Eligibility quiz
Was either of your parents a German citizen when you were born?
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 local officeApplying at a local office
Find your local office
Find the citizenship office for the city or district where you live.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “Which German citizenship office is responsible for your city?”
Get the application form
Ask your local citizenship office for the form for confirming citizenship, declaring citizenship or applying because of persecution, whichever applies to you.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “How do I get a German citizenship confirmation, declaration or restitution application form from the citizenship office in your city?”
Fill in the form
Complete and sign the form as your local office directs. For a child, a legal representative signs where required.
Get help with the formSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I complete a German citizenship confirmation, declaration or restitution application form?”
Gather your documents
Prepare the required documents for your local citizenship office.
See required documentsHand in your application
Give your signed form and documents to your local citizenship office in the way it specifies. Pay any fee as the office directs; citizenship declarations must be received by 19 August 2031.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “How do I submit a German citizenship confirmation, declaration or restitution application to the citizenship office in your city?”
Wait for the decision
Wait for your local office to decide and answer any requests for more information or documents.
See how long it takesSearches DuckDuckGo for “How long does a German citizenship confirmation, declaration or restitution application take at a local citizenship office?”
Receive your decision
Receive the decision and any citizenship or naturalisation certificate the office issues. If your citizenship is confirmed or granted, you can then apply for a German passport.
Get your decisionSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I receive a German citizenship decision or certificate from a local citizenship office?”
Documents needed
Family certificates and recordsFamily certificates and records
Birth certificates
Get your birth certificate or certificate of descent and your German parent’s birth or descent certificate. A family register may also help show your family ties. If you were adopted or need to establish paternity, add the relevant adoption or paternity records.
Parent's citizenship records
Get records showing your German parent’s citizenship, such as their German naturalisation certificate or certificate of citizenship acquired by declaration or option. Include relevant records showing when they gained or lost German or another citizenship; for an application based on persecution, provide records showing their German citizenship or their right to it.
Marriage certificates *
Get marriage certificates for you and your German parent, as applicable, from the offices that issued them. Add any relevant divorce, civil-partnership or name-change records, and a family register if available.
* Only if you or your German parent married.
May need translationMay need apostille/legalisationParent's residence record *
Get records showing your German parent’s residence in Germany and when they lived there. Ask the office that holds the records for certified copies.
* Only if your application is based on your parent losing their home in Germany because of persecution.
May need translationMay need apostille/legalisationParent's persecution records *
Provide records showing the persecution your German parent faced and how it led to their loss of citizenship, exclusion from citizenship or loss of residence. Ask the office that holds the records for certified copies.
* Only if you apply because your German parent was persecuted.
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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