FAQ on getting German Citizenship without Living in Germany – updated 2022

Posted on 2013-09-26 by Andreas Moser

As part of my very popular series of legal FAQ, I now address a question that I get asked very frequently: it’s about the possibility to get naturalized as a German citizen without living in Germany. Please note that this only concerns very special cases. For a general overview of German citizenship law, please read these FAQ.

I am a German lawyer, specializing on German citizenship law. These FAQ are supposed to give you an overview of the basic principles governing this area of law, so you can decide whether a paid consultation is worth it.

Before asking a new question, please read through the many comments which may already answer your question. And if you find these FAQ useful, or if you ask a new question, it would be very nice of you to support this blog. Thank you!

1. Can I become a German citizen without living in Germany?

Yes. There are several possibilities to do so: (1) you may already have German citizenship due to German descent, (2) re-instatement of previously lost citizenship, (3) adoption by a German citizen as a minor, and (4) naturalization in accordance with § 14 StAG. These FAQ only deal with naturalization from abroad, the other options are covered in another FAQ.

2. What are the requirements to get naturalized as a German citizen without living there?

You have to meet all the normal criteria for naturalization. Only the requirement of residence in Germany (typically between 3 and 8 years) will be waived if you can show “ties to Germany that justify your naturalization”. I will cover these requirements in the following paragraphs.

3. Do I need to speak German?

Yes. This is an essential requirement, so don’t even apply before you have reached at least the B1 level in German. Because you would be applying for a naturalization which you are not entitled to but which is in the discretion of the German government, a higher level of German would be even better.

4. How do I show my ties to Germany?

There are many ways to prove these ties, and the more ways in which you can show your ties, the better is your case: marriage to a German citizen, employment by a German company, longer and frequent visits to Germany, ownership of real estate in Germany for your personal use, ownership of a business in Germany, contributions to the German pension system, visits of German schools or universities, academic interest in Germany and anything else that you can think of.

deutscher Pass

5. What are the other requirements?

The same as with a naturalization within Germany: (1) You need to be able to support yourself financially without recourse to welfare. Because you would be eligible to move to and live in Germany, you need to show that you could also earn a living in Germany. (2) You shouldn’t have a criminal record. Traffic tickets pose no problem. (3) You need to pass the citizenship test. It’s a multiple choice test about life in Germany, the German constitution and things like the colours of the flag. You get 33 questions, of which you have to correctly answer 17 within a maximum of 60 minutes. You can take this test at a German consulate or of course on one of your visits to Germany. All the possible questions are online, so it’s easy to prepare yourself.

6. Do I need to give up my existing citizenship?

Usually yes. Germany unfortunately does not believe in dual citizenship and thus requires applicants for naturalization to give up their previous citizenship. There are however plenty of exceptions, but that’s the topic of a different set of FAQ.

7. When do I need to fulfil these criteria?

You need to meet these and the other criteria at the time of the application. Because you decide when you apply, you can really prepare yourself for such an application, even if it may take a couple of years. If you book a personal consultation, I will assess your situation and your personal circumstances and suggest several ways in which you can improve your chances. Of course I will also be happy to help writing your application essay.

Once you will receive German citizenship, you don’t need to prove anything anymore. You can also keep German citizenship if you never take up residence in Germany. Even if you would subsequently become dependent on welfare or commit crimes, your German citizenship cannot be withdrawn.

8. How is this option connected to German citizenship by descent?

The information in this section describes the situation pre-2021. Since then, the cases described herein are covered by the new § 5 StAG (for people who did not receive German citizenship at birth due to gender discrimination at the time) and § 15 StAG (for victims of Nazi-era persecution and their descendants). These are covered in my FAQ on Reclaiming German Citizenship.

Since then, § 14 StAG has become far less relevant in practice and is reserved for exceptional cases. It has been my impression that it is being applied stricter than in the past. So, if your only ties to Germany are that you once studied there for a semester many years ago, don’t even think about it.

It shouldn’t be connected at all, because citizenship by descent and naturalization are two completely different matters. But Germany now uses this naturalization according to § 14 StAG to rectify two old problems:

(a) Children who were born to a German mother and a non-German father before 1975 often did not receive German citizenship by descent. This obvious discrimination against the maternal line of descent is now being rectified by allowing these children to apply for naturalization under this clause.

(b) Children who were born to a German father were not automatically granted German citizenship by descent before 1993 if their parents were not married. This discrimination against children of unmarried couples is now being rectified by by allowing these children to apply for naturalization under this clause.

The difference to completely foreign applicants is that this group of applicants do not need to give up their primary citizenship. Also, if you have minor children they will usually be naturalized as well.

9. Do you have some special trick that you want to share with us?

Always. If you work in the Iranian nuclear programme for example and you are ready to disclose certain information to the German Intelligence Service, your application will be viewed very favourably.

Posted in German Law, Germany, Immigration Law, Law | Tagged , , | 665 Comments

Language Game

Posted on 2013-09-14 by Andreas Moser

If you need to procrastinate but still want to (pretend that you) do something of educational value, I recommend the “Great Language Game”. You listen to short clips and have to identify the language of the recording. At first you must choose between two different languages, but as the game progresses you get offered up to six choices, making it harder to get it right merely by luck. You get 50 points for each correct answer and the game is over after three mistakes.

Great Language GameTry it! It only takes a couple of minutes.

My score was 750 points, putting me in the top 10% according to the current statistics.

Some of the choices were really simple for me, like the one between German (my mother tongue) and Yiddish, or picking Italian, a language I am currently learning in anticipation of my move to Italy next month. Also, Slavic languages were easy to identify if all the other choices were non-Slavic. Because it sounded very much like a Romance language, I was able to identify Romanian, although I had never heard it before.

With other languages, I was just lucky in guessing them right.

Lastly, my travelling helped. Living in the Baltics, I could easily identify Latvian, and thanks to having lived in Malta I could confidently tell what was Maltese.

My three mistakes? I confused Khmer with Tagalog, Sinhalese with Thai and Welsh with Scottish Gaelic.

(Hat tip to Crooked Timber, where I found the link to the “Great Language Game”.)

Posted in Language, Travel | Tagged , | 12 Comments

War is like Coke

Posted on 2013-08-29 by Andreas Moser

Nowadays, if you want to drink a Coke, you can choose among at least 17 different flavours: cherry, lemon, vanilla, with or without caffeine, with or without sugar, and now even a Coke with your own name.

In the good old times, things were much easier: a Coke was a Coke. There was one type, you knew that too much of it would kill you, but it was the real thing. It used to be the same with war.

saving_private_ryan_beach

But then somebody thought this was too heavy and invented Coke Light. It had less calories and was supposed to be less dangerous to your health. The problem was, it wasn’t the real thing anymore and it sure didn’t taste like it. You had to keep it in the fridge for ages and then drink it really fast. Maybe for a short while it tasted fine, but then after the first sensation it quickly deteriorated. The same happened with war. It became “war light”.

Baghdad shock and awe

But this was not enough for the health freaks. They wanted to go further and finally came up with Coke Zero. It has zero sugar, but is supposed to taste like the real thing. The downside: nobody knows yet what the long-term side effects of artificial sweetener will be. It may taste fine now, but somehow it may back to haunt you in a decade or two. Much like “war zero”.

predator-firing-missile4

Posted in Military, Politics | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

Do we need UN approval for military intervention?

Posted on 2013-08-28 by Andreas Moser

This article is being written with the situation in Syria in mind, a mind which in my case is frustrated with the almost complete absence of meaningful outside support for the rebels, freedom fighters and people of Syria. But the question to be examined here will apply equally to other situations in which some states are pondering a (military) humanitarian intervention.

One reason given for the lack of any intervention so far is the refusal by China and Russia and their veto power at the UN Security Council. I will explain why this is rather a lame excuse than a reason and that these two countries (or any other of the permanent five members of the UN Security Council) cannot prevent others from coming to the rescue of oppressed populations in countries ravaged by brutal dictators –

"Let's hope nobody notices how useless we are."

“Let’s hope nobody notices how useless we are.”

and that applies even if we want to take the UN framework seriously, for which there are probably fewer reasons than there are against doing so. It is true that Russia and China can veto a UN Security Council resolution and thus deny it from passing. But this is by far not the same as having the power to veto our foreign policy, as Western countries sometimes argue in an obvious search for a scapegoat. Not only for weeks or for months, but meanwhile for years, the US and some European countries have been trying to get Russia and China to give the green light for more robust action against the Syrian military. Curiously, I don’t think China would ever consider France to have a veto power over its foreign policy in Asia, despite France having exactly the same veto power at the UN Security Council.

Sure, Russia and China can use their veto to prevent the UN Security Council from setting up a UN peacekeeping operation or from authorizing military action. But first, we don’t need that. We (let’s say NATO) can act without a UN mandate or without UN support. NATO has been perfectly capable of carrying out effective military campaigns without UN backing in the past (for example in Kosovo). And second, the veto power works both ways. If we decide to intervene in Syria on the side of the beleaguered population or the rebels against Assad, what can the UN Security Council do against that? Well, as long as at least either the US, France or the UK are on board, the UN Security Council can do nothing because of these countries’ veto power. So, just as the veto power prevents a UN mandate, it will also prevent condemnation or sanctions against those who act without such a mandate.

There are many reasons both for and against a military intervention in Syria: political, military, humanitarian, ethical, but legal limitations there are not. I have the impression that many Western governments (especially ever-reluctant Germany) are almost happy about Russia’s and China’s stance because it gives them an excuse: “We would so much love to help the people of Syria, but oh, these evil Russians are preventing us from doing so.” Bullshit. As in domestic law, it is even more the case in international law: if you break it and nothing happens to you, it ain’t real law.

Posted in Human Rights, Law, Military, Politics, Syria | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

Did you notice the Irony? (9) Egypt

Posted on 2013-08-15 by Andreas Moser

Egypt continues to be not only a source of bad news and sad news, but also of ironic twists and turns.

= = =

So the Egyptian military now imposed martial law. This includes a curfew in Cairo and 10 other provinces and restores the military’s right to arrest anyone and hold them in detention indefinitely. That’s bad.

But I don’t see what it changes.

It seems to me that the Egyptian military could depose a democratically elected president, arrest him, hold him at an undisclosed location and yesterday, on one day alone, kill around 500 people who had taken part in a peaceful protest camp – all without martial law.

Dear Egyptian military, if you already govern as a military junta and arrest and kill citizens at random, it doesn’t make much difference if you impose martial law on top of that.

Egypt-protester-among-dead-and-wounded

= = =

The Egyptian military has already killed more Egyptian civilians than it killed enemy soldiers in the Yom Kippur War and the Six Day War.

This is a very strange organisation to entrust with the future of the nation.

= = =

Meanwhile, across the border, in that country that most Islamists only call the “Zionist entity” or “Satan” and which they wish to destroy, the Islamist Movement held a protest outside the Egyptian Embassy in Tel Aviv. “Hold on”, you are thinking, “but that’s in Israel?”

Yes, that’s right. Even for Islamists, Israel is the safest country to carry out protests, to voice their opinion, to take part in public debates and to enjoy their basic human and citizens’ rights without fear of being shot and killed by their own military.

Dear Islamists, if even you are safer in Israel than in most Islamic countries, maybe you want to take a few minutes to rethink your hatred against the Jewish State? Maybe it’s not that bad to have this one small island of stability and democracy in the middle of this mess that the rest of the Middle East is?

Posted in Egypt, Human Rights, Islam, Israel, Law, Military, Politics | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Drone Attack

Posted on 2013-08-10 by Andreas Moser

Due to my training, I notice rather quickly when I am being watched or followed. Usually I respond by watching back, to let the watchers know that they have been uncovered and that they might as well give up and get a hot chocolate instead.

But now, since about two weeks ago, I have been having the feeling that something is following me from above. And indeed, I managed to take this photo of it:

droneIt’s a drone. It flies higher than it looks here, I took the photo using a strong zoom.

I have managed to shake it off from time to time by running into a forest or entering a large building with several exits (department stores or universities are good for that purpose). But then, when I get home, the drone is waiting for me again.

It’s so high in the sky that you can’t hear the engines, so it’s not really very annoying. I’ll get alarmed once they upgrade it to this model though.

Posted in Military, Photography | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Islam is a Country and Jews follow Jesus Christ

Posted on 2013-08-10 by Andreas Moser

The Republican Party in the USA used to have the monopoly for providing us with funny people during otherwise dry election campaigns, but now One Nation in Australia is filling the void in a year in which there is no national election in the US (and the election campaign in Germany is even more boring than when it was a one-party state).

One Nation candidate Stephanie Banister is apparently very, very, very concerned by halal food. So much that in the heat of the argument, she thinks that Islam is a country instead of a religion, she confuses haram with the Koran and she says that Jews are OK because they follow Jesus Christ. Which makes me wonder what her policies towards Jews would be if she knew that they don’t.

But in all fairness, at least she withdrew from the election after heavy criticism, unlike so many of our Republican friends who will try again in 2016.

On the subject of halal food: if you don’t like it, don’t eat it.

Posted in Islam, Politics, Religion | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

Sad Things (8) Retweet

Posted on 2013-08-10 by Andreas Moser

When finally one of your tweets gets retweeted – by someone with one follower.

retweet to 1 followerI knew I wouldn’t understand this Twitter. But you’ll find me at @AndreasMoser007.

Posted in Technology | Tagged | Leave a comment

Baltic Pride: The Arguments against Gay Equality

Posted on 2013-08-04 by Andreas Moser

The most puzzling part of the discussion about gay equality and same-sex marriage is how anyone can be opposed to this on reasonable grounds. I never understood what straight people lose when gay people are allowed to marry, for example. But then I took part in Baltic Pride 2013 in Lithuania and I had a chance to listen to the opponents’ arguments. Let’s look at the arguments against gay equality. The opponents of gay equality had months to prepare for this occasion, they were coordinated, they decided to publicly display their arguments and they knew they would end up on TV and in newspapers (and this blog), so I assume they decided to bring forth their very best, thought-through and compelling arguments.

This guy – and many others – had no problem with gay equality as such, they were just against a public march through the city. His placard says “Homo Parade No No No No”.

Baltic Pride no no no noYou might think that screaming “No No No No” is a childish substitute for a good argument, but the argument is in the symbol: many protesters were obviously concerned with the public safety of those walking in the march, as indicated by a symbol of one marcher bending down to tie his shoelaces and the person behind him bumping into him accidentally. Many protesters displayed this symbol and I am actually thankful that they warned us to look where we are walking to avoid any accidents. Thank you!

The health and safety advisors also warned us of contracting diseases while marching.

Stop AIDS Baltic PrideIt should be mentioned though that one is very unlikely to contract AIDS in a public parade, unless one asks for a blood transfusion from a fellow marcher. Oddly, the rates of AIDS infection are highest in countries that are rather homophobic, suggesting that social and medical backwardness go hand in hand.

Then there were those who were against the European Union, which probably means that they are against Lithuania receiving infrastructure funds from the EU, against Lithuanians being free to travel, work, study and live anywhere in Europe. Or maybe they are mainly annoyed by other Europeans – like me – moving to Lithuania.

against EU Baltic Pride

What this has to do with equality for all sexual orientations? I don’t know.

Other protesters however were very European, showing off their Spanish skills, their collection of colour crayons and their obsession with penises.

No pasaran Baltic prideThe poster on the left of the next photo apparently warns of the danger of overpopulation stemming from heterosexual couples, which always and automatically produce two children, always one girl and one boy. Just weird that the population of Lithuania is shrinking so fast then.

animal poster Baltic PrideThe poster on the right introduces the theme of animals, a recurring theme of the protesters. One gentleman even brought a goat.

goat Baltic Pride

As far as I understood, the farmers were concerned that gay rights activists could convince their animals to become gay and to stop reproducing, although I found it a bit illogical that the farmers would then bring their animals to watch the parade. These fears are completely unfounded though, because as long as gays and lesbians are denied basic human and civil rights and have to worry about exclusion and physical violence, they really have more important things to do than talking to animals.

These two guys were cute with their call to “defect”, as if it was a rivalry between two football clubs. I doubt it was very successful though. As the event proceeded, it seemed to me that more people defected to Baltic Pride once they saw that we equality activists are quite normal people and not the aliens that our opponents make us out to be.

Defect Baltic Pride

In Lithuania, no protest is complete without some nationalists. Why do nationalists and Nazis everywhere love red, white and black on their flags?

nationalist protesters Baltic Pride

And then there were these two girls, one of them in Vatican-approved hot pants, pretending that Lithuania was a Christian country. Apart from the fact that Lithuania was the last country in Europe to become Christian and that many non-Christians live here as well, trying to impose one’s religion on everyone else reeks of the Taliban. Also, if even the Pope is more tolerant towards homosexuals than you, then you are definitely on the wrong side of history.

Lithuania Christian Land Baltic PrideThese two guys look like they knew what they are talking about with their poster “Sodomy leads to hell”.

Sodom Baltic Pride

I wonder if the “Save the Family” guy noticed the irony of bringing a pink umbrella to protest against a gay rights event.

pink umbrella Baltic Pride

But “family values” were upheld by this father who showed his son how to be an upright, tolerant, peaceful and compassionate citizen.

father and son Baltic Pride

father and son 2 Baltic PrideYeah, that’s the kind of good traditional parenting that needs to be defended against these “homosexuals who want to indoctrinate the rest of society with their propaganda”.

By the way, it was very strange that none of these “family values” people actually showed up as a family. They were either single guys whose wives had left them, or several guys hanging out together or several women hanging out together. Or with animals as we have seen. Very suspicious.

So, did you see any convincing argument against equality for homosexuals? No, me neither.

(Zur deutschen Fassung dieses Artikels.)

Posted in Human Rights, Lithuania, Photography, Politics, Religion | Tagged , | 27 Comments

Among Gays: Baltic Pride 2013

Posted on 2013-07-29 by Andreas Moser

It’s my first time taking part in a parade promoting equality for of homo-, bi- and transsexuals, and I probably would not join events like these in my home country of Germany. Not being a fan of large crowds, the typical Christopher Street Day parades in Berlin and elsewhere aren’t my cup of tea. I find them too loud, too freaky, too camp, to use some prejudicial vocabulary. The public display of sexuality by some in these parades is something which I am rather reserved about, regardless of the particular kind or peculiarity of the sexuality.

baltic_pride_vilnius_2013_logoBut this is not what Baltic Pride, taking place in Lithuania on 27 July 2013, is about. While homosexual couples in Germany are hoping to receive the same tax benefits as heterosexual couples, while gay marriage is being introduced in France in England, Lithuania is at the same level as Russia or Senegal. As almost everywhere else in Eastern Europe, homophobia is rampant from pubs to parliament, from churches to universities, from old to young. There is no possibility to legalise or formalise same-sex partnerships. The Lithuanian parliament only deals with homosexuality in the context of laws criminalising “homosexual propaganda”. This refers to any public mentioning of homosexuality which implies that this could be a normal human behaviour.

So this is about fundamental human rights, civil rights and about equality. It is sad that in 2013 this cannot be taken for granted in a member state of the EU. But if it’s necessary to stand up for civil rights, I will of course take part.

Gediminas Avenue in the heart of Lithuania’s capital Vilnius is guarded by so many police officers, cars and horses that there can’t be a single police officer left anywhere in Lithuania. A good day for a burglary. The reason for the police presence are protests and violence which have been threatened against the parade. But the organisation both by the Lithuanian Gay League and by the police is perfect and is clearly and successfully geared towards de-escalation.

I had been afraid that I would feel a bit like at a zoo if I run through the city with a bunch of homosexuals under the sceptical stares of the rest of the population on the side of the road. At least the plan to set up a fence, which reminded me too much of a cage, was ditched at the last minute.

nationalist protesters Baltic PrideI still felt like at a zoo then, but the other way round: you might think that you’ll go to a gay parade to see extraordinary, zany and somewhat “different” people, but then you see the most absurd and outrageous people among those standing outside of the parade and vociferously protesting against it. Some of the protesters attempt to look menacing and threatening, but those of us marching in the middle of the boulevard often can’t help but laugh at the comments being thrown at us. They range from religious fanatics to nationalists, from muscle-bound bodybuilders (an environment which I had so far always associated with homosexuality) to and old man leading a goat on a rope, from EU-opponents to scatterbrains whose beliefs defy any closer definition.

Among the thousands who don’t participate in the march but who prefer to observe the spectacle from the sidewalk , those who are neutrally curious are in the majority. Many also visibly express their support by waving, clapping, thumbs up. I dare to make the prognosis that many more people will march in the next Baltic Pride.

Some eggs are being thrown at us. If protesters throw eggs at their fellow citizens while they are being filmed and with police officers standing in front of them, one can easily imagine how these radicals would deal with (suspected) homosexuals when they encounter them at night in a constellation of many against one.

The more I speak to the fellow Baltic Pride marchers and the more those on the side of the road are trying to take me into collective liability for everything from AIDS to child abuse with their screams, the more I realise that I, as a strictly heterosexual man, feel more comfortable here than in the rest of society. Because there you can never be sure behind which face lurks a homophobic zealot, a bigoted idiot or someone despising human rights.

Stuart Milk Baltic PrideThe closing event of Baltic Pride takes place at Lukiškės Square, which until 1991 was Lenin Square. Lenin is gone. That’s not the only reason why the wind of change and the hope for a better future blow across the leafy square in the bright sunlight. Stuart Milk gives a rousing speech. He is the nephew of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay politician in the USA, whose family coincidentally came from Lithuania and who was assassinated in 1978. Stuart Milk only got eggs thrown at him today, which is a progress of some kind, I suppose.

When the congregation dissolves, one of the organisers walks up to me, points out the protesters which are still loitering around the square and suggests that I remove the rainbow flag from my jacket which would identify me as one of the participants of Baltic Pride to ensure a safe passage to my home. “Yes, I thought so,” I agree with resignation. What must it be like if your worry is not only getting accosted for your convictions once a year, but if you have to be afraid every day that you might get insulted or beaten up because of your identity?

(There is another article about the protesters against Baltic Pride. Diesen Artikel gibt es auch auf Deutsch.)

Posted in Human Rights, Lithuania, Politics, Travel | Tagged , | 17 Comments