Bundesportal | Acquire German citizenship as a person living abroad by declaration

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Publisher

Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI)

Last update or date of publication

April 29, 2026

Contact

The government service telephone number 115 – your point of contact for questions related to the federal, state and local.

Monday through Friday from 8:00 to 18:00 (and beyond these times in some regions).

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After the Basic Law came into force, some provisions of nationality law that contained gender-discriminatory unequal treatment initially continued to apply.

Were you born after 23.05.1949 and were you or your ancestors unable to acquire German citizenship or lost it due to these regulations? Then you can make a declaration and acquire German citizenship.

If you meet the requirements, you will acquire German citizenship when the declaration is received by the relevant citizenship authority. If you live abroad, the competent citizenship authority is the Federal Office of Administration (BVA). You can also submit the declaration to the German diplomatic mission responsible for you abroad.

Please check with the competent authorities in your country of origin in good time before submitting the declaration to find out whether submitting the declaration of acquisition will affect your current citizenship. This depends solely on the law of the country of which you are currently a citizen.

Declaration of acquisition of German citizenship
Copy of your current foreign passport or identity document with passport photo and personal details
Your birth certificate or certificate of parentage
Birth or parentage certificates of your significant parent or grandparent
Marriage certificate of your parents or grandparents
Documents proving the German citizenship of your relevant parent or grandparent, such as
- Naturalization certificates
- Certificates or documents on the acquisition of German citizenship by declaration or option
- late repatriate certificate
- Appointment certificates for civil servants
- Certificates of citizenship
- certificates of origin
- Certificates or identity cards concerning legal status as a German or German national
- Passports, identity cards and other identity documents (including old ones)
- Registration confirmations
- ID cards for displaced persons
Current certificate of good conduct from your country of residence in the original
if applicable, the following documents:
- Adoption documents such as adoption certificate, court order
- marriage certificate
- Divorce documents such as divorce decree with final judgment
- Civil partnership certificate
- Documents for paternity acknowledgement or establishment
- Documents relating to name changes, such as name change certificates, marriage certificates or other official documents relating to the use of names

Download package Declaration of acquisition of German citizenship (for persons living abroad)

Preconditions

You were born after 23.05.1949.
You belong to one of these groups of people:
- You have one German parent and did not acquire German citizenship by birth.
- Your mother lost her German citizenship before your birth by marrying a foreign spouse.
- You were recognized as a child by a foreign father and have therefore lost your German citizenship, which you acquired by birth through your mother.
- You are a descendant of an entitled person.
You are exempt from prosecution.

Hints

In the following cases, you cannot acquire German citizenship by declaration:

If you possessed German citizenship after your birth or after its loss due to recognition by a foreign father, but gave it up again or lost it or renounced it; this also applies to descendants born after this date, such as children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren or adopted children or

if you were born abroad after 31.12.1999 and
- did not submit a timely application for certification of your birth and therefore did not acquire German citizenship or
- if you could still acquire German citizenship through such certification but have not yet submitted an application.

Costs may be incurred for the procurement of documents, translations and notarizations.

Basis for legal action

§ 5 Absatz 1 und 4 Staatsangehörigkeitsgesetz (StAG)

§ 5 Gesetz über die Errichtung des Bundesverwaltungsamtes (BVwAG)

Legal Remedies

Appeal
You will find further information on how to lodge an objection in your notification.

Procedure

You or your authorized representative can submit the declaration of acquisition of German citizenship

online or by post at the Federal Office of Administration (BVA) or
by post or by appointment in person at your competent German diplomatic mission abroad

If you would like to submit the declaration online:

Go to the website of the federal portal. The portal will guide you step by step through the declaration and the necessary supporting documents.
The BVA will check your declaration and, if necessary, request certified copies of documents.
If your declaration is approved, the BVA will send your naturalization certificate to the relevant diplomatic mission abroad. They will inform you about the further procedure for issuing the naturalization certificate.
If the BVA does not accept your declaration, you will be informed by the diplomatic mission abroad.

If you wish to submit the declaration by post or in person:

You can receive all the necessary information in advance by email, telephone or in a personal meeting on site. Among other things, you will receive information about which documents you need to enclose with your declaration.
Download the declaration form from the BVA website. If necessary, the diplomatic mission abroad can assist you in completing the declaration.
Complete the form, sign it and send it together with the required documents by post to your responsible German diplomatic mission abroad. You can also hand it in there in person after making an appointment.
Alternatively, you can send your application with the documents by post to the BVA.
The BVA will check your declaration and inform you if further documents and information are required.
The next steps are the same as for the online application.

Deadlines

You must submit the declaration by 19.08.2031 at the latest. The date of receipt of the declaration by the Federal Office of Administration is decisive for meeting the deadline. Declarations received by the Federal Office of Administration after 19.08.2031 will no longer lead to the acquisition of German citizenship.

Processing time

2 years until 3 years
In individual cases, processing may take longer.

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