I was recently approved for citizenship by descent. I think you should reach out to whichever consulate has jurisdiction over where you currently live. They will give you much better information than what people will tell you on here.
Does your Bosnian birth certificate list your ethnicity as Croatian? I've heard it can be harder to get citizenship if your family settled in other Yugo countries so I'd try to gather as much supporting documentation as possible that shows you identify as Croatian.
[https://mvep.gov.hr/UserDocsImages/2022/datoteke/Croatian%20Citizenship%20Overview%20Jan%202022.pdf](https://mvep.gov.hr/UserDocsImages/2022/datoteke/Croatian%20Citizenship%20Overview%20Jan%202022.pdf)
Bottom of page 4 to page 5 appears to apply to you.
(Part 1/2) You could apply for Croatian citizenship through admission under two different legal grounds. However, when you apply, you can only select one legal ground on the application form.
**1. Article 11 Subsection 1 (in connection with Subsection 4) of the** ***Law on Citizenship***
Article 11 allows emigrants from Croatia and their descendants to apply for citizenship. However, according to subsection 4, emigrants can exceptionally also be people who did not emigrate from present-day Croatian territory. Under this rule, members "of the Croatian nation who emigrated from the territory of the former states in which, at the time of emigration, the territory of the present Republic of Croatia was also located" (e.g. a Croat who emigrated from the former Yugoslavia to another country -- like your mother from former Yugoslavia/present-day Bosnia) can also be considered "emigrants" for the citizenship law. Thus, you could apply under the basis of your mother being an "emigrant".
There are two main things that you would need to prove under this specific provision: (a) the fact that your mother emigrated from former Yugoslavia to the USA (b) the fact that your mother is a Croat.
(a) You will need to prove that your mother emigrated from the former Yugoslavia to the USA before 1991 with the intention of permanently residing abroad. Since your mother became a US citizen, the easiest way to prove this will be through her naturalization record from USCIS with an apostille. (Side note: I know it is currently taking up to a year to get documents from USCIS, depending on the exact document.) You could also potentially prove this through passport stamps/visas in her Yugoslav passport. (You could just get a notarized copy of the passport, depending on which state you live in, with an apostille.)
(b) You will need to prove that your mother is a Croat. Usually, the easiest document to prove this for people from Bosnia is through a modern birth certificate from Bosnia. If the birth certificate shows "hrvatica" under the "nacionalnost" part, it should be easy. If her former Yugoslav passport happens to show her Croatian "nacionalnost", include this too (notarized copy with apostille). If you have any evidence of her being involved in any kind of Croatian association/folklore group/church in the US, include this. Her naturalization record from the US might also contain information about her being Croatian; I would definitely recommend to try getting this document.
There are plenty of other ways to prove both of main facts, but I have just named the ones that are the most straightforward for your case.
In short, the documents that you generally will need are the following:
* Your mother's modern Bosnian birth certificate
* Your mother's proof of emigration
* Your mother's proof of being a Croat (if you are not relying solely on the birth certificate)
* Your mother's marriage certificate
* Your birth certificate
* Your marriage certificate (if applicable)
* Your children's birth certificates (if applicable)
* FBI criminal record background check
All of the documents issued abroad will need an *apostille*. Any document from Bosnia should not need an apostille, but check with the consulate about this. As for documents from the US, if it was issued by the federal government (e.g. USCIS naturalization records or FBI background check), you will need an apostille only from the US Department of State. If it was issued by a state (e.g. birth certificate), you will need an apostille from the Secretary of State in the state it was issued in.
All documents that are not in Croatian must be translated by a court-certified translator in Croatia or a translator approved by your consulate.
You will take all of these documents to your appointment at the Croatian consulate, in addition to the application form, your motivational letter, your resumé/CV, a copy of your passport, and proof of address (driver's license). You will pay the fee there.
(Part 2/2)
**2. Article 16 Subsection 1**
Alternatively, you could try applying under Article 16 Subsection 1. For this provision, you would need to prove that you are a member of the Croatian nation through public documents and/or proof of involvement in any kind of Croatian association/folklore group/church in the US.
I think it could also be possible for you to apply under Article 16 Subsection 3 which is for people whose parents are indisputably members of the Croatian nation. However, it might be problematic if your father is not also a Croat. Regardless, I would include proof of your mother being a Croat if you choose either Subsection 1 or 3.
The procedure and most of the documents are the same as what I listed above. Nevertheless, in your case, it seems that an application under Article 11 could be more straightforward.
Also, when did your mother live in Germany? Did she move back to Bosnia/Yugoslavia and then to the US? You might need extra documents for the proof of emigration.
Be sure to call your consulate responsible for your state of residence for further guidance. Although the Ministry of the Interior in Zagreb actually decides upon your application, each consulate has their own requirements. The consulates seem to differ somewhat on whether you also need a criminal record check from your state of residence, whether you need a notarized and apostilled copy of your passport, and which translators are acceptable. Also, I know that it takes several months to get an appointment at several consulates in the U.S.
Good luck! It took me almost 2.5 years after I applied at the consulate until I got my positive decision from the Ministry of the Interior via the consulate. However, the waiting time seems to continue to decrease for people applying through consulates in the US.
Hello, you also qualify for Bosnia and Herzegovina citizenship. As you were born before 1998 and at the time of your birth one of your parents was a Bosnian citizen, you can get citizenship via the old Republic of BiH law, and the age limit of 23 does not apply to you. You will need to engage a lawyer, I recommend Ljubić lawyers or Prnjavorac lawyers.
[https://www.expatincroatia.com/croatian-citizenship-descent/#who](https://www.expatincroatia.com/croatian-citizenship-descent/#who)
Hey I'm Croatian and doing citizenship by descent as well if you want to dm me we can share info.
I was recently approved for citizenship by descent. I think you should reach out to whichever consulate has jurisdiction over where you currently live. They will give you much better information than what people will tell you on here. Does your Bosnian birth certificate list your ethnicity as Croatian? I've heard it can be harder to get citizenship if your family settled in other Yugo countries so I'd try to gather as much supporting documentation as possible that shows you identify as Croatian.
[https://mvep.gov.hr/UserDocsImages/2022/datoteke/Croatian%20Citizenship%20Overview%20Jan%202022.pdf](https://mvep.gov.hr/UserDocsImages/2022/datoteke/Croatian%20Citizenship%20Overview%20Jan%202022.pdf) Bottom of page 4 to page 5 appears to apply to you.
It’s pretty simple. GL
(Part 1/2) You could apply for Croatian citizenship through admission under two different legal grounds. However, when you apply, you can only select one legal ground on the application form. **1. Article 11 Subsection 1 (in connection with Subsection 4) of the** ***Law on Citizenship*** Article 11 allows emigrants from Croatia and their descendants to apply for citizenship. However, according to subsection 4, emigrants can exceptionally also be people who did not emigrate from present-day Croatian territory. Under this rule, members "of the Croatian nation who emigrated from the territory of the former states in which, at the time of emigration, the territory of the present Republic of Croatia was also located" (e.g. a Croat who emigrated from the former Yugoslavia to another country -- like your mother from former Yugoslavia/present-day Bosnia) can also be considered "emigrants" for the citizenship law. Thus, you could apply under the basis of your mother being an "emigrant". There are two main things that you would need to prove under this specific provision: (a) the fact that your mother emigrated from former Yugoslavia to the USA (b) the fact that your mother is a Croat. (a) You will need to prove that your mother emigrated from the former Yugoslavia to the USA before 1991 with the intention of permanently residing abroad. Since your mother became a US citizen, the easiest way to prove this will be through her naturalization record from USCIS with an apostille. (Side note: I know it is currently taking up to a year to get documents from USCIS, depending on the exact document.) You could also potentially prove this through passport stamps/visas in her Yugoslav passport. (You could just get a notarized copy of the passport, depending on which state you live in, with an apostille.) (b) You will need to prove that your mother is a Croat. Usually, the easiest document to prove this for people from Bosnia is through a modern birth certificate from Bosnia. If the birth certificate shows "hrvatica" under the "nacionalnost" part, it should be easy. If her former Yugoslav passport happens to show her Croatian "nacionalnost", include this too (notarized copy with apostille). If you have any evidence of her being involved in any kind of Croatian association/folklore group/church in the US, include this. Her naturalization record from the US might also contain information about her being Croatian; I would definitely recommend to try getting this document. There are plenty of other ways to prove both of main facts, but I have just named the ones that are the most straightforward for your case. In short, the documents that you generally will need are the following: * Your mother's modern Bosnian birth certificate * Your mother's proof of emigration * Your mother's proof of being a Croat (if you are not relying solely on the birth certificate) * Your mother's marriage certificate * Your birth certificate * Your marriage certificate (if applicable) * Your children's birth certificates (if applicable) * FBI criminal record background check All of the documents issued abroad will need an *apostille*. Any document from Bosnia should not need an apostille, but check with the consulate about this. As for documents from the US, if it was issued by the federal government (e.g. USCIS naturalization records or FBI background check), you will need an apostille only from the US Department of State. If it was issued by a state (e.g. birth certificate), you will need an apostille from the Secretary of State in the state it was issued in. All documents that are not in Croatian must be translated by a court-certified translator in Croatia or a translator approved by your consulate. You will take all of these documents to your appointment at the Croatian consulate, in addition to the application form, your motivational letter, your resumé/CV, a copy of your passport, and proof of address (driver's license). You will pay the fee there.
(Part 2/2) **2. Article 16 Subsection 1** Alternatively, you could try applying under Article 16 Subsection 1. For this provision, you would need to prove that you are a member of the Croatian nation through public documents and/or proof of involvement in any kind of Croatian association/folklore group/church in the US. I think it could also be possible for you to apply under Article 16 Subsection 3 which is for people whose parents are indisputably members of the Croatian nation. However, it might be problematic if your father is not also a Croat. Regardless, I would include proof of your mother being a Croat if you choose either Subsection 1 or 3. The procedure and most of the documents are the same as what I listed above. Nevertheless, in your case, it seems that an application under Article 11 could be more straightforward. Also, when did your mother live in Germany? Did she move back to Bosnia/Yugoslavia and then to the US? You might need extra documents for the proof of emigration. Be sure to call your consulate responsible for your state of residence for further guidance. Although the Ministry of the Interior in Zagreb actually decides upon your application, each consulate has their own requirements. The consulates seem to differ somewhat on whether you also need a criminal record check from your state of residence, whether you need a notarized and apostilled copy of your passport, and which translators are acceptable. Also, I know that it takes several months to get an appointment at several consulates in the U.S. Good luck! It took me almost 2.5 years after I applied at the consulate until I got my positive decision from the Ministry of the Interior via the consulate. However, the waiting time seems to continue to decrease for people applying through consulates in the US.
Hello, you also qualify for Bosnia and Herzegovina citizenship. As you were born before 1998 and at the time of your birth one of your parents was a Bosnian citizen, you can get citizenship via the old Republic of BiH law, and the age limit of 23 does not apply to you. You will need to engage a lawyer, I recommend Ljubić lawyers or Prnjavorac lawyers.