Number of Naturalisations Decreased in Austria
The number of naturalisations decreased by one fifth in the first half of 2020. This might be due to the fewer party traffic during the COVID-19 lockdown which started in March.
The number of naturalisations in Austria significantly declined. This might be due to the Coronavirus lockdown. / Picture: © BMI Bundesministerium für Inneres / Alexander Tuma
In the first half of 2020, Austrian citizenship was granted to 4,254 persons, including 12 persons resident abroad.
According to Statistics Austria there were 20.5% fewer naturalisations than in the same period of the previous year (5,349 naturalisations).
The decrease in naturalisations may be due to a fewer party traffic during the COVID-19 lockdown.
More than one third of the persons naturalised in the first half of 2020 were already born in Austria (1,534 or 36.1%), more than half were women (54.3%). The share of children under 18 years was 33.0%.
Most of the new Austrians were before citizens of the following countries: Serbia (503), Bosnia and Herzegovina (477), Turkey (397), Kosovo (231) and Iran - Islamic Republic (173).
In mostly all federal states the naturalisations declined however only in Carinthia the number increased by 28.1% compared to the same period of the previous year. The most significant decrease was seen in Burgenland (-32.7%) and in Salzburg (-29.3%).
Also Vienna experienced a decrease by more than 28%.
Almost two thirds of all naturalisations in the first half of 2020 were based on a legal claim. A legal claim is valid for a minimum stay of 6 or 10 years in Austria with particular reasons worthy of consideration (i.e. birth in Austria, asylum, German knowledge), minimum stay of 15 years in Austria and sustainable integration, and marriage with an Austrian citizen.