The current German Citizenship Act (Staatsangehörigkeitsgesetz, replacing the “Reichs- und Staatsangehörigkeitsgesetz of 1914) entered into force on January 1st, 2000.

It has seen numerous amendments over the years, which still have an impact today.

The following criteria play a vital role in answering the question whether a person is German or not.

- date of birth
- whether a child was born from a German father or mother
- the fact whether the parents were married at the time of birth of a child or whether the child was born out of wedlock

The latest amendment of the German citizenship Act (see here) introduced the possibility to become German by declaration for persons who could not acquire the German citizenship by descent and an additional legal basis for persons whose ancestors were deprived of their German citizenship or who were forced to leave Germany due to the national socialist persecution.

If you want to find out whether you are a German citizen by birth or whether you may become a German citizen through declaration or naturalization, please check the various categories below for further information before contacting us.