German Citizenship by Descent: the First Steps

Like many other countries in Europe, Germany’s citizenship laws are based on jus sanguinis.

You may therefore claim German citizenship by descent if one of your ancestors was a German citizen at the time of the next descendant’s birth, and that descendant retained the right to receive and pass on citizenship to the next generation.

However, there are multiple paths through which you can apply to obtain German dual citizenship. The most common are under the Staatsangehörigkeitsgesetz (StAG) paragraphs §4 and §5.

Germany does not have a generational limit. Consequently, you can apply not only if you are the child or grandchild of a German citizen, but also as a more distant descendant.

There is, however, a very important cutoff date that you need to consider.

The first German citizenship laws and regulations (Reichs- und Staatsangehörigkeitsgesetz, also called RuStAG) were enacted on July 22, 1913, and came into force on January 1, 1914. Before RuStAG, German citizenship was lost if a person had resided abroad for more than 10 years.

For this reason, aside from very specific cases, you may be able to apply for German citizenship through an ancestor only if they emigrated from Germany after January 1, 1904.

Other limits in applying for citizenship can involve a woman being part of the German line, or an adoption.

Before determining whether you qualify for German citizenship, there is some basic information you would need to gather, such as:

• Dates and places of birth of each person in your German line
• Whether your ancestors were married, and details on those events
• Whether anyone acquired a citizenship different from the one they were born with (for example, if your German ancestor acquired US citizenship or another nationality during their lifetime)

If you are missing any information, we would be happy to assist you. We offer a free, in-depth preliminary assessment to help retrieve all the details you need. This assessment will also help determine the best path for you to claim German citizenship.

Because there are many factors to consider throughout this process, you may have questions about how to apply. If you need any assistance with your application, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@germancitizenshipassistance.com or via our contact form below. We would be glad to help you in this exciting journey.