u/Practical-Shift352

Edit for clarity: we are seeking citizenship for my husband (not me).

Here’s the quick summary: my husband’s father emigrated from Germany to the U.S. in 1957. He married my husband’s mother, a US citizen, in 1971, and my husband was born in 1973 in the U.S.

My husband’s father never naturalized and died in 2002 in the U.S. At some point after his death, my husband’s mother destroyed all of his German ID documents as well as his U.S. green card, thinking they’d never be needed. <sigh>

As far as I can tell, this should be a simple direct-to-passport case — with the twist of figuring out how to corroborate my husband’s father’s German citizenship since his ID docs were destroyed. Is this the case?

I’ve already requested copies of his certified German birth certificate from the local standesmandt and have submitted a USCIS non-existence request. What other docs do we need to prove that my husband’s father was a German citizen and where would I apply for them?

Finally, I’ve seen posts in the past suggesting there are folks in this sub who are pros at this and are potentially for hire. I’m curious who’s out there and available vs going the lawyer and/or Polaron-type company route.