German Citizenship by Descent
If one of your parents was a German citizen at the time of your birth, you may qualify for citizenship by descent. Also, if you have a grandparent or great-grandparent that lost or was denied citizenship due to Nazi persecution, or was either unable to acquire German citizenship by birth due to previous gender-discriminatory provisions in the citizenship law or lost their German citizenship acquired by birth, you may be able to claim citizenship by descent through them.
To apply for German citizenship by descent, procure the required records for your application, proving the transmission of German citizenship between you and your German ancestor. Complete the application form and submit all documents to the Bundesverwaltungsamt (BVA, Federal Office of Administration) directly or through your local German consulate.
Documents for a German citizenship application include your own identity documents and those of your parents and any ancestors you are claiming citizenship through. These include birth and marriage records, certified and translated into German, where applicable. Depending on the type of application, further documentation may be required.
In most cases, you cannot claim German citizenship by descent from great-great-grandparents. However, there have been recent amendments to the law that allow for victims of Nazi persecution and their descendants to become naturalized German citizens.
On August 20th 2021, the Fourth Act amending the German Nationality Law created a 10 year time limit for children born after May 23, 1949 to a German parent who were excluded from acquiring German citizenship in a gender-discriminating manner to now claim their German citizenship by “declaration”. This declaration also applies to the descendants of those eligible.
German citizenship is passed down jus sanguinis or “right of blood”, meaning from the nationality of the parent at the time of the birth and not from where the child is born. Therefore, if you are born in Germany, you are not automatically a German citizen.
After you have compiled the necessary documents and completed and submitted the application, the processing time can range between 2-3 years.
There is no fee required to submit a German citizenship by descent application.
To apply for German citizenship by descent, you are not required to speak German, as you are claiming a birthright citizenship that was passed through your German bloodline. However, the application form will need to be completed in German and foreign-language documents translated into German.
To get a passport, you must first be a registered German citizen. Then you can apply for a passport at your local German consulate, which will have a 10 year validity.
Yes, Germany now permits dual citizenship, so you can apply for German citizenship without losing your existing citizenship.
With Germany being a member of the European Union, German citizenship grants you the right to live, work, and study in all 27 EU countries and visa-free travel to 192 countries. You are also able to pass down your German citizenship to future generations!
