{"id":5379,"date":"2025-11-29T13:46:11","date_gmt":"2025-11-29T13:46:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/?p=5379"},"modified":"2025-12-08T15:17:43","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T15:17:43","slug":"auslaenderrecht-rueckwirkende-erteilung-der-niederlassungserlaubnis-erwerb-der-deutschen-staatsangehoerigkeit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/en\/immigration-law-retroactive-issuance-of-a-settlement-permit-acquisition-of-german-citizenship\/","title":{"rendered":"Immigration Law: Retroactive Issuance of a Settlement Permit \u2013 Acquisition of German Citizenship"},"content":{"rendered":"

L\u00fcneburg Higher Administrative Court, 08.11.2017, Case No.: 8 LB 59\/17<\/strong><\/p>\n

According to paragraph 3 of \u00a7 4 StAG, a child of foreign parents acquires German citizenship by birth in Germany if one of the parents has been legally resident in Germany for six years and has a permanent right of residence or, as a Swiss national or family member, a residence permit on the basis of the Agreement of 21 June 1999 between the European Community and its Member States, of the one part, and the Swiss Confederation, of the other, on the free movement of persons (Federal Law Gazette 2001 II p. 810).<\/p>\n

The acquisition of German citizenship is recorded in the birth register where the child\u2019s birth is registered.<\/p>\n

A legitimate interest in the retroactive issuance of a settlement permit can also exist to enable the child to acquire German citizenship. This is because the issuance of a settlement permit is a necessary prerequisite for such acquisition.<\/p>\n

The L\u00fcneburg Higher Administrative Court clarified in the following ruling that the retroactive issuance of a settlement permit fulfills the requirement of Section 4 (3) No. 2 StAG in cases where neither parent held an unlimited right of residence at the time of the child\u2019s birth. The court also noted that the scope of administrative decisions must be determined by interpretation, and general statements about what is implied by the issuance of a residence title regarding the period of validity and potential rejection of other periods are not possible.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Introduction and Facts<\/span><\/h3>\n

The plaintiff, a Syrian national, sought the retroactive issuance of a settlement permit. He entered Germany in 1996 and applied for asylum. In 1999, the Hanover Administrative Court determined that the conditions of Section 51 (1) AuslG were met, and from that point on, the plaintiff continuously held residence permits, later receiving a residence permit under Section 25 (2) AufenthG. On October 7, 2009, he was finally granted a settlement permit. In 2011, the plaintiff applied for naturalization for himself and his son, but he withdrew the application after the naturalization authority refused to include his son, arguing that a long-term lawful residence in Germany would only exist after eight years, i.e., from July 2017. On April 26, 2013, the plaintiff applied for the retroactive issuance of the settlement permit from the date of the application, which the defendant rejected by decision dated December 16, 2013.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Rejection by the Defendant and First-Instance Judgment<\/span><\/h3>\n

The defendant argued that the plaintiff had suffered no disadvantage due to the failure to inform him in time about the possibility of a settlement permit. There was no legitimate interest in retroactive issuance because the plaintiff already held a settlement permit, and his family community was sufficiently protected by his wife and children\u2019s residence permits. Reopening the case was ruled out due to the lack of a legitimate interest and grounds for reopening.<\/p>\n

The Hanover Administrative Court dismissed the lawsuit on February 3, 2016, citing the lack of a need for legal protection. The court found no legitimate interest in the plaintiff\u2019s residence status, employment, or use of public funds. The court followed the defendant\u2019s reasoning that the plaintiff had not suffered a legal disadvantage due to the failure to inform him. A claim for restitution is not recognized in administrative law, and no disadvantage arose for the plaintiff due to the processing time.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Appeal Proceedings and Plaintiff\u2019s Argument<\/span><\/h3>\n

The plaintiff appealed against the judgment, arguing that the retroactive issuance of the settlement permit would improve his legal position, particularly regarding possible naturalization if his son were to become a German citizen. The linkage of his legal position with that of his son stemmed from Article 6 GG. He argued that the defendant should have informed him in May 2008 that he was entitled to a settlement permit. This duty should have been fulfilled ex officio.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Decision of the L\u00fcneburg Higher Administrative Court<\/span><\/h3>\n

The L\u00fcneburg Higher Administrative Court ruled in favor of the plaintiff and overturned the first-instance judgment. The appeal was admissible and well-founded because the plaintiff had a legitimate interest in the retroactive issuance of the settlement permit. This interest did not stem from improving his own legal position but from that of his son. A retroactive issuance would have resulted in the son acquiring German citizenship by birth under Section 4 (3) StAG. The court emphasized that the plaintiff\u2019s legitimate interest was not negated by his son\u2019s lawful residence permit from 2017, as acquiring citizenship by birth and later naturalization are not equivalent.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Legal Reasoning and Interpretation<\/span><\/h3>\n

The court found that the issuance of the settlement permit on October 7, 2009, did not imply a rejection for the prior period. The plaintiff\u2019s application for the earliest possible issuance was to be interpreted as seeking retroactive validity. The defendant had seen no need to examine retroactive issuance as it was not informed of the significance of the settlement permit for the son\u2019s citizenship. Therefore, it was assumed that the defendant had not rejected retroactive issuance.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Claim for Retroactive Issuance<\/span><\/h3>\n

The plaintiff met the requirements of Section 26 (3) AufenthG, as he had held a residence permit under Section 25 (2) AufenthG for more than three years, and the Federal Office\u2019s negative certificate was present. The defendant should have refrained from applying general issuance obstacles, and there were no indications of obstacles during the period from June 5 to October 6, 2009.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Conclusion and Judgment<\/span><\/h3>\n

The Higher Administrative Court overturned the Hanover Administrative Court\u2019s judgment and ordered the defendant to grant the plaintiff a settlement permit for the period from June 5, 2009, to October 6, 2009. The plaintiff had a legitimate interest in the retroactive issuance, particularly due to the citizenship issue concerning his son. The plaintiff\u2019s appeal was therefore successful.<\/p>\n

Source: L\u00fcneburg Higher Administrative Court<\/p>\n

Important Note: The content of this article has been prepared to the best of our knowledge and belief. However, due to the complexity and constant evolution of the subject matter, we must exclude liability and warranty.<\/strong> Important Notice: The content of this article has been created to the best of our knowledge and understanding. However, due to the complexity and constant changes in the subject matter, we must exclude any liability and warranty.<\/p>\n

If you need legal advice, please feel free to call us at 0221 - 80187670<\/strong> or send us an email to info@mth-partner.de<\/p>\n

Lawyers in Cologne advise and represent clients nationwide in immigration law.<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The parent's settlement permit is a prerequisite for the child's acquisition of German citizenship. An ideal interest worthy of protection in the retroactive granting of a settlement permit may therefore also lie in enabling the child to acquire German citizenship. <\/p>","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":11619,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3660],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5379","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-einbuergerung"],"yoast_head":"\nAusl\u00e4nderrecht: R\u00fcckwirkende Erteilung der Niederlassungserlaubnis - Erwerb der deutschen Staatsangeh\u00f6rigkeit<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Erwerb der Staatsangeh\u00f6rigkeit durch Geburt, schutzw\u00fcrdiges Interesse, Ablehnung, Bestandskraft, Regelung, Auslegung\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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