Lost German citizenship - repatriation possible??

[Saskija]

I've just spent ages searching the new German immigration and nationality acts but am still unsure whether I have any hope of regaining my lost German citizenship, or at least some form of residency permit.
I was born in Germany to ethnically German parents in 1978. We moved to Australia in 1981 and had to renounce our German citizenship to take on Australian citizenship. At the time, Germany did not allow dual citizenship. As I was only a child at the time, I did not personally decide to renounce my German citizenship. I have since both studied and worked in Germany on standard non-EU visas, but have been unable to find out if I have any claim to regaining my passport or getting some permanent form of residency. Apart from my parents, my entire family lives in Germany. I speak German fluently and consider myself to have considerable cultural ties to the country. Any advice would be very much appreciated. Thanks.

[amhilde]

I do believe it IS possible to repatriate to Germany- I was just reading the German embassy website the other week and was surprised to read that you can regain German citizenship. It shouldnt be a problem if you are of German descent- check the embassy webpage of the country where you are currently resident.

[JAJ]

I've just spent ages searching the new German immigration and nationality acts but am still unsure whether I have any hope of regaining my lost German citizenship, or at least some form of residency permit.
I was born in Germany to ethnically German parents in 1978. We moved to Australia in 1981 and had to renounce our German citizenship to take on Australian citizenship. At the time, Germany did not allow dual citizenship. As I was only a child at the time, I did not personally decide to renounce my German citizenship. I have since both studied and worked in Germany on standard non-EU visas, but have been unable to find out if I have any claim to regaining my passport or getting some permanent form of residency. Apart from my parents, my entire family lives in Germany. I speak German fluently and consider myself to have considerable cultural ties to the country. Any advice would be very much appreciated. Thanks.

Are you *sure* you lost German citizenship?

Germay does revoke the nationality of adult Germans who take out a foreign citizenship (althougn in recent years it's become easier to get permission to keep German citizenship), however it's not so clear whether they revoke the citizenship of the German *children* as well.

Your best options are:

- *Write* to the German Embassy asking if you are still a German citizen (don't phone them, advice over the phone is often wrong); or
- Engage the services of a German lawyer who specialises in immigration and nationality law.

If the German Embassy say you are not German, they should be able to reference the precise section of the German nationality law. If you are really no longer German, then they should be able to explain the immigration and re-naturalisation options available (if any) for former German citizens.

This page doesn't answer your question directly but is a start point:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_nationality_law

[Fraureuther]

I've just spent ages searching the new German immigration and nationality acts but am still unsure whether I have any hope of regaining my lost German citizenship, or at least some form of residency permit.
I was born in Germany to ethnically German parents in 1978. We moved to Australia in 1981 and had to renounce our German citizenship to take on Australian citizenship. At the time, Germany did not allow dual citizenship. As I was only a child at the time, I did not personally decide to renounce my German citizenship. I have since both studied and worked in Germany on standard non-EU visas, but have been unable to find out if I have any claim to regaining my passport or getting some permanent form of residency. Apart from my parents, my entire family lives in Germany. I speak German fluently and consider myself to have considerable cultural ties to the country. Any advice would be very much appreciated. Thanks.

Saskija, my father is in the exact same position as yourself. He was born in West Germany to ethnically German parents in 1959. They migrated to Australia a few years later. As he was only a child at the time, it is unclear whether my father's German citizenship was automatically lost when he aquired Australian citizenship. I'm told that although German citizenship law appears rather strict in writing, it isn't always enforced, especially in regards to dual citizenship.

As JAJ suggested, your best option would be to write to the German Embassy and ask them to determine whether you are still a German citizen. Or otherwise, just apply for a German passport through the Embassy. If your passport application is successful, then obviously you've retained your German citizenship all along.

If all else fails, then you can apply for renaturalisation. However, this would most likely involve relinquishing all other nationalities. See below:


I lost my German citizenship because I acquired a foreign nationality. Can I get my German citizenship back?

In principle it is possible for former Germans to be renaturalized. Key conditions include the ability to support oneself, mastery of the German language and proof of ties to Germany. Generally health insurance for Germany is also required. Chances are very much increased by a readiness to relinquish all previous nationalities.

If the applicant is not prepared to do so, he/she has to outline in detail the reasons for not relinquishing his/her current nationality in line with the retention permit.

Such a naturalization does not automatically include children, grandchildren and other descendants. Separate applications have to be submitted and the above criteria apply.

http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/diplo/en ... sicht.html


Good luck!