Hiring a Genealogist & Slovakia Citizenship

January 11, 2022 1:59 PM

This is a multi-part question. Feel free to help contribute to any of the parts! Basically, Im looking for 1) services to create a framed family tree as a gift, 2) hiring a genealogist in Slovakia, and 3) Slovakia citizenship through descent, and Slovakia tax questions.

1) Are there any genealogical services to create a beautiful framed family tree going back a ~4 generations as a present? Something like familytreechart.com? However, it would be great if they also do the basic research of constructing the family tree with my assistance. My tree is huge and I don't quite have the time to sort through it all.

2) Has anyone used third-party genealogist in Slovakia to track down family history and specifically birth and marriage certificates? I stumbled upon the CGSI (Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International) which has a list of third-party genealogists one can hire to help track down documents and things. What should I be looking for or avoid in terms of hiring a genealogist? What is the average cost?

My great grandparents were from Czechoslovakia, and on initial search it seems like they might be from present day Slovakia. However, further research is needed.

3a) It looks like Slovakia has a proposed amendment the Citizenship Act (no. 440/1993) that might offer citizenship to third generation descents. The Czech Republic seems to offer citizenship only to second generation descendants.

If I was to apply for citizenship through descent I would most likely have to hire a third party site to track down the various documents and help me navigate the application process for me as I don't speak the language. Companies like Polaron. Finding a reputable company is the biggest concern. Any advice on that?

3b) As an American, if I do get citizenship to Slovakia, do I need to pay taxes in there? How does that work and more specifically how do I find someone reputable to help with the taxes and details? It can get quite overwhelming and finding someone knowledgable and trustworthy seems key especially since I don't speak the language.


I know it's a lot, but any specifics or assistance would be great!

posted by Mr. Papagiorgio to Grab Bag (4 answers total)

I only know about Q3b. Taxation on non-resident citizens' foreign income is globally rare. Currently only Hungary, Myanmar, Eritrea and the US do this. So unless you move to Slovakia or have investments there you should not have to pay Slovakian tax.
posted by plonkee at 3:51 PM on January 11, 2022

As an American, if I do get citizenship to Slovakia, do I need to pay taxes in there?

In almost every case, if you're a citizen of a country and don't reside in that country, you don't need to pay taxes. The United States is extremely far outside the realm of normal for this, being one of only a handful of countries in the world that tax their citizens abroad.
posted by kdar at 3:53 PM on January 11, 2022

If you have a family tree on ancestry.com, they partner with a service called MyCanvas that automatically imports and formats your tree in a poster size. You can find it under the print option when you're viewing your tree on a computer.
posted by beyond_pink at 6:04 PM on January 11, 2022

I recently had pretty good luck on Fiverr hiring someone in another country to find birth certificates for me. I searched and found someone who seems to do Slovakia, there may be others too.
posted by beyond_pink at 6:06 PM on January 11, 2022 [2 favorites]