r/Abkhazia • u/corruptanalyst • Jul 15 '25
Can I get an Abkhazian Passport through my grandfather?
Hi everyone,
Im looking for some guidance about getting an Abkhazian passport based on ancestry.
My grandfather was Abkhazian, originally from the region. My sister visited Abkhazia to explore the possibility of obtaining citizenship. While she was there, the authorities actually found written records proving our grandfathers origin, which was amazing.
However, they told her that she couldnt get the passport, possibly because our mother is not Abkhazian or not an Abkhazian citizen (this part was a bit unclear)
But heres my question:
Since our grandfather is Abkhazian originally and our mother is his daughter, shouldnt I (as her son) also have the right to apply at the same time? Especially if we both travel there and they verify the ancestry records again, is it realistic that we could get Abkhazian passports issued within a few weeks, as others have reportedly done?
3
u/ProudTurk Jul 15 '25
If you have one parent or grandparent born in Abkhazia, you can get citizenship. It’s as useless as a Turkish passport though I’m not sure why you’d want it
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Jul 15 '25
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u/PhilosopherEmpty1920 Jul 15 '25
The things is generally Austria doesn't allow dual citizenship, but Austria doesn't recognise Abkhazia as a country other. So legally it would be nice to see what happens. The things is if you or someone of your kids wants a position with security clearance, it might became tricky. Again I only assume, because Russians EU citizens have the same problem. Consequently, since Russian Federation is one of the five countries recognizing Abkhazia and basically the only one who intervened, they might deem you as someone who is pro-Russian. I get that roots are really important for you and they are but I think it's better if you make a visit there first findrelatives etc before you make your life more complicated.
1
u/KK_307 Jul 19 '25
Austria would not prohibit multiple citizenship in this circumstance as it would be obtained by descent.
2
u/LividBumblebee6873 Jul 16 '25
I think that shouldn't be a problem, if there Is a proof of your Abkhazian heritage. I am not up to date when it comes to legal requirements so better to stay in contact with relevant authorities.
I Hope it goes well for you
0
u/sasyrqa Jul 17 '25
afaik the law providing right to abkhaz diasporans get abkhaz passport only applies to the ones whose paternal line is abkhaz and carries an abkhaz clan name. so, yes your mother has right to get abkhaz passport without living in abkhazia and fulfilling the standard requirements for abkhaz citizenship. but for you it's not the same. youre not an ethnic abkhaz and im not sure if you can get passport through your mothers citizenship or not. im not sure how the process is in this case
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u/ObjectiveSpecific752 Jul 23 '25
I don't think that it matters whether the ancestry comes from your maternal or paternal side. Obviously traditionally it works that way but do you have any sources for the specific claim about citizenship?
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u/sasyrqa Jul 23 '25
what i know is they ask you about the abkhaz clan name you carry and the confirmation of it from the Abkhaz Association in your region(in diaspora). and "traditionally" you cannot carry your mother's clan name
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Jul 23 '25
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u/sasyrqa Jul 23 '25
what's the point of handing out passports to foreigners? purpose of this law is to solve the demographic problem in abkhazia and increase the ethnic abkhaz population. if they just wanted random population and labor they'd just let russians or central asians get citizenship and buy property. russia putting pressure on abkhazia for this for decades
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Jul 23 '25
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u/sasyrqa Jul 23 '25
okay anyway. better toconsult an authority. i only made an inference based on the experiences of people around me on similar issues. i know many examples when even the children whose fathers were born in abkhazia, who is citizen of abkhazia and ethnic abkhaz, couldn't receive abkhazian citizenship. as for the author of the post, as i mentioned above, if his mother receives citizenship of abkhazia, there is a possibility that he will be able to obtain citizenship by the standard citizenship procedure and living in abkhazia for a few years. but rest assured, abkhazia is stricter and more cautious than many countries when it comes to citizenship procedures
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u/sasyrqa Jul 23 '25
btw just asked my abazin friend whose mother is an abkhaz from abkhazia and she said she cannot get abkhaz citizenship. she's abazin of karachay origin (a clan exists among both abazins and karachays. but known as karachay origin) and abkhaz authorities don't classify them as abazins (abazins and ubykhs have the same rights as abkhazs in repatriation/citizenship regard)
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u/NermiABH Jul 15 '25
Maybe I'm wrong, but in order to get a passport, you need to be and consider yourself an Abkhazian. Just because your grandfather (your mother's father) is an Abkhazian doesn't make you an Abkhazian (especially since you haven't mentioned it yourself).