r/GermanCitizenship

Hi everyone,

I’m trying to understand how strong my father’s StAG §5 declaration case is.

My father was born in Germany in March 1961. His mother was German, born to German parents, and his father was foreign. Because he was born before 1975 to a German mother and foreign father, we understand that this is the type of case StAG §5 was meant to cover.

His mother passed away in 1967 in a foreign country, when he was still very young. Because of that, we did not have her original German passport.

My father submitted his StAG §5 declaration and received a BVA file/reference number in March 2024. The application included:

• My father’s German birth certificate / birth extract
• My father’s foreign/French birth extract
• My father’s baptism certificate
• My grandmother’s birth certificate / birth extract
• My grandmother’s death certificate
• My grandfather’s birth certificate / birth extract
• My German great-grandmother’s birth certificate / birth extract
• My German great-grandfather’s birth certificate / birth extract
• Wedding marriage of my grand parents

The main missing item was originally my grandmother’s German passport.

However, after further research, I recently received a response from the Political Archive of the German Federal Foreign Office. They sent me a scan from a passport register of the German Embassy in Tunis. The record relates to my grandmother and shows that her German passport was issued on 27 March 1961 and later renewed/extended in March 1966. The archive response also gives the archive reference/signature for the passport register.

My father was born on 23 March 1961, only a few days before the passport issue date shown in the register.

This document has now been submitted to the BVA as additional evidence that his mother was a German citizen around the time of his birth.

My questions are:

1. Does this now sound like a strong StAG §5 case?
2. Is a German Embassy passport-register entry usually accepted as strong proof of German citizenship if the original passport is missing?
3. Could the fact that the passport was issued a few days after my father’s birth still be an issue, or would it normally support that she was already German at the time?
4. Is there anything else the BVA might still ask for?
5. Has anyone had a similar StAG §5 case approved using archive/passport-register evidence instead of the original passport?

I know nobody can guarantee the result, but I’d appreciate opinions from people with experience in StAG §5 / BVA citizenship cases.

Thanks in advance.

Hi everyone,

I wanted to ask for your opinion regarding my mother’s citizenship application process (Einbürgerung).
The application was submitted in May 2024, and we received the AZ number from August 2024.

We recently sent additional documents to the BVA showing that her brother is a German citizen living in Nürnberg. We also attached:

a copy of his German passport,
and extracts from the German Familienbuch / Standesamt documents.

Additionally, he received German citizenship through his mother.
Do you think these additional family documents and proof of close German family ties could help speed up the process or positively influence the case?
Would really appreciate hearing from people with similar experiences.

Thanks a lot!

Because I was looking for answer to similar questions when I applied for my citizenship, I am sharing my experience here. I hope it helps someone going through the process.

City: Kaiserslautern

My timeline:

I put in the application in mid-December 2025.

The list of documents is all available online but for people that did their Sprachkurs at the university and have a certificate from any other institute at their university, be careful, the Ausländerbehörde only accepts certificate from Goethe, VHS, Telc (I might be missing the other ones, do check!). Apart from it, english birth certificates do not work, do get them translated to German.

I got the letter to come and collect my Einbürgerungsurkunde by first week of May 2026.

This came as a surprise because I heard that it usually takes a lot longer.

During the appointment, it was very calm and relaxed. I signed a declaration of loyalty. It is basically is a page with few foundational values like democracy, equality, anti-semetism and responsibility towards particular group of people.

Once I read through it and signed it , we had a conversation about this. For people with not so fluent german, do not worry, this is not an exam, it is just a conversation. They will guide you through it. They asked questions about the same page like :

What does democracy mean to you?
What does social state mean to you?
How are men and women treated by the law?
What is Meinungsfreiheit to you?
What is Racism to you?
How would you handle conflicts in your daily life in public?

After the conversation, they made me read the oath. Again, it is nothing someone with B1 German cannot read or understand.

Then I signed a document saying that I received the Urkunde.

One thing that I did not see anyone sharing is that they took my Aufenthaltstitel before handing over the Einbürgerungsurkunde.

And that was it, they gave the Urkunde and asked me to go to the Bürgeramt for Ausweis and Reisepass application.

I would suggest booking the slot at the Bürgeramt in advance so that you don't have to walk around without an Ausweis. I have a photo of my Einbürgerungsurkunde but would feel more comfortable with an Ausweis.

Hey every body!

I did an Ausbilduns as a Nurse in Germany and I finished it last month, I heard if I worked and paied taxes for 3 years during ausbildung they count just half of it, is that actually true? Since 3 Years I am in Germany and love this country I have German flag in my house. I speak C1 German and I got B2 ÖSD certificate when I was in my homeland. I just wanted to ask you guys what should I do next because I should change my Visa ( Fixtionbeacheinigung) i appreciate you guys if you read and answer my question.

Hey everyone,
I’m looking for advice/experiences regarding my naturalization case at Stadt Hannover (Landeshauptstadt, not Region).

📋 My Profile:
• 🟢 Iraqi national, recognized refugee (GFK)
• 🟢 Living in Germany since October 2015 (~10 years)
• 🟢 Permanent residence permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis) since August 2024
• 🟢 Hauptschulabschluss (obtained in Germany) as proof of language/integration
• 🟢 Integrationskurs + Leben in Deutschland certificate
• 🟢 Currently in Ausbildung (Anlagenmechaniker SHK, until Jan 2027)
• 🟢 Clean criminal record
• 🟢 No dual citizenship issue (as recognized refugee, I can keep Iraqi nationality)

📅 Full Timeline:
• July 2024 – Submitted all documents to the Einbürgerungsbehörde
• Oct 2024 – Followed up → Reply: “We’re processing, average time ~12 months, please be patient”
• March 2025 – Sent updated residence permit (upgraded to Niederlassungserlaubnis)
• Aug 2025 → March 2026 – Sent 4 follow-up messages → complete silence ❌
• 9 April 2026 – A new case worker contacted me out of the blue, requested proof of employment and income
• 9 April 2026 (14:30) – Submitted all documents immediately + asked how long Behördenanfragen would take
• 14 April 2026 – Sent Sachstand inquiry via Kontaktformular
• Today (21 May 2026) – Still no reply to either message ❌

❓ My Questions:
Their last email said: “Es stehen noch Antworten auf unsere Behördenanfragen an” — how long does this typically take at Stadt Hannover specifically?
Has anyone experienced a case worker change mid-process? Did it cause major delays?
It’s been 22 months total — at what point does Untätigkeitsklage become a real option?
Any similar experiences with the Einbürgerungsbehörde Stadt Hannover?

🙏 Any input is appreciated — especially from people who went through Stadt Hannover (not Region)!

Hi everyone,

I'm trying to figure out our eligibility under Section 15 StAG, specifically Sentence 1, No. 2, and wanted to see if anyone here has successfully processed a similar case.

Here are the details:

My grandfather was born in Lodz, Poland in 1930. He and his family were Polish Jews. When WWII started, Lodz was directly annexed into the German Reich (as part of the Warthegau). They were forced into the Lodz Ghetto and survived the Holocaust.

We have really good documentation: proof of residence in Lodz, ghetto records, and we actually have a German compensation case file (Wiedergutmachungsakte) from after the war.

My understanding is that since Lodz was annexed, people living there were subject to collective naturalization, but Jews were obviously excluded based on race. This should theoretically put him right under Section 15, No. 2.

The thing is, I’ve seen some confusing comments online. Some people claim that because he was ethnically Polish/Jewish and not ethnically German (Volksdeutsche), Section 15 No. 2 doesn't apply to him. But from what I read about the BVA guidelines, that requirement for German ethnicity was dropped for people from the annexed territories who were excluded due to persecution.

Has anyone here with a similar background (Polish Jews from the Warthegau / Lodz area) actually gotten their citizenship approved under this specific sub-section? Also, did having an existing Wiedergutmachung file help speed things up with the BVA?

Would love to hear about your experiences or timelines. Thanks!

I just received that coveted email a few minutes ago. My application has been approved and my certificate is ready for pickup/delivery.

I'm almost in tears. It's been a long, long road, but we're finally here. Thank you to everyone on this thread who made this process even possible.

Hi,

I've read lots of posts and thought I had a handle on the rules for German citizenship under StAG 5, and thought my kids could go "direct to passport." But I just got a call from the German embassy in Washington following up to my email telling me my two kids can't go "direct to passport" and they need to go through the standard application process through their respective consulates to the Bundesverwaltungsamt (BVA).

Background: I was born in the US 1968 to a German mom married to my US father. My mom is still a German citizen and has US Permanent Resident card. I applied for my German citizenship via the Staatsangehörigkeit durch Erklärung process, received my citizenship certificate in 2024, and my Reisepass in 2025.

I thought that since the new laws corrected the previous discriminatory laws, that I was in essence a German citizen since birth. Which meant that my kids were also citizens at their birth (1997 and 1998). Please help me understand what I am misinterpreting?

Vielen Dank!

I'll start with everything I know so far (I have every birth certificate and marriage certificate listed below):

Great-grandfather

- Born in 1915 in Argentina

- Married in 1942

Grandfather

- Born in 1943 in Argentina

- Married in 1970

Father

- Born in 1973 in Argentina

- Married after my birth, and then divorced

self

- Born in 1995 in Argentina

The main problems are my great-great-grandfather, which I don't know who it is. Here's the data:

- The father in my great-grandfather's birth certificate is listed as "Andrés Macht". I also have the names of his father and his mother (no ID number), but I don't know if that's useful.

- Andrés Macht is written there as "russian, married"

- Andrés Macht is written as 29 years old at the moment of my great-grandfather's birth, so I've calculated that he was born in 1885 or 1886

Based on this, my ancestors are russian. But here's what troubling me:

- The crucial thing that I don't understand is this: up until my father, **all of them spoke german**. I've heard stories all of my life about how their family gatherings and holidays were in german, not spanish. My grandmother (italian descendant) used to sing me german songs as a baby, and told me she learned those from my grandfather (he died before I was born). The family tradition of speaking german stopped with my father and aunt (one generation above me). If this "Andrés Macht" came from Russia, why did his family for many generations keep a german speaking tradition?

- There are Argentina's ship records for immigrants from 1882 to 1937. There's no "Andrés Macht". There are only two russian "Macht" but the dates of arrival and their birth years don't make sense to my situation, so there's no way they are my ancestors. This doesn't mean anything, because "Andrés Macht" could have just come to my country without registering.

- However, in these records, there is one german "Andreas Macht". He arrived in 1910 as a 25 year old, which means he was born either in 1884 or 1885. If it was 1885, it's the one that could be the father of my great-grandfather.

- My father told me that, when he was a kid, he saw a photo album or some kind of family book, where he remembers that the original immigrant to our country was "a military russian or german guy called Andreas Macht". I've traveled and visited a lot of family members, nobody know what this book is. I should note that all my family, until me, lived in a very remote rural area, and all of them grew up pretty poor. The professions of my grandfather, great-grandfather and "Andrés Macht" are listed as "laborer". Why would a military russian/german guy move to Argentina to become a laborer?

The story that I (want to) believe happened is this:

- "Andreas Macht" was born 1885, in a place where today is East Germany, or West Russia, or something in between. He arrived in Argentina in 1910, at 25 years old, registering himself as "german". At some point, he started calling himself "Andrés" because "Andreas" sounds feminine in spanish (Andrea is a female name in spanish). He got married some time between 1910 and 1915, and later had his first child (my great-grandfather) in 1915. Why did he put himself as russian instead of german in my great-grandfather's birth? I don't know. He must not have spoken very good spanish, so the person that wrote the birth certificate must have understood russian, instead of german?

I know I don't have a lot of possibilities. After a lot of time and money, today I managed to finally dig local records and get my great-grandfather's birth certificate. My heart sank when I saw his father was "russian". All my life I thought my lastname "Macht" was german.

I'm moving to Germany in October with a working holiday visa anyway, and I think I need to figure out another path to citizenship. This post, hoping smarter people than me could help, is my last attempt at this. At least I want to know I did everything I could, and there was nothing else that could be done to get citizenship via this way.

My questions are:

- My father got married after I was born, is that a potential problem?

- How or what or where would I go to find more concrete information on this "Andrés Macht" or "Andreas Macht"? I have the ship record, his father's and mother's name and the approximate year of birth. Nothing else, unfortunately.

- Even if I really came from russians, not german, could anyone help me make sense of the german speaking tradition if they were really russian?

Thank you if anyone read this.

I am married to a German guy and i’m not German…after how many years can i apply for citizenship please? We have been married for more than a year
Thank you 🙏🏼

( here ) I recently posted a question about the clarity of the Stag 15's scope; this is a follow-up to that post

I wanted to share with you how my research is progressing.

*1935**, my great-grandparents and grandmother (an only child) were expelled from their homeland for being ethnic Germans.

*1937**: My great-grandfather (Karl) was taken away/exiled; to this day, there is no news of his whereabouts. (Great Terror)
His son, my grandfather (Bernhard), had to flee/hide to avoid suffering the same fate as his father.
At that point, Bernhard became a Soviet defector.

*1940** to **1943**: The family was resettled under the “Heim ins Reich” program.

*August **1943** to **January 10, 1944**: With the Soviet advance on Pervomaisk, (Bernhard) was conscripted for two months as a Schutzmannkraft (rural auxiliary police officer); on January 10, 1944, he was drafted into the Wehrmacht as a civilian transporter using his wagons (long track) bound for Austria.

*February 2, 1944**: They arrived in Eferding as refugees.

*June 1944**: They appeared before the EWZ commission, where their German naturalization was suspended/postponed due to a mishap and because his Ukrainian wife (Maria) spoke little or no German.
Evaluators’ notes: We do not expect the family to assimilate quickly into German culture.

*Jan. 1945**: A son is born in Eferding

*May 13, 1945**: Five days after the surrender, they are “liberated”

*1946**: They remain in Austria; the family integrates into the postwar Austrian community. My grandfather was a mechanic.

*Jan. 1948**: The family was classified as displaced persons (DP) by the IRO.

*Jan. 1949**: Resettled by the IRO as displaced persons in Brazil.

*2001**: Bernhard died while still holding stateless status.

*2006**: Maria also died as a stateless person.

So, here’s an update on my family history. I’m just waiting for the original documents from the German Bundesarchiv so I can finally submit the Stag 15 application.
Feel free to ask questions or help me understand this better.
Constructive criticism and suggestions are welcome.

*This reconstruction has been a rather complicated task; the German archives are overwhelmed, and European data protection laws are very restrictive. I was able to obtain much of the documentation from the NARA archives and Arolsen, and I have some personal records that my grandparents brought with them from Austria.*

Is it true that for German citizenship (Einbürgerung), I must have been paying taxes in Germany for at least 3 years? I have already lived in Germany for 8 years, but not all of those years included working and paying taxes. Could this prevent me from getting citizenship? I am in Cologne

Hey everyone,

I'm eligible for naturalization and currently living in a city with an notoriously slow Einbürgerungsbehörde (Munich, 18+ months officially). I can move anywhere in Germany.

I've been looking into whether moving to a city with a faster processing time before applying would actually work in practice.

For anyone who has done this or knows someone who has:

• Did it work? Did the new Behörde process your application within their advertised timeframe?
• Is there a minimum time you need to be registered (angemeldet) at your new address before they accept your application?
• Did the Behörde ever question why you recently moved, or was it a non-issue?
• Any unexpected complications you ran into?

I meet all the standard requirements so the case itself is straightforward, the only bottleneck is the queue. Just trying to figure out if this is a realistic strategy or if there's a catch I'm missing.

Any experience or advice is appreciated!

Hey guys,

So last year January I got my letter that my Einbürgerungsprozess will begin in 14 months. Now I’ve read more and more stories of how long it actually takes. The passport is really important for me, because otherwise I can’t begin my real job in a military base. 2 emails were completely ignored that I’ve sent, so now I am thinking of a “Untätigkeitsklage“.

Did someone sue RP Darmstadt not long ago and was it successful ? How long did it take after sueing them and how much did it cost ?

Thanks in advance

This is an update to my last post which has the details and timeline of my application process. I am now officially a German citizen!

The naturalization appointment was super fast. I was in and out in 10 minutes. I handed over the requested original documents and while the Sachbearbeiterin made copies of them, I read and signed a few last papers. I was asked to read a few specific sentences aloud, and then we both stood up for her to hand me my Urkunde (I teared up a little!).

She shared three additional things with me after that:

• First, she said that this is the only copy of the certificate that I will receive, so to take care of it. If it is lost somewhere, they will provide a confirmation that you are a citizen but no replacement certificate.
• Second, there was a discrepancy with the way my place of birth was listed on my birth certificate and passport. I got an extra document so I can clear up the discrepancy for the creation of any further documents (passport etc).
• Third, I was asked if I'd like to be invited to a naturalization celebration at the Rathaus (I am in Hamburg). I said yes, and she said I'd receive an invitation about two weeks in advance and that I am allowed to bring one guest.

In Hamburg they constantly release last minute appointments for things like IDs and passports, so I had kept an eye out over the last couple days and was able to apply for them just a few hours after my naturalization appointment (in another part of town). That went smoothly as well. The Sachbearbeiterin had to ask a colleague about my place of birth discrepancy, but it was no problem.

After living as a foreigner here for nearly nine years, it feels absolutely insane that I will never set foot in the Ausländerbehörde again. It's surreal, but I think things will feel more real once I receive my Perso and Pass 😄 Good luck to everyone else who is on their way!

Basically I am American, and my great grandfather was born in 1917 in the United States (and all subsequent generations). His mother, born in Germany in 1888 went to the us in 1910, but the 1920 census listed her as alien status so she hadn’t naturalized. He was born in 1917, but she didn’t marry his French father until 1919, and then she died in 1926.

The requirements for exactly what situation qualifies were kind of confusing to me, so I just wanted to check. And if so, what documents would I need to find?

Back in the 90s I lived in Germany for several years and had an unbefristete Aufenthaltsgenehmigung. If I moved to Germany now as a non-EU citizen would that previous residency have any value, or would I be starting from scratch? I suspect the latter.

Hi zusammen,

es ist ein Wunder geschehen, ich bin endlich in Münster eingebürgert worden. Da es bisher kaum Informationen aus Münster gibt, dachte ich, teile meine Timeline mit euch. Vorab kurz zu meiner Ausgangslage: EU-Bürgerin, Mischung aus Selbstständigkeit und angestellter Tätigkeit im sozialen Bereich, seit Juni 2023 in Elternzeit (mittlerweile unbezahlt), mein unbefristets Angestelltenverhältnis kurz vor der Einladung zur Urkundenübergabe gekündigt, arbeitssuchend gemeldet (und das dem Einbürgerungsamt mitgeteilt):

- September 2022: Erster (damals noch verpflichtender) Beratungstermin zur Einbürgerung

- 04.05.2023: Nach langer Wartezeit (damals noch verpflichtender) Termin zur persönlichen Übergabe der vollständigen Antragsunterlagen

- 23.03.2026: Email von meiner Sachbearbeiterin, dass der Antrag in der abschließenden Prüfung sei, folgende Unterlagen wurden nachgefordert: letzte 3 Gehaltsabrechnungen, Arbeitsvertrag, Rentenversicherungsverlauf, Kontoauszüge über Zahlung der Miete

- 27.03.2026: Nachgeforderte Unterlagen per Email eingereicht

- 11.05.2026: Email mit Einladung zum Loyalitätsgespräch und zur Urkundenübergabe

- 20.05.2026: Loyalitätsgespräch (Welche Grundordnung haben wir in Deutschland? Was bedeutet das? Was sind zentrale Grundrechte, die Freiheiten betreffen? Welche anderen Grundrechte, die Gerichte beachten müssen [hab die Frage im Gespräch nicht so richtig beantworten können, war aber überhaupt nicht schlimm - die Sachbearbeiterin wollte auf das Grundrecht auf freie Entfaltung hinaus]? Was bedeutet Meinungsfreiheit, hat sie Grenzen? Und ein paar Fragen zur nationalsozialistischen Herrschaft), Unterschreibung der Loyalitätserklärung, feierliche Bekenntnis zu Verfassung und Gesetzen in Deutschland, Urkundenübergabe. Das Gespräch hat insgesamt eine halbe Stunde gedauert und war sehr nett.

Ich hoffe, die Infos sind für euch hilfreich, und drück allen, die noch warten, die Daumen!!!

Hi there, at the current moment, my application for citizenship is in Cologne. I got my reference number a couple months ago. There is a chance I will be visiting Cologne. Anyone on here with experience think it's worth reaching out to the BVA to see if a meeting would help with the processing of my application?

Hello! My daughter and wife have received their passports and we are now attempting to sort out their birth registrations. Thank you to everyone on this sub for all the great information.

Both were born in the states in wedlock.

My wife did not do a name change for her German passport for expediency. Her maiden name appears as her surname.

My wife was previously married (US name change), divorced (no name change) and married (US name change to daughter’s surname) to me at the time of our daughter’s birth.

Can my daughter get a Geburtenregister without processing these name changes for my wife? She is happy keeping her maiden name and we’re told it’s common in Germany.

Can we just send the relevant US documents, including divorce decree and marriage certificates to show our daughter was born in wedlock?

Thanks for any help unraveling this next chapter!