Zur deutschen Fassung dieses Aufrufs.
As you have noticed, I enjoy writing. But these lines are not easy to type. I have to ask for your support.
Operating this blog does cost a bit of money. Not too much. Even the research trips are rarely expensive, as I am the expert for affordable travel, staying at places for free, and I have just discovered hitchhiking. Which is probably one reason why you are reading my blog instead of the many (boring) luxury travel blogs. But sometimes, even I have to pay for a train or a museum ticket, or give a cigar to the shepherd in the mountains to get him to talk. And then there are all the books that I need to read in preparation of my journeys!
I hope that I am providing education, entertainment and food for thought with my blog. That I introduce you to other cultures and to countries that haven’t been on your radar. And, most importantly, that I motivate you and show you that it doesn’t have to cost much to experience adventure.
Just as you pay for newspapers, magazines, books and movies, this roving reporter would be delighted if his work received a little bit of appreciation. But probably, the motivating factor is even more important. If I know that there are readers who value the work I put into an article, which can mean several days and nights glued to the desk, then I can finally tackle all the notebooks I have brought home from Sicily, Transnistria, Brazil and elsewhere.
For a while, I had placed advertisements on the blog, which covered some of the expenses. But I found them ugly and annoying. So did you, I suppose. This blog wants to be more qualitative than most pages on the internet, and it should look its part.
Instead, I try to overcome the trepidation and suggest a donation, either one-time or regularly, but of course only as long as you are enjoying the blog. There are several websites and possibilities to do this, which I will describe herein. Some of these websites offer different tiers of donations, with different gimmicks provided in return. Some authors offer special articles only for paying readers, but I don’t want to exclude anyone. Those who have nothing should still be able to read. And from corresponding with readers, I have learned that most of you don’t even want personal postcards or other intimacies, but that you simply want me to write more articles.
For one, there is Paypal, where you can send a donation through this link. Or you click on the button and will be led to the Paypal website.
As far as I know, you can also set up a monthly contribution on Paypal. Which you can of course terminate at any time!
And then, as I am an old-fashioned guy, there is a simple bank account.
IBAN: DE84 7603 0080 0240 5354 07
BIC: CSDBDE71XXX
Account holder: Andreas Moser
I am also very thankful for books from my wishlist, including used books, by the way. After reading, I donate them to the public library.
But now, to leave that dreary financial topic, what I am really most excited about is your feedback! About your comments and e-mails, your suggestions and criticism. Sometimes, I would simply like to know if you are actually more interested in hikes or in train travel. Whether you prefer to read about 20th century history or about my personal experiences. Is it better to write short and more often or do you prefer two well-researched articles per month?
And if you did enjoy an article, maybe post it on Facebook or Twitter. Or annoy your friends with it.
Thank you very much!
The Happy Hermit 
Have a beer & a cigar on me for your Birthday… I sent a paypal.
I like all your posts! If you like what you’re writing about it will be more interesting to the reader. Your enthusiasm will show in your writing. Write what you like!
Pictures are good for us vicarious travelers.
Oh, thank you very, very much, Angie!
I’ll try to carefully weave the history in between the photos of landscape and castles, to not make it appear like a lecture. Especially as I am in no position to lecture, really, as I am just reading about King Ludwig II myself in preparation for the hike.
Hello. My fiance has a son in Germany. His ex German girlfriend left the USA when she was six months pregnant with the child. It has been 4-5 years now. We just got a letter in the mail he had to do a DNA testing it came back as his child. He now has to do a court hearing about the child. He knows nothing about the child because he has no contact with the mother. He is wanting to sign his parental rights away. Because he does not believe in paying child support for a child he has never seen or meet. Can do that? Please we need help and we don’t know where else to turn too.
Hello Mariah,
you have found the right place for all your questions!
If you prefer to keep the questions and answers private, please send me an e-mail to moser@moser-law.com. And as you have read above, I would appreciate a donation to keep this blog going. For initial legal advice, I would ask for something between 50 and 100 $ or an annual subscription to my Patreon.
Thank you very much already!
Hello Andreas,
I was born and raised in Germany – hence, I have two German parents, grandparents, etc. I left Germany at age 30 and moved to the US due to marriage to a US citizen. I became a US citizen in 1998, before the “Beibehaltigungserklärung” became an option. I have worked in Germany probably about 12 years of my life and contributed to the Social Security insurance.
I am seriously debating on moving back to Germany permanently because I have an elderly parent (89) and elderly aunt (94). There are no other relatives that could assist the two.
I have a professional degree in Social Work and still speak, read and write German fluent. Do you believe that I have sufficient enough cause to show to re-integrate back to Germany?
Hallo Christiane,
ich habe noch ein paar Fragen:
– Würdest du zuerst mal nur nach Deutschland ziehen wollen?
– Oder hättest du auch wieder gerne die deutsche Staatsbürgerschaft?
– Wenn ja, würdest du die US-amerikanische Staatsbürgerschaft gerne behalten, wenn möglich? (Das ist der komplizierteste Teil.)
– Würde dein US-amerikanischer Mann mit nach Deutschland ziehen?
– Habt Ihr Kinder?
– Hättest du in Deutschland einen Platz zum Wohnen?
Du kannst mir auch gerne direkt e-mailen: moser@moser-law.com
Hallo Andreas,
Danke für Deine schnelle Rückantwort :-). LOL, Ich gehöre übrigens schon zu einem etwas älterem Eisen. Mein Sohn ist set vielen Jahren erwachsen und hat eine eigene Familie. Die älteste meiner 3 Enkelkinder lebt bei uns, ist aber auch schon fast 17 Jahre alt. Wir wollten daher warten bis sie mit 18 mit der High School fertig ist und dann aufs College geht.
Wir planen ca. 2022 wieder zurück nach Deutschland, Berlin zu ziehen und ja, mein Mann würde mit mir mitkommen, aber wird dann wahrscheinlich seine Rente antreten. (Mein Mann ist Professor an der Universität von Michigan)
Wenn möglich würde ich schon gerne noch einige Jahre in meinem Beruf arbeiten.
Ich bin mir noch nicht sicher ob ich die Deutsche Staatsbürgerschaft wiederhaben möchte. Es käme darauf an ob ich, wir, irgendwelche größeren Nachteile ziehen würden wenn wir nur unbefristeten Aufenthalt in Deutschland hätten.
Dadurch daß ich einen Sohn und Enkelkinder in den USA habe, kann ich mich noch nicht so richtig entscheiden.
Im Notfall könnte mein Mann ja seine US Staatsangehörigkeit behalten was mir wahrscheinlich immer Zuzug in die USA garantieren würde. * selbst wenn ich kaum glaube daß wir jemals nochmal dort zurückziehen würden.
Nein, zur Zeit haben wir noch keine Aussicht auf eine Wohnung oder Haus. Wir würden zum gegebenen Zeitpunkt unser Haus in den USA verkaufen und dann in Berlin und/oder Umgebung ein Haus oder Wohnung kaufen.
Hallo Christiane,
ich hoffe, ich kann trotzdem beim Du bleiben. Ich bin ja selbst auch schon mittelalt. :-)
Ich widme mich gerne all deinen Fragen im Detail, aber es wäre schön, eine kleine Spende zu erhalten, die diesen hoffentlich hilfreichen Blog am Leben erhält.
Vielen Dank schon mal!
How can I contact you privately
Thanks for providing a window into the form of world citizenship you have discovered.
A brief question on behalf of my son, now 31. (And should this come to anything, of course we would pay for advice on what to do.)
His grandfather, my ex-wife’s father, was a German Jew whose citizenship was revoked. He fled illegally to the US, where he joined the US Army and became a US citizen, returning permanently to Germany after the war. My wife was born in Zurich, as an American citizen.
Is my son enough of a ‘descendent’ to qualify for German citizenship? (BTW he is largely fluent in German.) If so, could he hold US and German citizenship concurrently?
Thanks.
Hello Don,
thank you very much for your comment and question.
Your son may indeed qualify for German citizenship by way of restitution, in which case he can hold both citizenships.
To say for sure, I’d like to know if his grandfather already received his German citizenship back when he settled in Germany post WW-2 (this was usually the case automatically, Art. 116 II 2 GG).
And then I’d like to look into the exact timeline: When was your ex-wife born, when and where was your son born?
Please feel free to e-mail me with the details, although I wouldn’t hurry. Because at the moment, there is a bill in German Parliament which will make it easier for descendants of German Jews to get re-naturalized. I expect it to be passed this summer, but of course I am not sure.
Because there is no deadline on the application as of now, there is no harm in waiting for another few months.
Thanks for your prompt reply.
I’ll gladly answer these questions. But doing so puts us into possibly identifiable information. Is there a private email I should use instead?
Best regards, d
Oh yes, of course: moser@moser-law.com
You posted your version of FAQ’s on German Citizenship roughly eight years ago. One question almost answered mine. If you have time and wish to, I have a question. Both my older brother and I were born in Munich Germany with Dual citizenship. My dad was in the U.S. Army stationed in Bad Aibling. Upon leaving Germany, the U.S Consulate was advising parents to revoke their children’s German citizenship. My parents did that. Are there benefits at my age (54) or for my children in having dual citizenship? I have all my birth certificates in German and English. I do not see where they were canceled. It is a question that has been with me since high school. What do you think?
Hello Claudette,
while the original version of these FAQ was posted a long time ago, I have since updated them and linked to more recent articles. So they are usually quite up to date, at least for the majority of cases.
I am so angry at the US Consulate’s recommendation at the time. There was really never any drawback of having both citizenships, with the one exception for young men when Germany had the draft. (But depending on when and if and for how long your brother wanted to return to Germany, that wouldn’t have causes any issues. And for women, it was never an issue anyway.)
The main benefits of having dual citizenship is that you (or your children if they qualify) would have the right to live, work, study, retire in all 27 EU member states without any need for a residence permit. And you would get to vote in Germany, even if you don’t live here.
Another advantage relates to international travel. With a German passport, you can travel to more countries than with a US passport, or under easier conditions (for example no visa fee for Brazil and Bolivia, or individual travel in Iran vs. tour-guide obligation). Also, in my travel experience, you generally get less hassled at borders with a German passport, especially in the Middle East and South America. And for countries where the US passport is more useful (Canada), you can still use that.
Fun good shit, really good insight xxx
See you on the other side boi
My husband’s daughter traveled on airplane from Germany to the U.S.A. We live in Texas. He is active duty military, and his daughter is 14 years old. She told her mom she wanted to stay, and her mom refused and said no, she was not allowed as must return back. What can we do to help her stay here since she does not want to return? She would like to visit Germany as she still has family over there but would like to attend school here and experience life here. Any advice?
Addition: She has dual citizenship. So transferring would not be an issue. Medical care would not be an issue either.
Okay, this is a serious issue which needs to be addressed before the scheduled return flight.
Otherwise the mother can start a proceeding because of illegal child retention under the Hague Convention.
I suggest that you send me an e-mail and we talk about this ASAP.
Hi
I was born in Germany and my parents didn’t have a resident permanent visa they lived In Germany 10years , they have deported our whole family in 2004 and I came back in 2017 and studied and applied for refugee again and got my Niederlassung für 5years i wanted to know weather I can try to whole my family back and my brothers also have born here is it possible to get them all back here ?
I always wonder about the thought process of people who find the page on how to support this blog, and then pose a question – on exactly that page – without sending a donation.
hallo iam joe my ex refused to tell me she is pregnant and even after birth she says the baby died i fear she will give her to another man and i will never see her. What can i do her roommate sent me a video thats how i know but she denies, i need help
Hello Joe,
I replied to your e-mail, because this is (1) something rather personal and (2) so complicated that I need to charge my full consultation fee of 400 EUR.
Andreas,
I came across your blog via an article on TheLocal that was shared on Reddit. As a dual citizen, currently assisting my wife in obtaining German citizenship, I have extensive experience with German authorities regarding integration and enjoy sharing my insights with fellow Redditors seeking advice. While I also have a legal background, I must admit I’m currently navigating the corporate world for a living.
Your blog resonates with me quite a bit as I share a love for reading, traveling, and law. Although you’ve traveled to 16 more countries than I have (I’ve been to 50 and lived in 5). We’re around the same age.
I’ve sent you a copy of Charles C. Mann’s “The Wizard and the Prophet” as a small token of support for your blog. It’s been on my reading list since I enjoyed “1493” and “1491”. Expect it to arrive by the end of the month. I’d love to hear your thoughts on it!
I’ll be dropping by your blog now and then, and if our travel plans ever align, I’d enjoy having a chat. Keep up the excellent work, and may you continue to find joy in what you do. I aspire to do the same.
-René
Hello René,
thank you very much for reaching out to me and for the book present! I was absolutely excited by “1491” and especially by “1493”, so I am very much looking forward to “The Wizard and the Prophet”.
As to the number of countries visited, it’s a silly contest anyway. In some of them, I have only been for less than a day, so I don’t really know anything about them.
And for someone living in Europe, it’s much easier to accumulate a considerable number of countries by just stepping out of one’s door. If I travel from Germany to Turkey, for example, I can already stop in 10 countries on the way. That’s pretty hard to do for someone from Australia or North America.
Sadly, in recent years I haven’t had enough time to write my articles in German and in English, so most of the travel/history articles can now only be found on my German blog.
My travel plans for 2024 mostly consist of the silly project to find the center of Europe, and I will definitely continue publishing those in English, too. I have just been to Cölbe in Hessen last week, and am keeping the end of May free for another trip. I will decide pretty spontaneously which of the many points I will visit then.