Hi everyone,
I’m a foreigner living in Germany since 2017, but my family has German roots, and I’d love some help figuring out if I qualify for citizenship without going through Einbürgerung. Here’s my situation:
Great-grandfather: Born in Blankenloch, Baden between 1902–1904.
Emigration: Moved to South America between 1919–1921, married, and had a daughter (my grandmother).
Naturalization: He later acquired foreign citizenship (likely in the 1970s) when my dad was around 12 years old (dad born in 1961), probably to access a pension.
Me: Born in the 1990s.
I always assumed I wasn’t eligible because my grandmother was the link in the chain (female line), but I’ve seen posts here about people successfully claiming citizenship under StAG §5 (gender discrimination provisions). My family back home still thinks it’s impossible bcuse our local lawyers say we’d need to prove my great-grandfather disembarked in South America to confirm his identity, which sounds… unnecessary? They scrambled to thousand of disembark archives from 1919-1921 and didn't find him and said we can't claim citizenship. I still have contact with the German family he left behind, visited them, and believe I can obtain his birth certificate from Blankenloch and my grandma is still alive.
Questions:
How realistic is my case? Does the female line + naturalization after 1970s rule me out, or could StAG §5 apply?
Is the disembarkation proof really a requirement, or is that a red herring?
Where can I find a reliable lawyer specializing in German citizenship by descent? (Preferably one with experience in StAG §5 cases.)
Thanks in advance for any insights or shared experiences!