Obtaining German Citizenship

[Nathan]

hi, I was wondering if anyone could help me out. My father was born in ...the Fatherland, Germany. He has his German Birth Certificate. But he never got German citizenship. Now, can I recieve german citizenship? And obtain an EU passport?

[CanuckAbroad]

I was in almost the same position. At one point several years ago, my parents wrote the German consulate and they said "Of course! If you were born in Germany, then your children are German"

But, we never acted on it, and Germany has since changed its laws. I think in most cases now they don't even allow dual citizenship. You have to be Canadian or German, and if you choose German, depending on your age you might have to do military service.

I became unable to get german citizenship since they changed those laws, but again your best bet is to just call the Embassy and explain your situation. They can answer right away.

Good luck!

Matt

[ljosscan]

Dear Nathan,

The Germans seem very sticky about handing out citizenship. I was born on German soil, in a German hospital and when I contacted the embassy in the US, I was told that I could only qualify if one of my parents was a German citizen. I would suggest you contact at least three different consulates and/or embassies and be very assertive regarding your case. In my experience, when speaking to government officials from a variety of countries, you will often hear different opinions or understandings regarding their law. Persevere!

Fellow Canadian,

Louise

[Ryan676]

What about getting a work visa? any advice on that?

[Deanna_W]

Hi there! I'm in the same boat as you. Some years ago I contacted the German Embassy here in Toronto and begged and pleaded with them... If your parents gave up their German citizenship (or never had it) before you were born (which my parents did), you are absolutely not eligible.

[brieshea]

It is now possible to get dual citizenship for both Canadians & Americans with German background. It is called a "Beibehaltungsgenehmigung" I used to work for a German lawyer in Vancouver who specialized in them. I believe it costs around $3500 if you hire a lawyer to help you out. Without a lawyer I'm not sure of the cost. If you can prove that your parent/grandparent/great-grandparent was born in Germany after 1870 you should be able to pursue it. It is not always clear-cut and you may not be successful but it is definitely not impossible and worth looking into.

[Deanna_W]

That's terrific news! How about giving us the name and firm of the lawyer for which you worked in Van?

[brieshea]

Yes, I suppose the name would come in handy. There is 1 lawyer in Vancouver: Hubertus Liebrecht who also has an office in Toronto which is run by Oliver Nissen. Their website is www.liebrecht.com.