r/GermanCitizenship

How do I get a citizenship if none of my family tree is from Germany?? I'm an Indian.

Not a ragebait or anything, just wanted to let you know, that if you have the option to move somewhere where your application will be reviewed earlier and you really need the passport asap, you should just move. Just ask the local Ausländerbehörde beforehand. In Freiburg an application is reviewed for about 2 years — move 5 kilometers outside the city and it becomes three weeks. Whish y'all the best of luck!

Hi Everyone,

I was not planning on making a success post, but I’ve seen a number of people asking for information regarding recent Feststellung cases.

I applied through the consulate In Toronto February 2024 and got an AZ June 2024. But this process really started for me in Fall 2023 when I started gathering all of the needed documents. My processing group was TSll3.

The consulate notified me last week my certificate had arrived and is ready for pickup. I haven’t received the certificate yet, but I believe it is dated around mid September.

Here are some details of my case to add some context.

line was GGF->GF->F->Me with everyone born in wedlock. Pretty standard case. I provided everyone’s birth and marriage records, including the pre 1914 German birth registration of my GGF. I also provided several other certified German records, including confirmation records, and even the certified marriage record of my GGGF (one further generation back)

I asked for an update June 2026 and was told my case was in active processing.

I received a bit of a strange request via email from my caseworker asking for more information about my GGGF who was born in Prussia in the 1860s. This request came right at the start of September. I responded with the requested information by email (and by letter) and it looks like my case was approved about 10-15 days after I sent this information.

I have definitely learned a lot through this community over the years and also have tried to contribute information where I could, in particular with Canadian cases.

I wish everyone else the best of luck, this process definitely tests your patience and mental resolve.

We’re making a claim based on my great, great-grandfather, who moved to the US in 1909. My grandfather contacted the LA Consulate and they said they will approve his passport application if he can provide proof that his dad lived only in the US (as opposed to moving abroad and naturalizing elsewhere) from his birth until my grandfather’s birth.
Right now, we have his dad’s birth certificate (1921), the 1930 Census, the 1935/1940 Census, his 1941 marriage certificate, and my grandpa’s 1944 birth certificate.
The consular officer wouldn’t give us any indication about what types of proof would be sufficient, and said that we have to schedule an appointment for her to tell us anything further.
Does anybody have experience with proving residence for direct to passport? If so, do you know the usability of census data?

Background:

• I am living in Berlin since October 2021, 5 years continuous residence
• EU Blue Card holder, same employer entire time, stable salary EUR 74,500 + bonus
• B1 German certificate, Einbürgerungstest booked for October 15th
• Married since September 2026 to third-country national (also Blue Card holder)
• Submitting citizenship application October 12th

The situation:

My spouse lost their job end of September and is now receiving ALG1 (Arbeitslosengeld gem. § 136 SGB III) - contribution-based unemployment benefit, not Bürgergeld. Entitled to 12 months (€1,637/month) while job searching. They are not being included in either of my applications as a co-applicant.

The critical detail about my spouse:

My spouse will hit 21 months on their Blue Card on November 1st - which would make them eligible for their own PR (Niederlassungserlaubnis) with C1 German. However he was let go from his job end of September - exactly one month before hitting that threshold. He is now on ALG1 and actively job searching.

Main questions:

1. Does it make sense to include my spouse in my PR application as a family member? What are the risks and benefits of this approach?
2. Does my spouse receiving ALG1 affect my own citizenship application? Or PR application? I am fully employed full-time.

Thanks a lot in advance!

Hey Sub....after about 2.5 months of hunting/gathering, I have obtained all the documents I need for my family's (Mother, Brother, Myself) Feststellung application. I'm preparing the mailing and I was just wondering if anyone had some tips to share. Here are some questions:

1. I dont live near a General Consulate in the US (live in Denver, but not sure what is going on with the Honorary Consulate here...they appear to being having significant technical issues and aren't able to hold appointments until November 2? I was planning on using them to make a copy of my Applications/Documents.
2. Odds of a package getting lost if sent via DHL? Tips for sending via DHL, appreciated.
3. Should I send a copy of my mother's divorce decree? It the marriage ended 9 years after my younger brother's birthdate so it really doesn't impact the lineage.
4. I currently don't have the Naturalization Certificate of my GGF, but I have the complete Naturalization Petition that has the oath of allegiance completed with the certificate number. (I'm currently requesting the certificate)
5. For the Section 13 of Antrag F (last known address in Germany), I put "unbekannt" because I'm still trying to hunt down that information. (I'm thinking Meldorf because that is what is on his Ship Manifest record, but the Meldorf Archives hasn't completed my request for the Melderegister yet...my GGF also listed Windbergen and Nortorf on naturalization documents lol) Any issues with using unbekannt at the moment?
6. Any other last-minute tips for sending to the BVA. :) Can't wait to start the 2-3 year processing period lol

Hey everyone,

I finally received my invitation for picking up my urkunde. I wanted to ask people about their experience in Berlin. I know in Berlin it’s a simple process but I am just too nervous when I speak german and I didn’t have much practice recently. People who got their Urkunde in Berlin, how was your experience? Or anyone got their urkunde when they were not so confident about their German? (Referat s5)

Eingebürgert nach 2 Jahren un 7 Monaten.
26 Monate reine Wartezeit. RP Darmstadt hat meinen Antrag innerhalb von 3 Monaten und 20 Tagen bearbeitet.

My kids are German citizens by descent; we have passports for them and we are now living in Germany.

When we applied for their passports last year in NYC we also registered their births and applied for their birth certificates. We were told that process is likely going to be 2-3 years.

Now that we are in Germany can we get a birth certificate at our local registry office?

Has anyone done this?

I don't see much discussion of StAG §13 cases on this subreddit, but as of yesterday I successfully regained my German citizenship after losing it by acquiring US citizenship ~20 years ago. My renaturalization journey took about 1.5 years (not too bad all things considered) and it feels great to finally be at the end of it. I mainly wanted to share my success, but if anyone's interested, ask me anything!

Would like to understand if I can directly apply for German passport for myself (and my children), or if I must first apply for certificates of citizenship.

Background:

• My father was born in Germany in 1955 as a German citizen
• My father moved to the United States in 1961, but retained his German citizenship
• My father married my mother (US citizen) in 1985
• I was born in the US in 1987
• My father naturalized as a US citizen in 1988
• I married my wife (US citizen) in 2014, and we had children in 2016 and 2018

I have all of the birth certificates, marriage certificates, my fathers naturalization certificate.

Reports are coming in today from Tel Aviv and I believe Houston that all appointments for handing over certificates of citizenship are cancelled. People were told after they'd already arrived that their appointment was cancelled and there is no ability to schedule a new one without further explanation.

I've only seen reports from Israelis and there is speculation that it has to do with the Chinese fraud in 116 applications uncovered recently that involved forged Israeli documents.

Hi and huge thanks to those who offered insight and feedback before.

Here’s where I’m at on my journey (question follows)

(Great-great grandfather = GGGF, great grandfather = GGF, etc.)

GGGF: born to unwed mother in Holzhausen, Baden 1864. Moves to New York 10/1888 with a woman that he marries 2 days after arrival. Had three kids, one of which is GGF (1891). Family lore is that they moved back to Germany sometime after the third child was born in 1893. I subsequently have a ships manifest of GGGF and two oldest kids returning to the USA in 1901. Problem is j have no outbound record. The 1901 record shows them living in Baden-Baden. I found a 1900 entry in Baden-Baden addressbuch that’s a soft match at best (same name, different career), but nothing in the surrounding years. They were not in the 1895 NY or NJ US census and the last entry in the NYC Trow books where they appear is 1892. The port of departure the US was Antwerp on every trip.

I believe I need to prove that they left the USA before 10/1898 to have interrupted the 10 year rule.

Melderegisters don’t start until Baden-Baden until 1901.

My question: does anyone have recommendations for trying to prove when they arrived in Germany and how long they stayed? I’m not even certain they were in Baden-Baden the entire time, though I do know that they had family ties there and others in the family left there in later years again indicating Baden-baden as the last residence. I have emailed the Archiv and they are going to look again, but again curious on leads.

From there, the line becomes really clean, assuming agreement that their stay in Germany reset the 10 year clock, which contemporary interpretations say would have happened.

GGF left the house before 10/1911, which is when the new 10-year clock would have expired, he would have been below the age of majority + 10 in 1914. Then it carries on from there.

Got a notice of cancellation. Heard this is global - anyone know anything?

Hi everyone,

I am trying to better understand my eligibility for German citizenship through §14 StAG / the 30 August 2019 decree concerning descendants affected by historical gender discrimination before the Basic Law came into force.

My family line is:

• German male ancestor, born in Germany in 1888. He emigrated to Brazil in 1913 and never naturalized as Brazilian.
• His daughter was born in Brazil in 1928. Her parents were married, so she appears to have acquired German citizenship through her German father.
• She married a Brazilian citizen in 1945 and, under the law applicable at the time, lost her German citizenship through marriage to a foreign man.
• Their daughter was born on 20 August 1947.
• Her son was born in 1968.
• I was born in Brazil in 2001.

Because the affected descendant was born before 24 May 1949, I understand that §5 StAG does not apply to our line and that the possible route is facilitated naturalization under §14 StAG in conjunction with the 2019 decree, section 3.1.1.

I have already contacted the BVA. They confirmed to me in writing that the B1 language requirement may be submitted later during the procedure without disadvantage, and that B1 certificates from ALTE full-member institutions may be accepted. They specifically mentioned TestDaF, ÖSD, Goethe, telc and AFU, as well as DSH, KMK certificates and other equivalent language diplomas. They also stated that the exam may be taken online under the applicable conditions.

The BVA then told me that the application should be submitted through the German mission responsible for my place of residence, which will review the documents and forward the application to the BVA together with a statement.

My main questions are:

1. Has anyone here successfully completed a §14 / pre-1949 gender discrimination case recently?
2. Was there a personal interview or appointment at the German consulate? If so, what exactly was assessed?
3. Did you have to take an Einbürgerungstest in addition to B1? If yes, how was this arranged for someone living outside Germany?
4. Has anyone successfully used an online B1 exam or a certificate other than Goethe/telc for this exact §14 route?
5. Has anyone submitted the §14 application before obtaining B1 and provided the certificate later?
6. I have seen reports that some pre-1949 §14/Müttererlass cases may have been delayed or held while the BVA/BMI reviews the treatment of these cases. Has anyone received any recent official correspondence or decision about this?
7. Is anyone aware of any serious administrative or legislative discussion that could eventually extend §5 StAG to people affected before 24 May 1949, instead of requiring §14 naturalization?

I am especially interested in experiences from people with a similar family structure: German woman who lost citizenship by marrying a foreigner before 1949, child born before 24 May 1949, and later descendants living abroad.

Any recent BVA correspondence, personal experience, official source or case reference would be very helpful.

Thank you!

Hi everyone, I’d appreciate some advice.
I had an appointment to submit my documents, and I’m Egyptian but was born in Saudi Arabia. I was asked to provide proof of my exact place of birth because my Egyptian birth certificate only states “born in Saudi Arabia” without specifying the city.
Has anyone experienced a similar situation or dealt with this issue before? If so, what document did you provide, and how did you obtain it?
Thanks in advance!

Hi all,

Was wondering if anyone has received a response from the above email. I sent an email a couple months ago informing about an address change for a StAG 5 application. Havent heard anything back, just want to make sure any materials for me don’t get mailed to the wrong address. Should I resend or trust the process?

Thanks.