-existence actually help?

All four of my maternal great-grandparents were born in what is now Slovakia. My strongest line (I think) is through my great-grandfather, born in Kamenica in 1883, who emigrated in 1902.

I believe he never naturalized. The 1910 census lists him as an alien, and after his death in 1928 his widow is still listed as an alien in 1930. Since wives automatically became citizens if their husbands naturalized before 1922 (derivative citizenship), that strongly suggests he didn't. I don't yet have a certificate of non-existence for a naturalization record, which is my biggest gap.

The rest of the chain is solid. My grandfather's 1916 birth in West Virginia was never registered civilly, but his parish baptism record names both parents. Everything from there to me is provable with certified documents. I also have a second line through another great-grandfather who emigrated in 1902 but naturalized before 1918. Unsure if that matters. I’ve read conflicting things.

My case isn't a slam dunk, but from what I've read and heard about other applications, it doesn't seem out of reach either. I was quoted a large fee by a reputable firm that specializes in early-emigration cases, and their communication has felt more like a hard sell than an honest assessment. That got me wondering where the threshold is for needing legal expertise, versus assembling the documents myself and hiring other help as needed.

A few questions for anyone with experience:

• Is it worth hiring a firm for a case like this, or is it manageable on my own? If you hired a law firm, did their legal expertise and connections actually improve the outcome, or was it mostly paperwork help?
• Have people been successful with a certificate of non-existence when they have gaps? It doesn't seem like a very compelling document.

Thanks!

Hi everyone, I'm applying for Slovak citizenship by descent through my great-grandfather who was born in Dolná Tižina, Žilina district around 1895. I have my embassy appointment in Washington DC on February 3, 2027.

I just heard back from Matrika Žilina. They confirmed the record is in their electronic registry and told me that to get the rodný list issued, I need to submit the request through the Slovak Embassy and provide documentation proving the family relationship (birth certificates showing the chain).

Here's my problem. I only ordered one certified copy of each document (my birth cert, my father's birth cert, my grandfather's birth cert). As soon as I receive them I need to send them to the embassy to initiate the rodný list request, but those same documents need to be apostilled and translated before my February appointment. If I send them to the embassy I won't have them to apostille and translate. And I don't even know if I get them back.

My questions:

1. Does the embassy return your documents after using them to request the rodný list, and how long does that take?
2. Has anyone just waited and brought everything to the citizenship appointment itself and requested the rodný list at that same appointment?
3. Is the only solution to order multiple certified copies of each document so I have one set for the embassy rodný list request and one set to apostille and translate?
4. Can the embassy make their own certified copies so I don't have to physically give mine up?
5. Can I just send photocopies of the certificates to the embassy for the rodný list request, or do they require certified copies or originals?

I'm worried I won't have everything ready by February. Has anyone navigated this? What did you do? Thank you all so much, I really value your advice! :)

Hi all. I'm a US citizen hoping to get Slovak citizenship for myself and my daughter.

My great-grandmother and grandfather were Jewish Holocaust survivors from eastern Slovakia. My great-grandfather was deported and is still considered missing. After the war, the survivors emigrated, and both have since passed away.

I've started gathering records. Using AI, I found that my family lived in the Michalovce area and found her survivor testimony, which names a village called Závadka. The archives in Kosice found my great-grandmother's birth record, but my grandfather's has been harder to track down.

If you're also a descendant of survivors, I'd really like to hear about your experience:

Did missing or hard-to-find records slow you down? What worked? Did you do it yourself, or hire a lawyer or researcher? Would you recommend them? Anything you wish you'd known before starting?

Thank you. Happy to share what I've learned so far with anyone earlier in the process.

Edit: thanks for the responses! I made sure to include this back page for each document when creating my copies.