Guide to German Dual Citizenship Requirements
If you’re looking to become a German dual citizen, then you’re going to have to see if you’re eligible to start with. Becoming a dual citizen in Germany comes with a ton of perks including access to the European Union and allowing visa-free travel in a whole host of nations.
So, with such great perks, here’s our guide to German dual citizenship requirements to help you on your path to getting that dream German passport!
Let’s dive in and find out more.
Can I become a dual citizen in Germany?
Essentially, there are three main ways that you can become a dual citizen of Germany.
- By birth
- By naturalization
- Through your ancestors
However, in order to be eligible for any of these, you need to make sure that the other country on your dual citizenship actually allows for dual citizenship to take place. Many countries don’t like to share their citizens so have a blanket ban on dual citizenships.
Before you go any further down this road, you need to check if your current citizenship is open to dual citizenship. Otherwise, you might have to renounce one citizenship entirely!
What are the dual citizenship by birth rules?
Okay, so seemingly the most straightforward way to get dual citizenship is through birth. However, as with a lot of German bureaucracy, it’s not always that simple.

There are four different avenues that can make you eligible for German dual citizenship by birth, so let’s go through them one by one to check out the requirements.
If you were born in Germany to a German parent and a foreign parent
In this case, it doesn’t matter if your German parent was born in Germany or became a citizen through naturalization, you still meet the requirements for dual citizenship. You essentially get to keep both the citizenships of your parents as long as they both allow dual citizenship.
If you were born in Germany to parents with multiple citizenships
So, if your parents are dual citizens themselves and one of those citizenships is German, you can claim German dual citizenship. This can get a little messy if there are more than two citizenships in the mix, but you can claim the two that work for you, as long as they accept dual citizenship.
If you were born in Germany to foreign parents
This one is contingent on how long your parents have lived in Germany. If one of your parents has lived in Germany for eight years or more and has a permanent resident card, you can apply to become a dual citizen.
If you were born in Germany to foreign parents and they haven’t lived in the country that long, or don’t have permanent residency, then you don’t meet the German dual citizenship requirements.
If you were born abroad to a German parent
As long as you have one German parent, you can be eligible for German dual citizenship, regardless of where you were born. The caveat is that you have to live in Germany for at least eight years and go to school there for at least six years to meet the requirements.
So, either move there as a child or go there for university and add on a Master’s degree and/or doctorate!
Can I get dual citizenship if I have a German ancestor?
If you’re lucky enough to have an ancestor from Germany, you may be able to apply for German dual citizenship. However, you will first need to go through the full German citizenship process to be eligible.

You need to send a completed and signed application form, which can be found on the Federal Office website.
In addition to this, you also need to send over a whole host of documentation:
- Your valid national passport
- Any ID documents
- Birth certificates for you and your German ancestors
- Death certificates for your German ancestors (if applicable)
- Marriage certificates for your German ancestors (if applicable)
- A copy of your family book showing the familial links between you and your German ancestor
- Name change certificates (if applicable)
- Any other supporting documents
Once you’ve sent this all through and it’s been approved, you’ll become a German citizen. As you won’t have renounced your current citizenship, you’ll automatically become a German dual citizen, as long as your initial country allows dual nationality.
Make sure that your German ancestor was also a citizen of Germany, as the citizenship rules for Germans have changed a lot over the last 100 years. You might have to apply to restore your ancestor’s citizenship before you can apply for your own citizenship, so check the citizenship status of your German relative before you start this process.
Can I get dual citizenship through naturalization?
If you’ve lived in Germany for eight years or more, have a valid resident’s permit, and can prove that you can speak and understand German to a B1 standard, you may be able to apply for German dual citizenship through naturalization. In fact, this can be lowered to six years of living in Germany if you pass an integration test to show that you know and understand the culture, history, and values of Germany.

However, there are some more requirements that you have to meet if you want German dual citizenship through naturalization.
You can apply for German dual citizenship if:
- Your home nation doesn’t allow you to give up your citizenship
- Your home nation is either Switzerland or an EEA or EU member state
- You have refugee status in Germany
- Or you can prove that it’ll cause financial hardship to give up your current citizenship, including affecting your business, income, housing situation, etc.
Can I get dual citizenship if I’m living overseas?
If you’re a German citizen who is living abroad, you can apply for dual citizenship, but you need the approval of the German government first.
You can find the citizenship retention application form on the German Federal Office website and download it from there.
Once you’ve filled out the application, you need to make your case for why you’re applying for dual citizenship and how it’s going to benefit your life. This might be for business purposes, studying, or tax reasons, there are a ton of reasons you can use.
You also need to demonstrate that you have a strong bond with Germany in order to retain your citizenship. This could be that you have a business or property in Germany, it might be that you still have family or friends over there, but you have to state clearly that you’re still bonded to Germany even though you’re living overseas and are applying for dual citizenship.
Send these documents across with your national passport, ID, and resident permit from the country you’re living in and the German government will decide whether you meet the requirements enough to have dual citizenship.
If you’re approved, your retention certificate will be sent to your local German government office and it’ll cost a total of 225 Euros. If you’re rejected, it means that your reasoning either for asking for dual citizenship or proving your bond to Germany wasn’t compelling or strong enough. You can appeal the decision, but this can be time-consuming and costly.
What Are the benefits of German dual citizenship?
Let’s be honest, there are a whole host of amazing benefits that come with having German dual citizenship. From freedom of movement to visa-free travel, there’s a lot to love about German dual citizenship, so let’s check out a few of the best perks.
Visa-free travel
Visas can be annoying and expensive over time, so the fact that German dual-citizenship means that you have visa-free travel to 180 different countries is huge.
This is obviously in addition to any visa-free travel agreements that your other citizenship already has in place. If you’re coming from a nation with a less powerful passport, this is a huge bonus.
Access to the European Union
Many people opt for German dual citizenship so they can have access to the European Union (EU). This block of 27 countries across Europe has freedom of movement, meaning that if you’re a citizen of one of the countries, you can live, work, or study in any of them without having to get additional visas or paperwork.
So, you might not be eligible to live long-term in France, for instance, but if you’re eligible for German dual citizenship, you can apply for that and then live in France, restriction-free through the EU freedom of movement agreements.
Additional consular protection
Not every country has an embassy or consulate in every country or major city. By having the protection of two separate countries’ embassies, you’re guaranteed more assistance and guidance in an emergency overseas.
You hope it doesn’t happen, but it’s super handy if the worst does happen and you need to get out of a country quickly!
More business opportunities
If you’re an entrepreneur or want to start up a business, having dual citizenship means that you can set up and run businesses in two different countries. Not only does that make your businesses automatically global, but it can increase reach, give you access to business grants and support from two countries, and open up beneficial tax avenues to explore.