Freedom of movement, EU citizen rights, and practical implications for families abroad<\/i><\/p>\n
You live with your family in South Africa, Argentina or the USA \u2013 and someone has told you that you might be entitled to German citizenship. Perhaps through a grandparent who left Germany decades ago. Perhaps through a history of persecution during National Socialism. The question that then arises is not just \u201eCan I get German citizenship?\u201c<\/i> \u2013 but above all: \u201eWhat specifically does it bring me and my family?\u201c<\/i><\/p>\n
This is a legitimate question. Because an application for status determination or naturalisation involves effort: obtaining documents, filling in forms, and sometimes waiting months for official responses. Whether it's worth it depends on what you actually get at the end with the German passport.<\/p>\n
Note: <\/i><\/b>This article is for general information only and does not replace individual legal advice. Nationality law is complex and the legal situation in individual cases can deviate significantly from the principles presented here. For your specific situation, please consult a lawyer experienced in nationality law.<\/i><\/p>\n Anyone who holds German citizenship is entitled to a German passport. And for years, this passport has been one of the most powerful travel documents in the world.<\/p>\n In the current Henley Passport Index<\/b> (As of 2025\/2026) the German passport holds one of the top spots. German nationals are currently able to travel to around 189 to 194 countries<\/b> travel visa-free or with a visa on arrival, depending on the counting method. This puts Germany on par with France, Italy and Spain and just behind Singapore, Japan and South Korea.<\/p>\n What does that mean in practice? No complicated visa procedures before business trips to Japan. No appointment at the embassy before a family holiday in Brazil. No uncertainty about whether the visa application will be processed in time. For families who travel internationally regularly, this makes a significant difference to their daily lives.<\/p>\n German nationality is simultaneously the key to Union citizenship<\/b>. Every national of an EU Member State is automatically also an EU citizen (Art. 20(1) TEU). And EU citizenship comes with a bundle of concrete rights that go far beyond freedom of movement.<\/p>\n EU citizens have the right to move and reside freely in any of the 27 EU member states. This right is set out in Directive 2004\/38\/EC (the Free Movement Directive). In practice, this means:<\/p>\n These rights apply beyond the EU to the EEA states Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, and \u2013 based on bilateral agreements \u2013 with restrictions in Switzerland.<\/p>\n With the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)<\/b> EU citizens are entitled to medically necessary treatment when temporarily staying in other EU countries, under the same conditions as locals. German citizens who fall ill while on holiday in Spain will be treated by the public health system without needing to have previously taken out travel health insurance.<\/p>\n Important: The EHIC covers necessary treatments during temporary stays \u2013 not full healthcare for permanent residency. Those moving to another EU country must take out regular health insurance there.<\/i><\/p>\n EU citizens generally pay the same tuition fees as domestic students at public universities in EU member states. In many countries \u2013 such.<\/p>\n In addition, access to the Erasmus+<\/b>A programme that has enabled more than three million students to study abroad since its launch.<\/p>\n Anyone who, as an EU citizen, is staying in a non-EU country in which their own country No message or no consulate<\/b> may seek assistance from the diplomatic mission of any other EU Member State (Art. 23 TFEU). This is a subsidiary right \u2013 it applies when their own country is not represented locally. For families travelling or living in remote regions, this can be an important safety net.<\/p>\n EU citizens have the right to participate in municipal elections and elections to the European Parliament in the EU Member State where they reside \u2013 even if they are not nationals of that country. A German national living in the Netherlands, for example, is entitled to vote there in municipal and European elections.<\/p>\n EU citizens can acquire property in any EU member state without needing to obtain additional permissions. In contrast, non-EU citizens face considerable restrictions in some countries. The establishment of a company in another EU country is also generally open to EU citizens under the same conditions as domestic citizens.<\/p>\n German nationality is generally passed down by descent (ius sanguinis<\/b>, When a parent is German at the time of the child's birth, the child acquires German nationality \u2013 regardless of where it is born.<\/p>\n However: there is an important restriction, the so-called \u201eGenerational divide\u201c<\/b> (\u00a7 4(4) Nationality Act).<\/p>\n If the German parent was also born abroad after 31.12.1999<\/b> and at the time of the child's birth, also has his habitual residence abroad, the child acquires German nationality not automatically<\/b> \u2013 provided that they acquire another nationality by birth.<\/p>\n Exception:<\/b> The child acquires German nationality retroactively if the parents within a year of birth<\/b> at the relevant registry office or at the relevant German mission abroad to apply for the registration of a birth in the birth register (\u00a7 36 Civil Status Act). These Annual period<\/b> is mandatory \u2013 if missed, the child will lose their nationality.<\/p>\n For families living abroad, this is one of the most important deadlines in all of nationality law. Those who miss it cannot make up for the decision.<\/i><\/p>\n Until the citizenship law reform, which on 27 June 2024<\/b> When it came into effect, naturalisation applicants were generally required to renounce their previous nationality in order to obtain German citizenship. This obligation to renounce was a decisive obstacle for many people \u2013 especially for those who felt connected to their country of origin.<\/p>\n Since 27 June 2024, the Dual nationality is generally permissible<\/b>. Those who become naturalised no longer have to give up their previous nationality. And those who already possess German nationality do not lose it by acquiring another nationality.<\/p>\n For families abroad, this means that German citizenship can be acquired or established without losing their existing passport. The children can grow up with both citizenships.<\/p>\n The following table illustrates the practical difference that German citizenship \u2013 and therefore EU citizenship \u2013 can make in everyday life:<\/p>\n<\/span>1. The German passport: One of the strongest in the world<\/b><\/span><\/h1>\n
<\/span>2. Freedom of Movement in the EU: More Than Just the Freedom to Travel<\/b><\/span><\/h1>\n
<\/span>Freedom of movement under Article 21 TFEU<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
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<\/span>3. Concrete Benefits for Families Abroad<\/b><\/span><\/h1>\n
<\/span>Healthcare<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
<\/span>Education and study<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
<\/span>Consular protection<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
<\/span>Voting rights and political participation<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
<\/span>Property rights and economic freedom<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
<\/span>4. Passing on to the next generation: What families need to know<\/b><\/span><\/h1>\n
<\/span>5. Dual nationality: no longer an obstacle since 2024<\/b><\/span><\/h1>\n
<\/span>6. Comparison: With and without German citizenship<\/b><\/span><\/h1>\n