Under earlier provisions of German citizenship law, not all children were able to acquire German citizenship by descent from a parent who was German at the time of the child’s birth.

As of 20 August 2021, persons affected who were born after the enactment of the Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany (23 May 1949) are able to acquire German citizenship by declaration.

This concerns persons who, because of earlier gender-discriminatory provisions in citizenship law, were unable to acquire German citizenship by birth or who lost the German citizenship they acquired by birth (section 5 of the Nationality Act).

Eligible persons include:

1. children of a German parent (father or mother) who did not acquire German citizenship from him or her (e.g. children born in wedlock to a German mother and a foreign father prior to 1975 or born out of wedlock to a German father and a foreign mother prior to 1 July 1993), or
2. children of a mother who, prior to their birth, lost her German citizenship by marrying a non-German, or
3. children who lost their German citizenship acquired by birth as a result of legitimation, as their German mother married their non-German father after their birth, or
4. descendants of a person eligible under nos. 1 to 3.

The declaration must be received by the Federal Office of Administration by 19 August 2031 at the latest.

A detailed checklist of who is eligible for naturalisation by declaration, subject to what conditions, can be found in the Federal Office of Administration information sheet.

Further information and all the information sheets and forms can also be found on the website of the Federal Office of Administration.

How do I file the declaration?

Before you file a declaration via the Embassy in London or the Consulate General in Edinburgh for the purpose of acquiring German citizenship, please read the Federal Office of Administration guidance.

Please submit your application via the German mission responsible for your area.

Please use the Federal Office of Administration declaration forms for your declaration.

Please note that the declaration forms must be filled in in German.

For your declaration for the acquisition of German citizenship you will need the following documents:

• Declaration form (“EER”)
• Appendix “Anlage_EER”
• Appendix “AV” for each of your ancestors going back to the person who was unable to pass on their German citizenship (reference person)
• Copy of your current foreign passport
• Additional documents for yourself and your ancestors:
  • Documents to prove descent and identity, e.g. birth certificates, certificates of parentage, marriage certificates, family registers, foreign identity papers (e.g. passport, identity cards, residence cards for foreigners),
• Proof that the reference person held German citizenship:
  • German identity papers (e.g. passport, identity card, children's identity card), certificates of naturalisation, certificates attesting that German nationality was acquired by declaration or by opting for it, certificate of resettler status, expellee documents, registration certificates, refugee's identity cards, certificates of nationality, excerpt from the German register of residents
• Any other useful documents, e.g.
  • Documents concerning the non-acquisition of another nationality (non-acquisition certificate)
  • Documentation attesting to any other citizenships held/ acquired
  • Records of name changes
  • Custody documentation (for applications for children under 16)
• Police clearance certificate for the country of residence (ACRO or DBS) for applicants aged 14 and over

Please enclose authenticated copies of all supporting documents with the application. The police clearance certificate is the only document where the original must be submitted.

Please also enclose a complete set of unauthenticated copies of the application form and supporting documents. In addition, you need a certified German translation of any documents not in English, French or German. To have your copies authenticated, please book an appointment with our legalisation desk. You can then submit your complete declaration documentation at this appointment.

Alternatively, copies can be authenticated by a notary public or one of our Honorary Consuls.

Please note: the Honorary Consuls will authenticate copies of up to 5 documents. You are not allowed to book more than one appointment for the same application. Honorary Consuls cannot advise on applications or help you fill in the forms. If you have any questions, please contact the Embassy or Consulate General.

In this case please send us your complete application documentation by post. Please do not send us the originals of the supporting documents. The documents you submit, including any originals, will NOT be returned to you at the end of the process.

The postal address is:

German Embassy London
Legal and Consular Section
23 Belgrave Square
London SW1X 8PZ

or

Consulate General Edinburgh
Legal and Consular Section
16 Eglinton Crescent
Edinburgh EH12 5DG

You will receive confirmation of receipt from us once your declaration has been forwarded to the Federal Office of Administration. If you have a query about your declaration, please always state the reference number indicated in this confirmation of receipt.

If additional information or documentation is required during processing, we will get in touch with you. Otherwise we will only be in touch once the final outcome of your application is known. Because processing in Germany is likely to take some time, we would ask you not to enquire about the progress of your application until at least 30 months have passed since receipt of the confirmation of receipt.

Contact form

If after reading the information on our website you still have questions about German citizenship, please answer the following questions by email via our contact form (select the topic: Citizenship enquiries).

1. When and where were you born?
2. What was the nationality of your parents at the time of your birth? Have your parents ever had or do they still have a German passport?
3. Were your parents married to each other at the time of your birth? If applicable, when and where did your parents get married? If not, has your father acknowledged paternity?
4. When and where were your parents born?
5. What was the nationality of your parents when they were born?
6. Have your parents ever acquired British (or a different) citizenship? If so, when?
7. What nationality (nationalities) did your grandparents have at the time your parents were born?
8. Were your grandparents married to each other at the time your mother/your father was born? When and where did they get married?
9. Have you, your parents or your grandparents ever applied for British (or a different) citizenship? If so, please state who was naturalised, and when, and which family members may have been included in the (parents’) application.
10. Have you, your parents or your grandparents ever performed military service in a country other than Germany? If so, when?
11. Are you or was one of your ancestors adopted? If so, who and when?