{"id":13231,"date":"2026-03-12T10:55:17","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T10:55:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/?p=13231"},"modified":"2026-03-12T11:06:51","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T11:06:51","slug":"deutsche-staatsbuergerschaft-fuer-juedische-nachfahren-und-opfer-des-holocaust","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/en\/german-citizenship-for-jewish-descendants-and-victims-of-the-holocaust\/","title":{"rendered":"German citizenship for Jewish descendants and victims of the Holocaust: Their rights under Art. 116 GG and \u00a7 15 StAG"},"content":{"rendered":"

This article is intended as a general guide and does not replace individual legal advice. Naturalisation by restitution is a complex area of law in which the individual case is decisive. Contact a specialist lawyer for migration law for your specific situation.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Her grandmother fled Berlin in 1938. Her grandfather lost his German nationality<\/a>, because he had himself naturalised in the USA - in order to survive. Or your ancestors lived as Polish Jews in Germany for decades and were never granted citizenship because the Nazi regime deliberately excluded them.<\/span><\/p>\n

All these stories have one thing in common: Germany has recognised the injustice and created opportunities for citizenship within the framework of the <\/span>Reparation<\/b> or to acquire them for the first time. The two central legal bases are <\/span>Article 116 paragraph 2 of the Basic Law (GG)<\/b> and <\/span>\u00a7 Section 15 of the Citizenship Act (StAG)<\/b>. Both paths are open to you and your descendants - without a language test, without residing in Germany and without giving up your previous citizenship.<\/span><\/p>\n

This article explains which route is the right one for your family situation, which requirements apply and how the procedure actually works.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Two paths, one goal: Art. 116 para. 2 GG and Section 15 StAG at a glance<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

German law recognises two separate bases for claims for restitution naturalisation. Which one applies depends on this, <\/span>like<\/span><\/i> Your ancestor lost his German citizenship - or whether he was never able to acquire it.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Article 116 (2) GG - Re-naturalisation after formal revocation<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

Article 116 (2) sentence 1 of the Basic Law grants a <\/span>constitutional claim<\/b> for re-naturalisation. It applies to persons who were deprived of their German citizenship between 30 January 1933 and 8 May 1945 for political, racial or religious reasons. <\/span>withdrawn<\/b> and for their descendants.<\/span><\/p>\n

What does \u201erevoked\u201c mean in concrete terms? The law refers to two historical processes: firstly, individual denaturalisation on the basis of the law on the revocation of naturalisation of 14 July 1933, and secondly, automatic loss in accordance with the 11th Ordinance to the Reich Citizenship Act of 25 November 1941. This ordinance meant that all Jews who had their habitual residence abroad lost their citizenship by operation of law.<\/span><\/p>\n

A ruling by the Federal Constitutional Court on 20 May 2020 (ref. 2 BvR 2628\/18) has significantly expanded the group of beneficiaries. Since then, legitimate children born before 1 April 1953 to a German mother and a foreign father, as well as illegitimate children born before 1 July 1993 to German fathers and foreign mothers, have also been considered descendants within the meaning of Article 116 (2) of the Basic Law. This is of great importance for many Jewish families because there used to be gender-related gaps in the law.<\/span><\/p>\n

For Art. 116 para. 2 GG there are <\/span>No application deadline<\/b>. The entitlement is unlimited in time, including for grandchildren, great-grandchildren and later generations. Each descendant has their own personal entitlement - regardless of whether parents or grandparents have submitted an application themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u00a7 Section 15 StAG - Restitution naturalisation in the event of loss or prevented acquisition<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n