Not least due to my FAQ on German citizenship law and my corresponding infographic on German citizenship law, which have established this blog as the no. 1 resource on the internet for questions on German citizenship, I receive a lot of questions almost every day.
Most of these questions are written by non-lawyers, so they are often not formulated very precisely. In fact, you’d be shocked to learn how little information some people believe they have to include. I have received questions like “Hey bro, I am 23 years old and a student. Can I get German citizenship?” Many people forget to include their parents’ citizenship or their place or year of birth, all relevant factors. Today I got an especially funny one: “My surname sounds German. Can I get German citizenship?”
But this post is devoted to only one issue which pops up again and again, even in articles I read. It’s the issue of being “half-German”, by which people mean that they have one German parent and one non-German parent. It annoys the hell out of me because it violates all laws of logic. There is no such thing as being half-German or half-Iranian or half-Mexican.
It’s a citizenship. It cannot be split in half. How do you think that would work? Would you only be German in the morning and French in the afternoon? Or would you only be allowed to vote in every second election? Or would you only have to pay half as much in taxes in Germany (“Yes, I want that,” I hear many of you scream.), but receive half the public services? Could you use your passport for only six months out of each year?
Citizenship is like pregnancy. Either you have it or you don’t. (And if you don’t have it yet, but you want it, I can tell you how to get it.) You may have other citizenships besides it, but that doesn’t make the other one a half or a third one. You just have two or three full citizenships. Lucky you.
If this is too legalistic for you, think of this: Most probably you have one female and one male parent, but that doesn’t make you half-female and half-male. You are either female or male.
We are not arithmetic results of what our ancestors were, but each of us is an individual. Citizenship is nothing more than a legal criterion, in most cases a completely arbitrary one. Knowing how easy it is to change your citizenship, I would also argue that it’s one of the least important criteria to make up a person.
The Happy Hermit 
A person can’t legally half-German citizen as you say, but “half-German” is an acceptable informal term for someone who has one German parent. A person can be a Basque or a Kurd (or a half-Basque or half-Kurd) even though there isn’t anyone in the world with a Basque or Kurdish passport.
More importantly, why do you receive these questions? Why all these people want German citizenship? If it’s a matter of wanting to get an EU citizenship, I would think there are countries in the EU where it’s easier to get citizenship than in Germany.
I guess I get the questions on German citizenship because I am a German lawyer. The questions for Italian and Spanish citizenship probably go to Italian and Spanish lawyers.
But if you speak German (a big if for many, admittedly), German citizenship is actually not too hard to get. There is no minimum income requirement and you don’t even need to live in Germany.
The easiest citizenship in the EU is Malta. You can simply but it.
Hello Andreas
I was born in 1950 in Wuppertal (British Military Hospital); my mother was German (although I’m not certain if she had at that stage relinquished her nationality, by marriage or otherwise) and my father a Brtish soldier in the BAOR.
My maternal grandpaernts lived in Duisburg (Oma having formally been Dutch, became German on marriage).
Between 1984-1991 I was in the Royal Air Force, based in Germany, but am gussing that this is not relevant to the period of residence required for citizenship. Since November 2010 I have been working for an EU Agency, based in Cologne, and live mostly in the city (although we do still have a house in UK). I also purchased a property in the vicinity of Saarburg (Serrig) in 2009, and from time to time live there to escape from the city to the countryside.
Stadt Koeln have recently realised that all employees of my EU Agenct should have been registerd with them since beginning their employment; this process has just been completed and I await with interest the demands for a host of local taxes. I am also a contributor to the VG Saarburg in the form of taxes related to my property.
Does any of this have relevance or enhance my prospect of gaining German citizenship?
Kind regards
Harry Seddon
If I was half of anything I would prefer to be the half that eats…
I was born in1964 to an u.s service man and a mother who was german citizen in u.s “married” my oldest brother was born in Germany and was german citizen, however before he turned 18 he had to give up his german citizenship or be deported back to Germany , thus our mother never let us apply for dual citizenship! I am older now and would like to do it , is there a chance I can get it? I called Germany embassy and the said no without looking at my paperwork , Are they right?
It sounds like you might fall under no. 8 of my FAQ on naturalization from abroad, but I am not sure I understand all the details of your case correctly. There is no application for dual citizenship without naturalization and I am not sure if any of you ever applied for naturalization (in the US?).
It might be best if you contact me directly with a more detailed and coherent description of your case.
No application was ever made , after the issues that happen with my brother “being deported”my mother was worried that it could happen to me or my sister ” even though we were born in u.s.” I never really understood the whole issue with the right to dual citizenship !
i have a different question for you. My parents were Polish holocaust survivors. At the end of the war they came to Berlin as many displaced persons did. I was born in Berlin 1946 in a section called Zellendorf? I only have a small birthcertificate located somewhere in one of my boxes. In 1949 we immigrated to the U.S. leaving Germany on a ship called the General Holbrook which took us to Boston. Eventually they and I became naturalized citizens of the U.S. What are the German laws pertaining to citizenship. In the U.S. one can just be born here and qualifies..is that the same in Germany? I’m just curious. Thankyou.
Germany only introduced this “ius soli” component (i.e. that children of foreign citizens who are born in Germany can get German citizenship from birth) in 1999. Before that, there was no such possibility; German citizenship could only be derived from German parents.
You’ll find more details in my FAQ on German citizenship.
You talk about being able to speak German to apply , at what level would you need to speak and would you also be able to write German?
It depends. There are different levels of German language requirements for different applications for immigration or citizenship.
I’d be happy to put up a separate list of FAQ on German language requirements once someone mails me one of the books from my wishlist to do so.
Dear Andreas,
I am a 50 years old permanent resident of Germany 8 years from USA. My boyfriend of 4 years is a Ghana national living and working in Gambia. I also work part of the year in Gambia. We applied once for a tourist visa so he could visit me here on his holidays, but despite all papers being in order, it was denied. People have suggested since we are both resident foreigners in our respective adopted homes, that our case is simply too complicated. I had purchased a kaution document for €2000 as the authorities deemed my regular income too small to sponsor an african visitor( My boyfriend and I are both education and relief workers). I intend to continue living and working in Germany with no plan to return to USA. Now we would like to marry and both have freedom of movement back and forth from Germany to Gambia seasonally. I believe I am now eligible and I would like to apply for German naturalisation. Are our chances better that we can be together in Europe as well as in Africa if we marry now or wait until I am granted German citizenship?
Once you will be a German citizen, your chances will indeed be much greater to receive a visa for family reunion (§ 28 AufenthG). However, there is no harm if you get married before you will be naturalized as a German.
Hi Andreas,
I am a US citizen living in Germany with my husband (Dualnational first German added US with Beibehaltung). I would like to become a dualnational now as well. I have read that I would not profit from renouncing my US citizenship and would like to keep it as I have family in the US and can’t say I am not interested in going back one day. But I am missing out on a few things in Germany – voting for my husband (he is politically active), etc. Do you think there is a case for exception? Would you suggest looking into legal support in seeking dual-citizenship?
Unless you can argue that you would suffer disproportionately (in comparison with other US citizens applying for German citizenship) from having to give up your US citizenship, Germany will require that you give it up if you want to naturalize. The wish to return to the US is not a strong enough argument.
And if my husband were to have to return for job related reasons? And I could not stay more than 3 months? That would be against the proctection of family? And if my mother needed to be cared for in the States? To me that all sounds like a finacial burden that excees that of most other Germans.
No, it doesn’t. These are the same consequences which are borne by everyone else who gives up US citizenship in order to obtain German citizenship. – By the way, you CAN stay in the US for more than 3 months as a German citizen. You only need to apply for a visa.
Hello Andreas,
My mother is a German citizen, and my father is a British citizen. They have lived in the UK since 1990, and I was born in the UK in 1995. I believe I used to have a German passport as a child, but no longer have it. Would I be able to apply for a renewed one at the Embassy using just my British passport and birth certificate etc? And would I have to speak German very competently? I can easily hold a conversation, but as my only day to day German conversation is with my mother, my vocabulary is not particularly extensive, especially with legal words.
You received German and British citizenship at birth and I can’t see that you have done anything to lose either. As a German citizen, you can of course apply for a new passport. You do not need to speak fluent German for that, many Germans who received the citizenship while being born in another country don’t.
You might need to provide your mother’s German passport o any other proof of her German citizenship as well, depending on whether the Embassy still has a record of your last German passport or on how thoroughly they want to check your application. It may take a while and require some paperwork, but you will get a German passport again. I think it might also help if your mother accompanies you there, although this is of course no legal requirement.
Good day Andreas,
I am a son of German Citizen and a Filipina (Philippines), I was born and raised in the Philippines, I have a German Passport (which is already expired), would I still be considered as a German Citizen? If yes, would my children be also eligible to be German citizens even if I’m not married?
Thank you in advance
Yes, you are (still) German. The passport has nothing to do with your citizenship, it is only a travel document. You can always apply for a new one at the German consulate.
And yes, if your paternity for your children is established, then you passed on German citizenship to them.
Thank you very much for the information.
Hi Andreas
Father was born in Germany, I was born in Australia in 1972 , I believe my Father became an Australian citizen at the time of my birth, my Grandfather was German.
Am I eligible for a German passport and citizenship?
Thankyou
Hello Andreas,
I appreciate your answers. I was born in the UK on March 1, 1975 to a US service man and my mother who always retained her German citizenship since birth. My dad registered me as a US citizen with the US Consulate shortly after birth, since I was born off base in a UK hospital. I am now 40 years old, and have not lived in Germany since we came to the US in 1981 (6 years old). I vaguely remember a friend of mine who was the same age having to register for military service if he was claiming German Citizenship when we were teenagers in the early 1990s, so I am unsure if I had to claim my citizenship at that time, or if I am a citizen automatically by birth. Did not claiming citizenship and registering for military service preclude me from being a citizen? Am I able to claim citizenship now? Thank you very much for your time.
Brian
It sounds like you have been a German citizen all along, due to your mother’s German citizenship at the time of your birth.
Hello. I am a duel citizen of Germany and the US. I am currently working on my undergraduate degree and serving in the Army National Guard. My question is: if I renounce my German citizenship to get commissioned as an officer in the Army, can I get it back when I retire? And will they allow me to keep my US citizenship? My father is American and my mother is German.
Wondering if I am able to apply for German Citizenship. My father was born in Roumania in 1938 and his parents were born in Zuckmantel Roumania. My father came to Canada in 1952. I was born in 1963. My father did not become a Canadian Citizen until after my birth in 1965. At the time of my birth my parents were married and my mother was a Canadian Citizen. Am I eligible to obtain German Citizenship ?
This depends on your parents’ citizenship at the time of your birth, not their place of birth.
It sounds to me like you might have a better shot at Romanian citizenship (which is just as useful because it’s an EU citizenship, so you can also move to Germany or any of the other EU member states with it).
Coincidentally, I have driven through Zuckmantel/Țigmandru many times because I lived not far from there, in Târgu Mureș/Neumarkt am Mieresch for one year. Very beautiful and friendly region!
Hi Andreas,
I’m interested to hear your thoughts on whether I could claim German citizenship:
My grandmother (born to 2 German parents in Germany), had a relationship with a British soldier and gave birth to my father in Germany in 1946 as an unmarried mother. My father lived in Germany for 5 years before he and his mother moved to the UK to reunite with his British father. My grandparents married in the UK and resided there until their recent deaths. My father also remained in the UK where he married my British mother and I was born (in 1972). My father passed away in 1987. Thank you.
I’ll be happy to answer your question as soon as I receive a donation. Thank you!
Sent with thanks.
Thank you for your donation, Sarah!
Your father received German citizenship from his mother because she was unmarried at the time. (Had she been married, the British citizenship would have prevailed under German citizenship law at the time.)
The question is whether your father ever did anything to give up or lose German citizenship. If your father applied for British citizenship and was naturalized, he would have lost his German citizenship in the process. (This would not be true today as Germany now accepts dual citizenship between EU countries.)
So, in order to answer your question, you need to find out if and when your father was naturalized in the UK. If he never was, he was still German when you were born, making you German too. If he was naturalized before you were born, he was no longer German at the time of your birth and you were thus born to two British parents in the UK. If he got naturalized after your birth, it has no effect on you.
Thank you for confirming my understanding of his status re being born to an unmarried mother. To the best of my knowledge, he never underwent any naturalization – his assumption being that he became British by virtue of being raised and continuing to reside and marry there. I’m not sure how I can check this, but shall endeavour to do so. Thanks again.
If he did apply for naturalization, there should be a Home Office record. If he continued to be German, maybe he still had German passports. Did he serve in the British Army? Then he must have been British.
Like this, we’ll have to look at every possible indicator or evidence. I know it’s a lot of work after such a long time, but there is no way around it unfortunately because the German consulate will ask for it once you apply for your certificate of German citizenship.
Thank you. My father never served in the military and severed all ties with his parents aged 16 to enable him to marry my mother. He never owned any passport. I have my fathers German birth certificate and a birth registration document from the Consulate General in Dusseldorf dated 5 years later and naming my British grandfather as my fathers father. I will enquire with the Home Office as advised. Many thanks for your help.
When the grandparents married, how was the German citizenship not lost through legitimization?
My question is I’m asylum seeker but l have a child with Germany lady , do I have to pay any amount for my father “shaft” or and how long does it take to finish everything before leaving can have it? Thank you
Good day
My father a German citizen, living in south Africa working for volkswagen his whole life.
Married my stepmother 12 years ago.
Is she still able to get his pension?
She claims she gets nothing. He passed away last week.
Thanking you
Ingrid hingst
She has a south African passport.
Sorry Andrews
One more question.
My brother qualified for a German passport about 10 years ago. He was born in 1973.
I want to obtain a German passport too as my only family are living in Germany after my father’s death.
My question is my son born out of wed lock in 1993. He is now 23. Do you think he might qualify too?
I speak German he however grew up in south Africa, and speaks.but is not fluent.
I’m wanting to join my uncles in Germany as I have no living family in south Africa with my son.
Vielen dank
Ingrid
Two questions, I’ll have to charge 200 EUR for that. My Paypal account is moser@moser-law.com.
I’m a thirty four year old American male with two younger sisters at the ages of 28 and 20. Our American mother is getting married to a German Citezen. He has a 15 year old daughter. My question is; what are all of our options for obtaining duel-citizenship?
None.
What about the two girls under 21?
I’ll be happy to answer follow-up questions once I receive a donation through my Paypal account (see “Donate” button on the top right) or a book from my wishlist. Thank you very much in advance!
Dear Andreas, I just stumbled on your blog while trying to find out if there are any new laws in favour of my getting the German Citizenship. I was born in Hamburg in 1970 to a German mother and Nigerian Father. At the time since my parents were married, I was not eligible for the German passport. So my father got me the Nigerian passport. I lived in Hamburg till my father left for Nigeria in 1979, taking me along with him. When I finally returned to Germany in 1992 and I tried to apply, I was told that it was too late for me. Some factors being that since my father is a foreigner married to a German, I was not eligible. Secondly I was told that I missed the 1975 window of opportunity when applications for persons born before 1975 could apply and so I lost out again. Lastly since I didn’t live in Germany till my 10th birthday and so having not lived there for 10years, I had lost out on all counts. It has been a deep pain for me. Naturally since I don’t converse very often in German I do not have all the vocabulary, but I listen to and read German excellently. I would be able to hold a conversation too. I was given admission to study in the Hamburg Fachhochschule to study Biotechnology. I didn’t take it up as I was totally unhappy about my citizenship status and returned to Nigeria. I regret that now. What are my chances now? Thank you. Sabine
It would be very interesting to hear the outcome of this Sabine. Your circumstance mirror very closely that of me and sister (born 1963 and 1968 respectively in London) to a Nigerian father and German mother (from Hannover), married for 48 years until his death 6 years ago. My mother has always kept her sole German nationality whilst my father, my sister and I had and have U.K nationality and passports. My German, like yours, remains pretty good despite not too much practice but was learnt mainly as a child and so mainly retains a child’s vocabulary. Although I do watch lots of German documentaries to maintain things. In great part, in response to Britain’s frankly crazy recent ‘Brexit’ vote (of which I’m ashamed!) but also because of Britain’s poor assistance to and treatment of refugees of global conflicts, of which we are also ashamed, both my sister and I would like to become German citizens. However, reading the advise on the official application, it seems we all fall into an anomalous loophole? Had our fathers been German that would be “ok” any time after 1914…or even OUT of wedlock anytime after 1993. Had our mothers borne us OUT of wedlock at anytime after 1914 that would also be “ok”! But, because of the fact that they actually had the ‘decency’ to get married…and in our case remain married for nearly half a century, “until death do them part”…actually seems to count for the opposite that one would think (!), in that it only counts between 1964 and 1974…or after 1975 in any event! How can that be construed, in this day and age, as anything other than, in the first instance, “anti-family” and secondly and perhaps more importantly, “gender discriminatory”? I know the U.K. is not ‘flavour of the month’ with many of us right now, but even here it seems gender discrimination was eliminated from Nationality Laws back in the early 1980’s? Does it really persist, in such a blatant fashion, as I have seem to have read it, in Germany?
I would be very happy to respond to your questions in detail, but because I need to tailor it to every single case and because the legal explanation would be rather complex, I would appreciate a donation of at least 50 EUR before I do so. Thank you!
Hi Andreas
Many thanks indeed for your kind offer.
However, I’ve read Appendix V (last updated 2011) of the application document which I downloaded as it relates to obtaining German nationality by descent. It seems very clear, unequivocal and not very complex to me, from both that document and the same advice on the German Missions in the United Kingdom, that mine and my sister’s applications would definitely be rejected. I quote:
“German citizenship by being born in wedlock
Children born in wedlock between 01.01.1914 and 31.12.1963 acquired German citizenship only if the father was a German citizen at the time of their birth.
Children born to a German mother in wedlock between 01.01 1964 and 31.12.1974 only acquired German citizenship if they would have become stateless otherwise.
Children born in wedlock after 01.01.1975 acquired German citizenship if either of the parents was a German citizen at the time of their birth.
Children born in wedlock between 01.04.1953 and 31.12.1974 to a German mother and a non-German father did not become German citizens by birth. However, during the years 1975, 1976 and 1977, their parents could claim German citizenship for them. The deadline for this procedure irrevocably ended on 31.12.1977.”
The last paragraph is the crucial one as it applies to my sister and I. We were both born in the 1960s…so right in the middle of that time between 1953 and 1974. My mother did not claim German citizenship for us during that 3 year window of 1975, 1976, 1977. And that option ended on 31.12.1977.
So, unless someone has, since the last update in 2011, challenged that rule on the basis of pure gender discrimination and had it changed, and I am not aware of any such change having taken place, then it is quite clear that whether we like it or not, our applications would fail and be rejected.
We could try, and it will cost us only 18 EUR each for a failed application ( or 25 EUR in the very unlikely event of a successful application!), but as I read it, it seems so crystal clear that it’s probably not worth spending the 18 EUR…better to donate 18 EUR each directly to a refugee fund to help someone who really needs it?
Many thanks again.
Derin
Your way would be through § 14 StAG and an application for naturalization. See no. 8 of my FAQ on getting naturalized as a German citizen while living abroad.
Hi Andreas,
My maternal grandmother was born in Germany and moved to England with her English husband probably sixty or so years ago, my mother was born in England and so was I. My grandfather passed away before I was born and my grandmother passed around 20 years ago. I’m 28 and I have sisters who are 18 and 16 – would we be able to apply for German citizenship on the grounds of our ancestry? Any help really appreciated, thank you! x
It would be good to have the exact dates of when everyone was born. I would also appreciate a donation of at least 50 EUR to my Paypal account before I delve into your case. Thank you!
Hi i born in Argentina my grandfather, grandmother and my mother born in. Dusseldorf Germany before Second World War my grandfather emigrated for Argentina. Just i want know if i have some right .
Possibly, but I would need to know more details and an exact timeline. Please feel free to e-mail me at moser@moser-law.com. I charge 200 EUR for such a consultation.
Hello Andreas, It’s a bit involved. My father was supeonaed to Washington, DC as a witness against radio Berlin announcer Axis Sally (Mildred Sisk/Gillars). We had lost everything In Berlin and my father decided to bring the family to the US in 1954. Both of my parents retained their citizenship, but I became a citizen(1986) because of my American husband and children, I decided this would make things easier for all of us. Now at the age of 78 I am considering living in Germany again with my daughter who lives there. My daughter, was born in the US, moved to France, married a French man, and they are now residing in Germany since 2012 with their two children. I hope you can see my reason for wanting to be with my daughter.
But this is not all: I have a son living in Texas and I would like to stay with him part of the time.
Should I be able to get my German citizenship back, could I also retain my US citizenship?
Reason: If I give up my US citizenship, I will not be able to continue my health insurance in the US. Since I want to share my time with both my children equally, do you know if and how this could be accomplished?
Your input is greatly appreciated.
PS: I cannot see a link for a donation. I would be happy to contribute.
That’s a complicated situation indeed, so I would appreciate a donation of at least 100$ to my Paypal account moser@moser-law.com. Thank you very much in advance!
Alternatively, I am very thankful about a few books from my wishlist.
Hi Andrea,
My question to you is this, my mom is German born and raised in Germany my dad was American but at the time of my birth he was not in the military but worked for a Germany company etc. my mom was married to my dad at the time of my birth December 3rd 1976. I was born in a German hospital and I have a German birth certificate. My dad died 2 years after I was born. At the age of 9 my mom got married to an American and he was in the military at this time. Now that being said I had a German passport and my now stepdad was in the USA at the time for a few years (military stuff). My mom and now Step dad decided to get married while he was in the US for that time. So at the age of 9 the US consulate told my mom that I had to have an American passport to fly to the USA. They told her because I was an American citizen because my dad was American I need to have an American passport. She applied for an American passport for me and I got it and went to the US for 3 month with my mom. So fast forward to 1997, in 1997 I was living in the USA we had moved here in 1992 and I wanted to go back to Germany to visit my Brother and sisters and I did. I stayed 7 months total on my American Passport. So what my brother and I did because my German Brother stayed behind and never moved to the US we went to a place to get a stamp on my passport to let me stay 5 more months. I am sorry but I don’t remember what that place was I guess the German place to renew a passport. I just remember the line being very long with Turkish people and other people from around the world. Anyways I talked to the lady and gave her my American passport and told her I was “looking for a job” because I could only stay 3 month using my American passport the proof of residency was my brother and she gave me a stamp and gave me 5 more months to “look for a job”. The reason I am talking about this lady is that she also asked me where my German passport was. I told her I thought I lost my German citizenship when I turned 18 (I was in the USA at that time I turned 18). She told me because I was born in 1976 I automatically qualify for dual citizenship and I just need to renew my German passport. I was like ok cool. Fast forward to 2017, I am now married to an American Women and I have a 14 year old son also born in the USA. We want to move to Germany in 2 years and I need to get my German passport like the lady in 1997 told me I could. Well I just got off the phone with a lady in Atlanta my area to call about German passports and she told me I have to show them proof that I am a German citizen. I do understand that and I also understand that I have to show them proof that I am a German citizen. But she said because I have an American passport that I could have lost my German citizenship. She said it don’t matter that my mom is German and that just because I have a German birth certificate does not make me a German citizen. I also kind of understand that. She asked me my birthdate I told her the year I was born and to her it was just a date. So she said I need to get my German birth certificate and my birth certificate for citizen abroad something my mom does not remember getting for me also my dad died 2 years after I was born so he really did not have time to apply for one for me because he was battling cancer. All that being said, did the lady in 1997 know what she was talking about or does the lady in 2017 not know what she is talking about? The 2017 lady is making me send via email a lot of different stuff that we don’t even have any more like my mom’s passport from the year I was born (1976), both my German and the citizen abroad birth certificate, my German passport (don’t have it anymore) my mom’s green card to make sure she is a German citizen and never became an American citizen. This lady also needs the marriage certificate from my mom and dad and a lot of other things that are so old and are really hard to get if we could get them. Please help me clear this up so I understand what I need to do. The imported thing from what I understand is the year (1976) that I was born in, that some law was around for me to have both citizenships. I also never joint any military. I lived in Germany for 15 years and living in the USA going on 25 years. I am 40 years old now and ready to leave the US. :)
Thanks for all the help!!!
That’s a long question.
I’ll read and reply to it once I receive payment of at least 100 EUR. Thank you very much in advance!
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On edge and hopeful…I’ve arrived at a point in obtaining official recognition of my German Nationality, where the German Embassy has asked me to supply a few, extra.., legally verified documents. They are 1) my own non-acquisition of any other Nationality besides UK. 2) My grandfather’s and father’s non-;acquisition of UK nationality. 3) 2 Verified documents showing that both my grandparents were recognised as German, by the UK govt. (Grandmother, German by marriage). They already have all the essential first docs. Like German birth certificate of my G.pa.
I hope this indicates that Im about to be accepted…(not least because it costs quite a lot) but as my investigation has already taken a few years…I don’t feel confident…Does anyone know what is likely to happen next?….😨
It’s strange that they ask you to provide proof of a negative. I mean, how do you intend to prove that you DIDN’T acquire Nepalese or Zambian citizenship?
Once you convey how illogical that is, the process should continue smoothly.
Oh gosh…it does sound odd, put like that….but….I have lived in France for 22 years..so maybe that was worrying them..and Im old, so maybe “gaga” was considered likely…Im afraid of offering Germany any comments that might be construed as criticism……..”Continuing smoothly”……sounds promising…..thank you…😅
Ok, yes, that sounds like they would want to know if you are also French. Although whether that would conflict with German citizenship depends on when you would have gotten French citizenship.
Hello I was born in u.s but my mother was German she married a American ,am I entitled to be a citizen and if so how much would it cost and how long it take?
I would need to know
– if your parents were married by the time you were born,
– the year they got married,
– when you were born,
– if your mother ever got naturalized in the US.
Then I could begin to analyze your case.
And I would appreciate a donation to my Paypal account (see button on the right) or a few books from my wishlist. Thank you very much already!
Yes they were married he was dresssed in military I think it was 1960 , I was born in 64 my mother became naturalized when I was young but didn’t denounce German papers,and held dual citizenship
Hi Andres, If my paternal great grandparent was a German citizen and moved to America and naturalized before his son was born in 1940, and then he had a daughter in 1960 (me). Do I have a chance of getting a German citizenship? I’m assuming not since although his son (my grandfather) had the possibility of becoming a German citizen he never applied. So at the time of birth my grandfather and father weren’t actually German citizens.
If he naturalized as a US citizen before his son was born, the chain of German citizenship was interrupted then already (§ 25 I StAG).
Hi Andreas, I have realized that the information I provided you in my last post was incorrect. Through official documents I have found the following: My ancestors were Roman Catholic Volga Germans who settled in German colonies in Russia in 1789 upon Catherine’s invitation. They were later going to be deported to Siberia or expelled from Russia (I’m not sure which) so they fled to the US in 1878. He then naturalized in America AFTER his children were already born in America. Neither of them ever served in the military. Below you will find the line of descend:
Johannes Gassmann born 1724 in Frankreich, Weissenburg>>>Michael Gassmann born 1757 in Frankreich, Weissenburg moved to Russia 1789>>>Peter Gassmann born 1797 in Russia>>>Joseph Gassmann born 1828 in Russia>>>Joseph Gassman (They dropped the n) born 1854 in Russia, Arrived in USA 1878, naturalized in Kansas, USA in 1913>>>Vincent born 1894 in Kansas>>>Robert born 1936 in Kansas>>>Catherine born 1960 in Kansas. My mother (Catherine) Speaks modern German and for sentimental purposes would like to obtain German citizenship if she qualifies. Can you tell me if she does, and if so what kind of documents does she need to provide?
Thank you.
Let me look at this after receiving either a donation to my blog or a few books from my wishlist. Thank you very much in advance!
Would you happen to know how broad the decrees were granting German citizenship to Alsatians during WWII. One of my ancestors was born in Alsace in the German Empire in 1875, came with their family to the US in 1878 and then lived until 1950. The 10 year absence pre-1914 may have ended their German citizenship (although I recall seeing a reprint of a US diplomatic cable relating that Germany didn’t apply that to Alsatians for some reason and that they were entitled to draft an (unrelated) Alsatian who had naturalized in the US). However, I presume that they would otherwise have become a French citizen in 1918 when France re-annexed the territory. But then possibly they became a German citizen again by proclamation of the German government during WWII (and possibly a French citizen yet again in 1945?). Do you know if there some source material that I could turn to to see the language of the WWII extension of German citizenship to Alsatians? (My German is not great, but I think that I can puzzle out original written source material if I know where to find it). I would appreciate any suggestions. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Hello Sean,
I know absolutely nothing about this, to be honest. It seems a fascinating bit of history to get into, especially as Alsace changed hands so many times.
But sadly, I lack the time to do this.
There are two ways of interpreting German + other something. The something could be citizenship, in which case I agree with you, if you have 2 citizenships, you have German citizenship and citizenship.
However, this could also refer to ethnicity, in which case you *could* be half German, half . If your parents were German and American (but ethnically Chinese, for example), then the offspring would be half German, half Chinese (by ethnicity), but German and American by citizenship.
I believe the issue is that many people liberally interchange citizenship and ethnicity.
As always, I was thinking too lawyerly.
Although maybe people could also have two or three ethnicities?
And ethnicity is an even trickier subject anyway and may not be the best field to apply a mathematical approach. Ethnically, what’s the difference between a German and an Austrian, for example? And what about the Belgian Germans? Or the people in South Tyrol? And what about the two Germanys we had until just 30 years ago?
Interestingly, in my citizenship cases, I often deal with people who claim that their ancestor was from country X and Y, when they really never lived there. Especially many descendants of German speakers in the Habsburg or Russian empires view their ancestors as Germans, when these were German-speaking citizens of other countries.
And then there are people who insist that their ancestors were citizens of X or Y, when that country did not even exist at the time of their migration to other continents. For example, Germany only came into existence as a country in 1871. Before that, most people would not have identified themselves as German, but as Prussian or Bavarian or belonging to one of the other dozen entities.
I guess I just want to say that it’s a great topic for endless debates, best had over a barbecue.