German Citizenship by Descent/Ancestry for Americans in 2026

If you are an American citizen with German ancestry, you may be eligible for citizenship by descent. Whether or not you are eligible will largely depend on when you were born, the nationality of your parents, and whether or not they were married when you were born.

Note that you yourself cannot acquire German citizenship by descent from a German grandparent. If your parent might have acquired German citizenship by descent from your German grandparent(s), you can obtain German citizenship through descent from your parent.

Being born in Germany is not sufficient to obtain German citizenship. However, you may still be eligible for German citizenship through naturalization even if you do not have German ancestry. This will generally be an option after five years of living legally and continuously in Germany.

There are also a number of other potential routes to German citizenship, including adoption, declaration, and marriage.

Page Contents

• Obtaining German Citizenship through Descent/Ancestry: Overview
• Eligibility for German Citizenship by Descent/Ancestry
• German Citizenship By Declaration
• How to Apply For German Citizenship by Descent?
• Required Documents for German Citizenship by Descent
• Benefits of Obtaining German Citizenship by Descent
• German Dual Citizenship by Descent
• Processing Time
• Application Fees For German Citizenship by Descent
• Other Ways of Acquiring Citizenship in Germany
• German Citizenship Through Naturalization
• How Can Total Law Help?
• Frequently Asked Questions

If you are of German descent but did not qualify for German citizenship under the routes already described in this article, you may still be able to obtain German citizenship by declaration. According to the Fourth Act Amending the Nationality Act, a 10-year right of declaration which came into force on 20th August 2021, certain people born to a German parent after 23rd May 1949 may be eligible for German citizenship by declaration.

This route may be an option for you if you were denied citizenship by descent at birth due to past gender-discriminatory versions of the Reich and Nationality Act. Under past versions of this German law, German citizenship was sometimes denied on gender-discriminatory grounds.

For example, you may have been denied German citizenship on gender-discriminatory grounds if you were born out of wedlock to a German mother and non-German father before January 1975, or if your mother lost her German citizenship due to marrying a non-German citizen.

If this applies to you, you may be able to gain German citizenship through this 10-year right of declaration. Note that there is no guarantee that this will continue to be the case once the 10 years have passed.

To apply for German citizenship by descent, you will first need to apply to your local German embassy or consulate. In the US, these services can be found in Washington DC, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and San Francisco. You will need to provide your local consular services with a completed application form and all of the required documents.

Once the application has been submitted, you will receive confirmation that it has been received. You will also be informed if you need to submit further information or documents.

The Bundesverwaltungsamt (BVA) or the Federal Office of Administration in Cologne, Germany is the sole authority for every German citizenship by descent application. Your local US embassy/consulate will forward your application package to BVA for processing. If the application is successful, you will then receive a certificate of German citizenship.

Once you have successfully acquired German citizenship, you will then be eligible to apply for a passport.

There are a number of documents which you will need to submit as part of your application for German citizenship by descent. Though the exact combination will depend on your specific circumstances, you will generally need to submit the following:

• Passport
• Any additional forms of personal ID
• Birth certificate
• The birth certificate(s) of your parent(s)
• Your parents’ marriage certificate (if applicable)
• Any additional family records, demonstrating your German ancestry (e.g. anything which demonstrates that you have a German mother or German father)
• Certificate of good conduct from the country in which you reside
• Clean criminal record
• Paternity test results from your biological father where applicable

Depending on the nature of your application, you may also be required to submit additional documents as part of your application. If you are asked to provide additional evidence or information as part of your application, make sure to do so promptly to minimize processing delays.

Every non-German document must be translated by a sworn translator formally recognized by a German court.

There are a number of benefits if you are able to successfully acquire German citizenship.

For one, Germany is part of the EU, so German citizenship allows you to live, work, and study in the other EU member states. You will also have easy travel access to the other countries in the EU.

Additionally, Germany has a thriving economy and numerous professional opportunities, as well as world-class universities and educational institutions. It offers numerous professional and educational opportunities for you and your family.

Furthermore, Germany is a culturally rich country with numerous museums, sites of historical interest, and opportunities to engage with people of other cultures.

In sum, German citizens possess numerous benefits on account of their German citizenship status, making German citizenship well worth pursuing.

You can be a dual national (e.g., a dual American German citizen) after obtaining German citizenship by descent. Previously, Germany did not allow dual citizenship. However, following the major reforms of Germany’s citizenship law effective from June 27, 2024, non-EU nationals (such as Americans) do not have to renounce their original citizenship anymore when obtaining German citizenship.

Note that, however, the German Act to Modernise Nationality Law’s are not retroactive in nature. Previous provisions related to acquisition and relinquishment of German nationality continue to apply to legacy cases. So, if you voluntarily renounced your German nationality to acquire US citizenship prior to 2024, you may apply for discretionary re-naturalization under Section 13 of the Nationality Act provided you meet the conditions thereof (such as demonstrating that you have continued ties to Germany and are financially self-sufficient, etc.).

If you have dual American German citizenship, you will be entitled to enjoy the rights and benefits as a citizen in both countries. You will, however, be subject to the rules and regulations of both countries including taxation laws.

The processing time for German citizenship by descent varies based on a number of factors, such as whether your application is submitted correctly and how many other applications are simultaneously being processed. A German citizenship by descent application may take 2-3 years to be processed.

You can minimize how long your application takes to process by making sure to submit your application correctly, promptly providing any additional information which is requested, and ensuring that you satisfy all the eligibility criteria at the point at which you apply.

You may also choose to seek legal representation in order to help make your application as smooth as possible. Contact Total Law today on +1 844 290 6312 to learn more about how we can help with this.

You will have to pay a fee of €300 to apply for German citizenship by descent. There may also be additional costs associated with your application. For example, you may need to pay a substantial fee to have your necessary documents translated into German by a sworn translator.

You may also choose to pay for legal assistance in order to make your application as smooth as possible. Contact Total Law today on +1 844 290 6312 in order to learn more about the numerous services which we offer.

Alongside German citizenship by descent and declaration, there are a number of other routes through which American citizens may automatically be entitled to German citizenship.

If you are a non-German woman who married a German man between April 1, 1914, and March 31, 1953, you will automatically have acquired German citizenship. If you did so between April 1, 1953, and December 31, 1969, you may also have done so, though this will depend on your specific circumstances.

If you were legally adopted as a minor by a German citizen on January 1, 1977, or later, you will automatically have gained German citizenship, providing that the adoption took place in Germany. If it took place outside of Germany, you may still be eligible, but you will need to satisfy further conditions.

If you were previously a citizen of the German Democratic Republic, you likely gained automatic citizenship of Germany. You may also have received German citizenship during World War II if you are from a German minority in either central or eastern Europe.

If you are not eligible for any of the routes to German citizenship already listed in this article, it may still be possible for you to obtain German citizenship through naturalization. However, there are a number of criteria which you must satisfy in order to be eligible.

Generally, you will need to have legally and continuously resided in Germany for at least five years to be eligible for German citizenship through naturalization. Previously, the requirement was eight years, but the German Act to Modernise Nationality Law effective from June 27, 2024, reduced the number of years from eight to five.

It was previously possible to reduce the required number of years in certain circumstances. For example, if you have completed a German integration course. The German federal government amended the Citizenship Act to reinforce the link between naturalisation and sustainable integration in 2025, abolishing the option of fast-track naturalisation after three years of residence.

However, if you are married to, or in a civil partnership with, a German citizen, you can apply for naturalization as a German citizen after living legally in Germany for only three years. You must be married or in a registered civil partnership for at least two years at the time of your naturalization application.

Other eligibility criteria include sufficient proficiency in the German language, consent to Germany’s constitution (known as the ‘Basic Law’), and passing Germany’s naturalization test.

The application fee for citizenship through naturalization is €255 per adult applicant and €51 for each dependent child included in the application.