German Citizenship Check
Are you German by descent, and if so, which procedure fits your family? Most people with German ancestors never find out, because the rules look too complicated to even start. This check asks the questions we ask in a first consultation, one at a time, and shows you the procedure that most likely applies: a confirmation of citizenship, a declaration under Section 5 StAG, a restoration claim under Section 15 StAG or Article 116 (2) of the Basic Law.
It takes about two minutes. At the end you can send your answers directly to our lawyers in Calgary.
This check gives a first orientation based on the rules of German nationality law. It does not replace legal advice. Your answers stay in your browser until you decide to send them to us.
HOW THE CHECK WORKS
The check follows your family line from the ancestor who last lived in Germany to you. It looks for the events that, under German nationality law, can end the line or open a special route:
- persecution by the Nazi regime between 1933 and 1945,
- emigration before 1904 under the nationality law of 1870,
- a naturalization abroad before the next child was born,
- the old rules on German mothers before 1975, unmarried German fathers before July 1, 1993 and marriages of German women before April 1, 1953,
- the registration rule for births abroad since 2000.
The result is a first orientation, not a legal assessment. Exact dates from naturalization files and German archives often change the picture. Background on each point: German citizenship by descent in Canada, in the USA, through great-grandparents and our document checklist.