Path to citizenship
- Apply180-730 days
- Citizenshipgranted
Overview
- Country
- Germany
- Program
- German Citizenship Restoration (Nazi Persecution Descendants)
- Local name
- Wiedereinbürgerung nach Art. 116 Abs. 2 GG / § 15 StAG
- Type
- Citizenship Restoration
- Status
- Active
- Processing time
- 180-730 days
- Dual citizenship
- Allowed
- Visa-free countries
- 185 destinations
- Passport rank
- #4 (Henley Index)
Citizenship restoration for victims of Nazi persecution (1933-1945) who were deprived of German citizenship on political, racial, or religious grounds, and their descendants. Two pathways: Article 116(2) of the Basic Law (Grundgesetz) for those forcibly deprived of citizenship, and Section 15 StAG (Fourth Act Amending the Nationality Act, 2021) for broader cases of persecution-related loss. Section 15 has a deadline of August 19, 2031.
Fees and costs
- Application fee
- $0
- Passport fee
- $275
Eligibility and requirements
- Police clearance not required
- Medical exam not required
Ancestry requirements
- Generational limit
- No limit
- Ancestor citizenship
- Must have been citizen
- Application deadline
- Aug 19, 2031
Family
- Dependents
- Allowed
- Spouse
- Not included
Passport and mobility
- Passport rank
- #4 (Henley Index)
- Visa-free access
- 185 countries
- Passport validity
- 10 years
- EU citizenship
- Yes
- Schengen access
- Yes
- US E-2 treaty
- Yes — eligible for US investor visa
How to apply
- Method
- Both
- Apply from abroad
- Yes
- Application type
- Deadline
- Official website
- www.germany.info
- Legal basis
- Article 116(2) Basic Law (Grundgesetz); Section 15 Nationality Act (StAG), Fourth Act Amending the Nationality Act (August 20, 2021)
Notes and caveats
Two separate pathways: (1) Article 116(2) GG — constitutional right for those forcibly deprived of citizenship between Jan 30, 1933 and May 8, 1945, and their descendants. No deadline. (2) Section 15 StAG — broader provision enacted August 20, 2021, covering cases where citizenship was lost or denied due to persecution but doesn't fit Art. 116(2) exactly (e.g., women who lost citizenship through marriage, children who acquired father's foreign nationality). DEADLINE: August 19, 2031 for Section 15 applications. Both routes are free of charge. No language, residency, or renunciation requirements. The Arolsen Archives can help locate historical records.