The German Bundestag passed new legislation to modernise citizenship law. Under the new legislation, multiple nationality will in future be allowed across the board, so it will no longer be necessary to obtain permission to retain German nationality pursuant to section 25 of the Nationality Act when acquiring a foreign nationality. Anyone who acquires a foreign nationality after this law comes into force will no longer lose their German nationality.

The law was published in the Federal Law Gazette on 26.03.2024 and will enter into force on 27.06.2024 (three months after publication).

Please note that, at present, the current legislation still applies.

If you acquire a foreign nationality, you will still lose your German nationality if you have not obtained prior permission to retain it! It may be simpler and more economical for you to wait for the new legislation to come into force before you apply for naturalisation in your country of residence.

However, if you do need to acquire the foreign nationality quickly (before the legislation comes into force), please contact the relevant citizenship authority in Germany, the Federal Office of Administration, for advice on applying for permission to retain German nationality.

Please note that you may experience long waiting times due to the high volume of calls.

If the Federal Office of Administration has advised you to apply for permission to retain German nationality, you can apply via the German missions in the United Kingdom. In this case please contact us using our contact form.