How to Get a German Ancestry Visa

Are you lucky enough to be German by descent? Do you have a German grandmother lurking around? Do you want to move to Germany long-term and don’t want to have to worry about work sponsorship visas?

Well then, the German Ancestry Visa is going to be ideal for you. However, visas can be notoriously tricky, so here’s our guide to how to get a German Ancestry Visa. Let’s dive in and find out more. 

German Family Reunion Visa versus Citizenship by Descent

Okay, so before we go any further, it’s worth clarifying that Germany does not have an ancestry visa. It has German citizenship by descent. So, if you want to move to Germany and remain here based on ancestry, you’re either going to have to renounce your current citizenship or (if your home country allows it) apply for dual citizenship. 

This can be a big deal, especially if you have to renounce another nationality, but German citizenship comes with a whole host of perks including a powerful passport, access to live, work, and study in any EU member state, and a high-quality of living. 

If you’re looking for a more family-oriented long-term visa, the Family Reunion Visa exists, but that’s really to joining a German spouse or relative who is already in the country. So, unless your ancestor still happens to live in Germany, this may not be an option for you. 

How can I work out if I’m German by Descent?

First things first, you need to find out if you’re actually German by Descent in terms of the Ancestry visa.

a building with a flag

This can actually be trickier than it sounds because German nationality laws have constantly been changing over the course of the last 100 years or so. With that in mind, you need to work out which of your relatives were German citizens and what nationality laws were in place at the time. 

We’re going to go into the different nationality laws, which are genuinely mad, but in some cases, you might have had a German grandparent, but depending on their marital status and their gender, their children might not have actually been German citizens. It’s weird, but there are ways to work out if you’re a German citizen by descent, and therefore eligible for a German Ancestry Visa. 

How do I work out if my Ancestors were German?

Okay, let’s get into this. You need to know three key things about your German ancestor to continue down the path to visa eligibility:

  1. Were they born in or out of wedlock?
  2. When were they born?
  3. Which parent was a German citizen, was it the mother or the father?

This information is all going to play into whether your ancestors were German citizens or not, or if you may need to reclaim citizenship on their behalf. 

Born in Wedlock 

So, generally, if your ancestor had two German parents who were married when your ancestor was born, they’re going to be a German citizen. This is probably the most cut-and-dry case. The trouble comes when only one of the parents was a German citizen.

If your ancestor was born before the 1st of January 1975 and their father was a German citizen, then your ancestor would be entitled to German citizenship. At this time, the mothers didn’t pass down German citizenship, so if you had a German mother and a foreign father, you’d have the father’s citizenship, unless you were going to become stateless.

On the other hand, if your ancestor was born after the 1st of January 1975, it doesn’t matter which parent has German citizenship, as long as you were born in wedlock.

Born Out of Wedlock

Okay, so if your ancestor’s parents were not married at the time of their birth, the citizenship conversation completely changes. If they were born at any point after the 1st of January 1914 to a German mother, the child would have German citizenship. 

If they were born after the 1st of July 1993, it didn’t matter which parent had German citizenship, either side could be claimed, or if both countries allowed, the ancestor could claim dual citizenship. 

What do I do if my Ancestors lost their Citizenship?

Throughout the course of the last century or so, many Germans have lost their citizenship. The most prevalent instance of this has been Jewish German citizens who had their citizenship stripped during the Second World War.

an old woman sitting and 3 children

In addition to those who had their citizenship stripped based on race, politics, or religion, there were many Germans who were denied citizenship in the first place due to the gender of their German parent at the time of their birth.  

As of 2021, German citizens who had their citizenship taken from them or denied in the first place can apply to have them restored. This includes descendants of anyone who had been stripped of their German citizenship. 

Gender Discrimination Grounds

So, there are four ways in which ancestors may have lost or been denied their German citizenship in the first place based on gender.

  1. If they were born to a German mother and a foreign father in wedlock before the 1st January 1975. 
  2. If the German mother married a foreigner before the 1st of January 1975 and therefore gave up her own German citizenship in favor of his. At that time, women took the citizenship of their husbands and couldn’t retain their own, unless their husbands had the same citizenship.
  3. If the German mother had a baby out of wedlock before the 1st of January 1975, they’d pass their citizenship onto the child. However, if they marry a foreigner after the child is born, the mother would automatically assume the husband’s citizenship, as would the child, and they can no longer claim the mother’s citizenship. 
  4. Anyone who was a descendant of these three strands.

Political, Racial, or Religious Grounds

If your ancestor is one of the following, then they will have had their citizenship stripped at the time, but it can now be restored back to them.

  1. If your ancestor was a German Jewish citizen who fled persecution from the Nazis and lived abroad between the 30th of January 1933, and the 8th of May 1945.
  2. If your ancestor had their citizenship stripped by being named in the Reich Law Gazette (Reichsgesetzblatt).
  3. Anyone who is a descendant of these two strands.

How can I reclaim Citizenship by Descent?

As of August 2021, if you or an ancestor lost their German citizenship through one of the above ways, you can now apply to reclaim it. You have up to 10 years from when the law was introduced, so you have until August 2031 to reclaim citizenship either for yourself or your ancestors. 

If you’re in Germany, you need to apply to the German Federal Office of Administration (Bundesverwaltungsamt). They’ll look through your documentation and see whether you’re eligible or not and let you know.

If the answer is yes, you’ll receive a certificate of acquisition of German citizenship by declaration (Urkunde über den Erwerb der deutschen Staatsangehörigkeit durch Erklärung).

If you’re overseas, you need to go to your local embassy, German diplomatic office, or consulate, and they will forward all your information to the relevant German Federal Office of Administration. Again, you’ll hear back from them either way and if you’re approved, you’ll receive a certificate of acquisition of German citizenship by declaration.

Like any German bureaucracy, this can take a fair amount of time and paperwork, so do not expect this to be a quick process. 

How can I prove that I’m eligible for German Citizenship by Descent?

In order to get German citizenship by descent, you need to provide a whole host of documentation to prove that you have German ancestors who were actually citizens. 

a passport

When you’re thinking about supporting documents and paperwork, you’re going to need the following:

  • Your birth certificate, which also needs to show that you’re not a German child born overseas after the 31st of December 1999 who wasn’t registered with Section 36 of the Civil Status Act. 
  • Your ancestors’ birth certificates. You’ll also need to prove the link between you, so you might need a family tree of other ancestors’ birth or marriage licenses.  
  • Any old German passports if you have them
  • You need to show that you haven’t lost your citizenship after you’ve gained it once (with the exception of gender discrimination or racial, political, or religious persecution as outlined above).
  • Proof that you have a clean criminal record.
  • Any other forms that the Federal Office of Administration has asked for. 

Why opt for Citizenship by Descent over a Family Reunion Visa?

There are many great reasons why you should apply for German Citizenship by Descent over a Family Reunion Visa if you can.

Application caveats

Firstly, family reunion visas are hard to get as an adult. They’re designed to reunite spouses or children, rather than to help adults live with their aunt or grandfather.

In order to be approved, you need to show that you’re avoiding hardship by reuniting. This might revolve around caring for an elderly relative or helping them pay bills that they wouldn’t be able to manage otherwise. 

Citizenship by descent doesn’t really have those caveats. As long as you can prove your German lineage and all your paperwork checks out, you’re allowed to live, work, and study in Germany and the wider EU. 

Length of stay

While the Family Reunion Visa isn’t as short as many long-stay visas and doesn’t require as many reapplications year-on-year, it is dependent on how long the German spouse or relative stays in Germany.

You are wholly contingent on them. For example, if you’re looking after an elderly relative and they unfortunately pass on, you are no longer eligible to stay in Germany. 

On the other hand, citizenship lasts a lifetime unless you renounce it or do something truly horrific and get it stripped by the government. You won’t have to keep applying for visa extensions!

Rights and Benefits

Unless you are a German citizen, or in some local elections, an EU citizen, you cannot vote in German elections, so having citizenship by descent is huge for having your say in the way your home country or town is run. 

You’ll also have access to work, live, and study across the EU, which is not something you’d necessarily have on a family reunion visa. 

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