Imagine this: your grandmother was German, your father never obtained citizenship \u2013 and now you, your siblings, and perhaps even your own children want to apply for German citizenship. Everyone lives abroad. And the first question that arises is almost always the same: can we do this together as a family?<\/p>\n
The short answer is: there is no single \u201efamily application\u201c in German nationality law. Each person needs their own application and will receive their own naturalisation certificate \u2013 if the requirements are met. However, this does not mean that families cannot coordinate and proceed in parallel. On the contrary: coordination within the family is often the key to a smooth process.<\/p>\n
This article is for general guidance only and does not replace individual legal advice. The legal requirements depend on the specific circumstances. For your particular situation, you should consult a solicitor specialising in nationality law.<\/i><\/p>\n Until a few years ago, the Federal Administrative Office (BVA) still issued so-called joint certificates, which listed parents and their minor children together. This is no longer the case. Since the new regulation, each person \u2013 including every minor child \u2013 receives their own naturalisation certificate.<\/p>\n Behind this is a fundamental principle of German nationality law: naturalisation is a purely personal administrative act. BVA<\/a> checks whether the legal requirements are met for each individual person. The result for one family member does not automatically bind the authority for another.<\/p>\n In practice, this means: each applicant fills out their own application form. There is one form for adults (aged 16 and over) and another for minor children. Persons aged 16 and over act independently in the nationality proceedings (\u00a7 34 StAG). For children under 16, the parents with custody submit the application.<\/p>\n Those living abroad who wish to acquire German citizenship have different legal bases depending on their personal history. For families, the following is crucial: not all paths are equally open to all family members.<\/p>\n Those who once held German citizenship and have lost it \u2013 for example, by acquiring another citizenship before the 2024 reform \u2013 can be naturalised again under certain conditions. According to \u00a7 13 of the StAG (Nationality Act), this explicitly applies to the applicant's minor children as well.<\/p>\n What does that mean in practice? If you, as a former German citizen, apply for re-naturalisation, your minor child can be included in your application. However, the child must fulfil the requirements of \u00a7 8 (1) no. 1 and no. 2 of the German Nationality Act (StAG) \u2013 above all, their identity and nationality must be clarified.<\/p>\n Important for families <\/b>Adult children (aged 18 and over) are not \u201eminor children\u201c within the meaning of this provision. They must submit their own application under \u00a7 13 StAG \u2013 however, this is only possible if they themselves once possessed German citizenship. If they did not, then \u00a7 14 StAG may be relevant for them.<\/p>\n Individuals who have never held German citizenship but can prove close ties to Germany fall under Section 14 of the StAG. This is the most comprehensive discretionary provision for naturalisation abroad \u2013 and at the same time the one with the highest hurdles to overcome.<\/p>\n The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BVA) requires \u201eties to Germany in a number of respects\u201c: long-standing contacts with relatives or friends in Germany, regular visits, ownership of property, and professional connections. In addition, the general requirements for discretionary naturalisation under Section 8 of the German Nationality Act (StAG) must be met \u2013 financial self-sufficiency, a clean criminal record, proof of identity, German language skills at B1 level, and a naturalisation test.<\/p>\n Important for families <\/b>There is no explicit \u201ecollective naturalisation\u201c here as there is in \u00a7 13 of the Nationality Act (StAG). Each family member needs their own application and must meet the requirements independently. The crucial difference from naturalisation within the country: there are no shortened residency periods for spouses or children, because there is no residency period at all \u2013 instead, everything revolves around ties to Germany.<\/p>\n The good news: If several family members apply in parallel, they can partially prove the ties to Germany jointly. Relatives in Germany, shared visits, a family home in Germany \u2013 all of these benefit all applications. And for spouses of German citizens, \u00a7 14 sentence 2 StAG provides for an abatement: the stay abroad must be in the public interest, for example, if posted by a German employer.<\/p>\n This route is open to people born after 23 May 1949 who were unable to acquire German citizenship by birth because the rules at the time treated women and men unequally. The classic case: a child was born before 1975 as the legitimate child of a German mother and a foreign father \u2013 and, under the law in force at the time, did not acquire citizenship from the father, nor from the mother.<\/p>\n The right to make the declaration also extends to the descendants of these persons. This means that if your mother falls within the scope of section 5(1) of the StAG, you, as her descendant, may make the declaration under section 5(4) of the StAG.<\/p>\n Important for families <\/b>Acquisition by declaration is not a naturalisation procedure in the traditional sense. The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BVA) has no discretion in the matter \u2013 provided the requirements are met, acquisition takes effect by virtue of the declaration. However, each person must submit their own declaration. A spouse who has no direct line of descent from a German ancestor cannot make use of acquisition by declaration.<\/p>\n Please note the deadline: <\/b>The right to make a declaration may only be exercised within ten years of the Fourth Amendment Act coming into force. The deadline expires on 19 August 2031. Anyone who fails to submit the declaration to the BVA in time will irrevocably lose this right.<\/p>\n This route is intended for individuals who, in connection with Nazi persecution between 30 January 1933 and 8 May 1945, lost their German citizenship not through revocation but by other means, or who were never able to acquire it \u2013 and for their descendants.<\/p>\n Unlike Article 116(2) of the Basic Law, which governs reinstatement in the event of direct deprivation, this provision covers \u00a7 15 StAG<\/a> the cases that slipped through the cracks of the constitution: for example, individuals who were not naturalised because they were considered \u201eracially inferior\u201c, even though they met all the requirements.<\/p>\n Important for families <\/b>Naturalisation under \u00a7 15 of the Nationality Act (StAG) is a right \u2013 not a discretionary power. The requirements are significantly eased: no language test, no residency requirement, no naturalisation test, and no relinquishing of previous citizenship. Naturalisation is free of charge. Every descendant has their own right and must submit their own application. However \u2013 and this is the major practical relief \u2013 the documentation of descent overlaps considerably within the family. If one sibling has already submitted the birth certificate of the persecuted grandmother, the BVA will often use these documents for the siblings' applications as well.<\/p>\n The following table shows the four paths to naturalisation from abroad and how each interacts with the family situation.<\/p>\n<\/span>Why is there no joint family application?<\/span><\/h2>\n
<\/span>The four paths to naturalisation from abroad \u2013 and what they mean for families<\/span><\/h2>\n
<\/span>Re-naturalisation of former Germans (Section 13 StAG)<\/span><\/h3>\n
<\/span>Naturalisation with ties to Germany (\u00a7 14 StAG)<\/span><\/h3>\n
<\/span>Acquisition of legal capacity in cases of unequal treatment on the grounds of gender (Section 5 of the Civil Status Act)<\/span><\/h3>\n
<\/span>Restoration of nationality for victims of National Socialism and their descendants (\u00a7 15 StAG)<\/span><\/h3>\n
<\/span>Comparison: Which path suits whom?<\/span><\/h2>\n