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Obtaining a German Passport

Has anyone heard of obtaining German passport if your grandparents immigrated from Germany?
My grandfather and grandmother immigrated around 1915. Over the weekend an acquaintance said that I would qualify to obtain a German passport due to my grandparents being born in Germany. Both of my parents were born in the USA, neither of my parents were ever a German citizen. Thanks for any input.

Posted by
10178 posts

I don't have a definitive answer, but I can tell you that my cousin can't get one. She was born in the U.S. to an American father and German mother. She moved to Germany in the mid-1970's when she was about 3 years old and has lived there since that time. If she's not eligible I don't think you would be either.

Posted by
32517 posts

and you can't get a passport before you are a citizen

Posted by
23177 posts

At one time Irish grandparents would get you an Ireland passport so maybe that is where the idea of the German passport came. I have never heard or read that Germany would make it easy for a passport. Let us know what you learn.

Posted by
2308 posts

Every information you need is available here. But ...

neither of my parents were ever a German citizen.

... if your grandparents have given up German citizenship, there is no way for you to claim it back.

Posted by
60 posts

Thank you everyone for your responses.
Thank you Augusta for the link.

Posted by
22 posts

In recent years there have been many people around the world who are descendants of those who were stripped of their German citizenship during the Nazi regime who have now obtained German citizenship. This is what you may have heard about. I am one of those people. Application for German citizenship is granted under Article 116 of the German constitution from sometime in the 1950's and the rules have been altered and amended ever since. It seems that many 2nd and 3rd generation Holocaust Survivors in the USA and globally have been most interested in this "repatriation" to Germany.

My parents arrived in the US in the fall of 1939 as a young married couple. My family still has their German passports issued in 1939 with yellow stars stamped on them along with their identifying (mis)names as being Sarah and Israel. Those Nazi era passports along with a few other necessary documents made it relatively easy to qualify. There are many requirements to qualify, as you can imagine. Lots of documents, authentication and patience!

This does not apply to your situation, I realize - that your grandparents left Germany in 1915. I do believe that the buzz about obtaining German citizenship comes from all the interest in Article 116 lately. The German Embassy and Consulate web-site has all the information you would need about US citizens and German citizenship.

https://www.germany.info/us-en/service/03-Citizenship/restoration-of-german-citizenship/925120

https://www.germany.info/us-en/-/2370240

Posted by
91 posts

I noticed this thread very late but thought I would add my family's experience.

If your father was descended from your German grandparents, check whether your grandfather was, at the time of your father's birth, married to your grandmother and still a German citizen. In that case, your father might well have been born a German citizen. If he still was one at the time of your birth, you might be one, too. (If it's your mother who is descended from the German grandparents, you could also be in luck if you were born in 1975 or later.)

The act of becoming naturalized in the US would likely have ended your grandfather's German citizenship, but if your grandfather never became a US citizen, or if he hadn't completed naturalization by the time your father or mother was born — and as long as your grandparents were married at the time — your father or mother might have been born a German citizen. Assuming, then, that your father or mother did not become naturalized in a third country before you were born, you too might have been born a German citizen.

World War I and the concomitant wave of anti-German sentiment in the US might have delayed naturalizations in your grandparents' time.

In my family's case, my maternal grandparents were barred from completing US naturalization until after World War II, and so my mom happened to be born a German citizen. My younger sibling is German as a result. I am not, because before 1975, only fathers could pass down German citizenship. Another wrinkle is that my mom became naturalized in a third country. Luckily for my sibling, the naturalization process wasn't completed until after we were born.

The process of applying for my sibling's German passport took more than a year. Century-old vital records were cheerfully provided, I think by local authorities in the towns where my grandparents were born, though it might have been by German state authorities, or by a German federal authority. Either way, I remember that my mom had to write to Germany to obtain the records, and that these were issued on modern, computer-printed forms, instead of being "certified photostatic copies". Even though we couldn't see the original birth and marriage registrations, we were amazed that the information was still available, and we learned a few new details about my grandparents' lives.

I should add that the process involved many visits to the consulate, months of waiting, and an unpleasant agent who was obsessed with minute details. My mom came face-to-face with an ugly aspect of German culture, and she called the guy out, after which my sibling received a German passport in short order.

Sadly, after our childhood trips, my sibling has never traveled back to Germany, whereas I learned the language, have returned many times, and would give anything for an EU passport. Oh well!

I hope you'll investigate the possibility of a German citizenship claim and report back here.

Posted by
4539 posts

cognac, the process for Italian citizenship for descendants has many similarities to what you describe - including a date before which citizenship could only be passed through the paternal line. That has been determined in Italian courts to be discrimination and lawyers now successfully gain citizenship for their clients (born on the wrong side of that date) through the maternal line. It does require the extra step of going to court with a lawyer knowledgeable in the discrimination precedent.

You might check whether any such precedents have been established in Germany that would now make you eligible to pursue citizenship.

Posted by
91 posts

Thanks for the tip, CWSocial! It's a really good idea, and I did save a clipping for a German citizenship attorney in the Bay Area, some years ago.

Posted by
195 posts

My sister and I both obtained our German citizenship a few years ago. Our parents immigrated in 1954, 6 months before I was born. They did not naturalize until 5 years later. Because my father was still a German citizen at the time of our births, we were able to obtain citizenship. I did have to provide a copy of my fathers birth certificate as well as my grandfather’s birth certificate and marriage certificate to prove lineage. Our children inherited citizenship from us and now we all have our German passports.

Posted by
3938 posts

I have been following this thread for my Bay Area daughter-in-law and two granddaughters. She is just beginning the process and your insight, experiences and links have been helpful to her. They should qualify for citizenship under article 116. Now to do all of the paperwork!