Obtain German Citizenship through Grandfather or Great-grandfather
Until January 07, 1993, the German father or father of German descent transmitted German nationality only to his children born in wedlock or legitimized later. But not to his extramarital children.
Since January 07, 1993, the German father or father of German descent transfers German nationality to all his children, whether they are born in wedlock or not.
Obtain German Citizenship through Grandmother or Great-grandmother
In cases where the mother is German, or has German ancestors, the children can obtain the German citizenship if the mother was single and born until January 1st, 1975 – for the children born since January 1st, 1975, the German mother transmits the German nationality to all their children, whether married or non-marital.
If the child was born before January 1st, 1975, and the civil status of the mother was married, it will not be possible to obtain German nationality by maternal descent.
Principally, it is possible to obtain German nationality through the grandfather/great-grandfather, but a verification of the transmission to each generation will be necessary in order to be able to pass it on further. That is, from the great-grandfather to the grandfather, from the grandfather to the father, etc.
Did Your German Ancestor Emigrate from Germany before or after the Year 1904?
There is a very important distinction to be made if your ancestor emigrated before 1904 or after 1904, which is why it is extremely important to know the exact year of your ancestor’s arrival.
Your German Ancestor Emigrated before 1904
The German ancestor who lived abroad for more than 10 years without registering in the Consular Registration of the embassy or consulate closest to his home, automatically lost the right to his German nationality after 10 years as well as their minor children (younger than 21). If your ancestor emigrated before 1904, it was a mandatory requirement to maintain German nationality.
If your ancestor emigrated from Germany before 1904, you will have to find out their status of the consular registration. If you do not have such documentation, contact us.
Your German Ancestor Emigrated from Germany after the Year 1904
In the event that your ancestor emigrated after 1904, the process will be much more flexible, since from the year 1914 on, the registration in the Registrations made this condition mandatory to continue maintaining the status of a German citizen.
A person may have a constitutional right to naturalization for various reasons laid down in Art. 116 (2) of the German Constitution (Grundgesetz).
The most common reason is being a German citizen who has been deprived of his/her rights as a German citizen (and was deprived of his/her nationality by German authorities for reasons of religious, racial or political beliefs between the dates of January 30, 1933 and May 8, 1945) or being a descendant of this person to whom the German Constitution guarantees the right to restitution of the citizenship which their ancestors lost due to the issues described above.
The German Nazi government had revoked the German citizenship of all Germans of Jewish religion or ideology, as well as their spouses and relatives by decree of November 25, 1941.
The law of the German Constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany, which was enacted as of 1949, grants in its article 116 the prompt recovery of citizenship to the person who was deprived and their relatives – children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren.
The descendants can claim this right, contact us!
For more information on how to obtain German citizenship through ancestors, you can contact us through WhatsApp.
German Citizenship through Descent
The principle of German citizenship applies on the basis of descent. Persons whose parents have German ancestors, i.e. are descended from German parents or grandparents or great-grandparents, may be granted citizenship if there is no change of generation under German citizenship law.
