Treaty Series No. 804
Treaty Between the United States of America mid Czechoslovakia, Signed at Prague, July 16, 192821
The United States of America and the Czechoslovak Republic, being desirous of reaching an agreement concerning the status of former nationals of either country who have acquired, or may acquire, the nationality of the other by reasonable processes of naturalization within its territories, have resolved to conclude a treaty on this subject and for that purpose have appointed their plenipotentiaries, that is to say:
- The President of the United States of America:
- Lewis Einstein, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States to Czechoslovakia
- and
- The President of the Czechoslovak Republic:
- Kamil Krofta, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary,
Who, having communicated to each other their full powers, found to be in good and due form, have agreed upon the following Articles:
[Page 684]Article I
Nationals of the United States who have been or shall be naturalized in Czechoslovak territories shall be held by the United States to have lost their former nationality and to be nationals of Czechoslovakia.
Reciprocally, nationals of Czechoslovakia who have been or shall be naturalized in the territories of the United States shall be held by Czechoslovakia to have lost their former nationality and to be nationals of the United States.
The foregoing provisions of this Article shall not be applicable to a national of either country who obtains naturalization in the other while his country is at war.
The word “national”, as used in this convention, means a person having the nationality of the United States or Czechoslovakia, respectively, under the laws thereof.
The word “naturalized” refers to the naturalization of a person over twenty-one years of age, granted upon his own application, while he is permanently residing within the country of naturalization, and to the naturalization of a person under twenty-one years of age through the naturalization of a parent, provided such person has acquired a permanent residence within the country of naturalization.
Article II
Nationals of either of the Contracting States naturalized as provided in Article I, shall not, upon their return to the territory of the country of which they were formerly nationals, be prosecuted or punished for expatriation or for having failed, prior to their naturalization, to answer summonses to military service which had been served upon them within a period of five years preceding their naturalization.
Article III
If a national of either country, who comes within the purview of Article I, shall renew his residence in his original country without the intent to return to that in which he was naturalized, he shall be held to have lost the nationality acquired by naturalization.
The intent not to return may be held to exist when a person naturalized in the one country shall have resided more than two years in the other.
Article IV
The present Convention, drawn up in English and Czechoslovak, both texts being authoritative, shall be subject to ratification by the High Contracting Parties in conformity with their respective constitutions, [Page 685] and shall become operative immediately upon the exchange of ratifications, which shall take place at Washington as soon as possible.
The present Convention shall remain in force for ten years. If neither of the High Contracting Parties states its intention of denouncing it at least one year before the end of the above-mentioned period, it will remain in force and will not terminate until a year after one or the other of the High Contracting Parties shall have denounced it.
In Witness Whereof, the respective plenipotentiaries have signed this Treaty and have hereunto affixed their seals.
[seal]
[seal]
- In English and Czechoslovak languages; Czechoslovak text not printed. Ratification advised by the Senate, Jan. 26, 1929; ratified by the President, Feb. 14, 1929; ratified by Czechoslovakia, Sept. 14, 1929; ratifications exchanged at Washington, Nov. 14, 1929; proclaimed by the President, Nov. 14, 1929.↩