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Naturalisation by Descent

Here’s Where I Come In

As a lawyer specialising in German immigration and citizenship law, I help you avoid the common pitfalls and accelerate the process by:

 

  • Identifying the correct legal pathway based on your family history

  • Compiling a legally watertight application with all necessary evidence

  • Preparing structured, compelling submissions that anticipate the BVA’s queries

  • Maintaining ongoing communication with the authorities

  • Ensuring that your rights under German and EU law are fully respected

Despite the clear legal basis, the process is slow, complex, and bureaucratic. The BVA is often overloaded, and decisions can take months or even years. Aapplications are delayed or even rejected due to incomplete documentation, incorrectly chosen legal bases, or failure to address gaps in family history.

 

Understanding which section of the StAG (Staatsangehörigkeitsgesetz) applies to your case is critical. § 5, § 14, § 15 or Art. 116 GG? Each route has its own conditions, and a wrong application path can mean long delays or legal dead ends.

 

Applicants frequently face requests for additional documents, inconsistent feedback from authorities, or unclear expectations. Without deep legal insight, the process can become frustrating and emotionally draining.

The Reality

Connecting you with your German roots

What You Can Do

If you have German ancestors such as parents, grandparents, or sometimes even further back, you may be eligible to apply for German citizenship by descent under specific legal provisions. The application is submitted to the Bundesverwaltungsamt (BVA), the Federal Office of Administration, which handles naturalisation cases from abroad and those involving complex historical or descent-based claims.

 

The process begins with collecting evidence: birth and marriage certificates, proof of German citizenship, and historical records. In some cases, this includes documentation from the Nazi era, displaced persons registries, or foreign citizenship laws that affected your ancestors’ status.

 

You can initiate the application even if you're living outside of Germany, and in most cases, without needing to give up your current citizenship.

The Real Benefits

Obtaining German citizenship by descent offers much more than a passport:

 

  • Access to the EU: Live, work, and travel freely in all 27 EU countries.

  • Restoration of identity: For descendants of persecuted persons, this can be a meaningful act of justice and reconnection.

  • Security for future generations: Once granted, citizenship can be passed on to your children under certain conditions.

  • No integration requirements: Unlike naturalisation by residence, you do not need to pass language or integration exams.

     

Most importantly, this process is often fee-free for descendants of those persecuted under the National Socialism regime.

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