Interviews
Online Survey
Stories
Would you like to share your insights and experiences on the Spanish or Austrian case? If you have a personal story to tell, professional or other expertise to share, or simply want to contribute to broader debates around citizenship as restitution, we’d love to hear from you.

Interviews

Our lead researcher is conducting in-depth interviews – both online and in-person – with a wide range of key actors to explore the many different experiences, narratives, and perspectives on this topic.

Did you apply for either Austrian or Spanish citizenship under the relevant provisions, or have you considered applying?

Do you work for any organisation or institution that is involved – whether directly or indirectly – in the implementation of either the Austrian or Spanish law for citizenship restitution?

Do you have any (other) personal experience or specific knowledge in relation to the conferral or acquisition of citizenship based on ancestral ties or historic injustice?

If your answer to one of these questions is YES, you have the kind of knowledge that we need.
Participation is simple: just fill out a brief contact form, and we’ll get in touch to arrange a suitable time and location for an individual interview. During this conversation we will ask you about your experience and perception of the Austrian or Spanish citizenship policy and the way it is presented, implemented, and/or used in practice. Interviews will last approximately one hour, and – if you agree – will be audio recorded in order to save time and support subsequent analysis.

By taking part in such interview, you will provide one of hopefully many firsthand accounts that will help us better understand what it means to grant and acquire citizenship as restitution. Unless you prefer otherwise, you will remain completely anonymous.

For further information, please read the

INFORMATION SHEET for Interview Participants

Online Survey

If you have applied or considered applying for either Austrian or Spanish citizenship under the recent laws – and independent of the status or outcome of your application – we are particularly interested in your perspective!

As part of this project, and complementary to the in-depth interviews, we will design an online survey to gather and better understand the personal opinions of the many (potential) beneficiaries of the Austrian and Spanish reforms, who we know live in many different parts of the world.

By filling out this online questionnaire, you will remain completely anonymous, and not only contribute to the CITREST project, but also help us identify the most relevant aspects and questions for further research in this area.

The survey will be available here at the end of 2025/beginning of 2026

It will be a quick and straightforward way of contributing your vital insights and perspective.

Personal stories and family histories

Your story matters - Let us help you share it widely. If you or someone close to you have experienced particular challenges when trying to apply for citizenship (e.g. in tracing your family history, or collecting all the necessary documentation), or made some unexpected discovery about an ancestors’ live before or after exile, we invite you to share these stories with us as well as other people interested in the issue of citizenship restitution. Personal experiences provide a crucial foundation for our research, but they also help us to make this research (and the underlying realities) visible to a broader audience, by highlighting the real-life struggles, key challenges, as well as stories of successes. Whether you’re currently navigating the process, have encountered legal or bureaucratic barriers, or want to reflect on some relevant aspect of your family’s – or your country’s – history, your testimony will significantly contribute to a better and broader understanding of these issues.

There are many different ways in which you can share your story – including a short video and/or audio recording, a series of pictures or other illustration, or simply a text that we can help you edit, if you wish.

We will be very happy to receive (and publish) your contribution in any format and language and will do our best to give them the visibility they deserve.

Please start by filling out our form below

Your voice is an important part of this project and of the conversations it will trigger.