Eligibility quiz
Was an ancestor’s German citizenship taken away under Nazi rule?
Benefits
Benefits for youBenefits for you
German passport and ID
German citizens can use a passport and identity card for travel and identification.
If documents are lost abroad, a German mission can issue a travel document for the return to Germany and, in suitable cases, a temporary passport.
Passports and identity cards expire and must be replaced.
Live in Germany for life
German citizens have an unconditional right to enter, live in and return to Germany.
Citizenship does not expire because of time spent abroad.
Study in Germany
German citizens can study in Germany and use public education.
Work in Germany
German citizens can work in Germany without restriction or run a business.
Get help abroad
German missions can help abroad after arrest, serious illness, an accident, death, or the loss of money or documents, and refer you to lawyers, doctors or interpreters.
Where Germany has no mission, you can seek urgent help from another EU country's mission.
Vote and run for office
German citizens can vote in German federal elections from age 18 if they meet the residence and eligibility rules.
Citizens abroad can vote by post if registered and sufficiently connected to Germany.
In other EU countries, citizens can vote and run in local and European Parliament elections on the same terms as that country's citizens.
Use public healthcare
German citizens can use public healthcare in Germany.
Access depends on the relevant rules, such as where you live and your contributions.
Use public support
German citizens can use public services and support, including pensions, unemployment support, housing support and child benefit.
These are not automatic payments; eligibility depends on rules such as residence, contributions, income and family circumstances.
How to apply
Applying at a consulateApplying at a consulate
Find your consulate
Find the German embassy or consulate responsible for the place where you live.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “Which German embassy or consulate is responsible for citizenship applications from your city?”
Download the application form
Download the Federal Office of Administration form for your route: Vordruck EER for citizenship by declaration, the restoration application form, or Antrag E15 for citizenship after persecution. For a child under 16 applying after persecution, use Antrag E15_K; download Anlage AV if needed for additional ancestors.
Find the application formSearches DuckDuckGo for “Where can I download the Federal Office of Administration forms for German citizenship by declaration or restoration after persecution?”
Fill in the form
Complete and sign the form in German; a legal representative signs for a child under 16 applying after persecution. If an earlier restoration application was refused under the former narrower rules, you can make a new informal application.
Get help with formsSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I fill in the Federal Office of Administration application for German citizenship by declaration or restoration after persecution?”
Gather your documents
Prepare the required documents for the consulate.
See required documentsBook an appointment
Book an appointment with the German embassy or consulate responsible for where you live.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “How do I book an appointment for a German citizenship application at the German embassy or consulate responsible for your city?”
Go to your appointment
Bring your signed application and required documents to the consulate, which will forward them to the Federal Office of Administration. If you are applying by declaration, submit it by 19 August 2031; the declaration procedure is free.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “How do I submit a German citizenship declaration or restoration application at the German embassy or consulate responsible for your city?”
Wait for the decision
Wait for the Federal Office of Administration to acknowledge your application and give you a file number. Answer any requests for more documents and use your file number when you write to the office.
See what happens nextSearches DuckDuckGo for “What happens after I submit a German citizenship declaration or restoration application to the Federal Office of Administration?”
Get your certificate
Receive your citizenship certificate after approval; the consulate will contact you about handover for an application after persecution. You can then apply for a German passport.
Find certificate detailsSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I receive my German citizenship certificate after a Federal Office of Administration declaration or restoration application?”
Documents needed
Family certificates and recordsFamily certificates and records
Birth certificates
Get your birth certificate or certificate of descent, and the birth or descent certificates of your parent and German grandparent. Provide originals or complete certified copies, including both sides; if you were adopted or need to establish who your father is, include the adoption decision or the record recognising or establishing paternity.
Marriage certificates *
Get the marriage certificates for you, your parent and your German grandparent, as applicable, and provide originals or complete certified copies. If relevant to your family history, include civil-partnership certificates, final divorce judgments and records of name changes.
* Only if you, your parent or your German grandparent married.
May need translationMay need apostille/legalisationGrandparent's citizenship records *
Provide evidence of your grandparent's German citizenship or status, such as a German naturalisation or citizenship certificate, citizenship card, German passport or ID, registration record or expellee document. If relevant to your claim, also include records showing that your grandparent became a citizen of another country or lost German citizenship; provide originals or complete certified copies.
* Only if your claim depends on your German grandparent's citizenship or German status.
May need translationMay need apostille/legalisationGrandparent's persecution records *
Provide records showing what happened to your grandparent, such as the loss of German citizenship or residence, or being prevented from becoming German. Former German identity papers, registration records and other records of what happened may help; provide originals or complete certified copies.
* Only if you apply because your grandparent was persecuted under Nazi rule.
May need translationMay need apostille/legalisationConsiderations
Things to think aboutThings to think about
Military checks for men
German men born in 2008 or later must answer the military questionnaire truthfully and undergo a medical assessment.
Military service is not generally compulsory unless the system is activated or changed.
Citizenship can be lost
Giving up citizenship needs approval and another citizenship.
Adults can lose it for actively fighting for terrorists abroad or joining their other country's forces or similar armed group without German defence consent, if not left stateless.
Citizenship gained by application can be withdrawn for deceit, threats, bribery or deliberate false or incomplete key information, normally within ten years of notification.
Discuss
Online communitiesOnline communities
r/GermanCitizenship
English Reddit group for people interested in German citizenship
Join on RedditGerman Citizenship Discussion Group
English Facebook group for people interested in German citizenship
Request to joinHolocaust Descendants with restored citizenship to Austria and Germany
English Facebook group for people interested in German citizenship
Request to joinConsultation
Talk to a professionalTalk to a professional
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