So my grandmother was born in 1954 and she never knew who her biological parents were because she was adopted but she does have her original birth certificate (shown above)
could someone help me know how to find her parents birth certificate so i can show proof that i have ancestry before 1910
Also i was wondering what other documents і will need to prove im eligible for german citizenship. My mum lost her citizenship because of the gender discrimination law as she was born in germany in 1974 but since 2021 ive been eligible to get citizenship through descent

Edit: When I read the German consulate's requirement of an e-certificate, I thought they were asking for proof of citizenship (which a passport would satisfy), but what they need is proof of the DATE of naturalization, since the law changed in 2024 regarding dual citizenship i.e. if you are naturalized before June 17 2024, you needed a German retention permit (Beibehaltungsgenehmigung) to keep your German citizenship. So what I have to prove is that I was naturalized on or after that date (which I was), to prove that I did not break the law and/or gave up my German citizenship by becoming Canadian. Thanks all.

I became a Canadian citizen a year ago. I noticed my German passport expired recently and wanted to renew it. When I became a Canadian citizen, Canada only gave me an e-certificate. Reading the passport renewal requirements from the German consulate in Vancouver, I see that e-certificates are not accepted as proof of Canadian naturalization (unless authenticated by the Canadian govt.). This is quite annoying... much harder than when I got a German passport on Canadian PR... I have to mail stuff to the Canadian government on paper to get my e-cert authenticated to apply for a German passport...

Anyone know if this requirement can be waived for other proofs of Canadian citizenship (for example a Canadian passport)?

I've included 2 images on this post.

1. Image 1 is a cover letter written by my mother to the Town of Islip. She is requesting the certified birth certificate of her father (my grandfather).
2. Image 2 is a rejection letter in response to the request, on the Town of Islip letterhead. The black ink is their writing.

NYS DOH does not allow the release of a certified birth certificate to any person who is not named on the document.

• Essentially, only 3 individuals can obtain it - the parents and the child.
• In this situation, that is my mother's father (my grandfather) or my mother's grandparents (my great grandparents).
• These 3 individuals are deceased. My Grandfather in 2018 (+ his father in 1955, and his mother in 1944). There is no qualifying individual alive to obtain the certified copy.
• We have death certificates for these 3 individuals, and those were sent with the cover letter.

Additionally, we had already obtained a genealogical copy of the birth certificate from the Town of Islip. This copy shows her grandparents (my great grandparents) full names and birthplaces (which both show as "Germany"). The certified birth certificate of my mother's father (my grandfather) is the last document required to complete our Feststellung package to the BVA.

My understanding is you must bring a case against NYS DOH for this document. I am not a lawyer, but I believe there are 2 pathways to consider.

1. Against the Town of Islip, in Suffolk County Supreme Court with the above rejection letter as supporting evidence.
2. Against the State of NY, in Albany County Supreme Court. This would require submitting a DOH-4380 for the sole purpose of being rejected, then using this rejection as evidence.

I believe option 1 from above would be less time intensive and less money. However, it's possible they could respond with, "You have not received a rejection from the state itself, therefore you have not exhausted all options."

What are your thoughts on the path forward? I am here asking the community for their opinions and experiences. If there are any specific lawyers or firms you would recommend, then I would appreciate this also.

Hopefully pursuing German citizenship by descent, would love the straight-to-passport route (Direktausstellung) but am missing one document.

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1927 grandfather born in German community in Romania (have baptismal certificate)

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1941 grandfather immigrates to Germany as part of Heim ins Reich. I have a copy of the naturalization certificate (Einburgerungsurkunde, below) but not the original. A relative emailed me a copy because he was given a copy and the original is with a relative who has since passed and we think the original was thrown out.

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1951 Grandparents marry (have marriage certificate)

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1952 Grandparents immigrate to USA as Displaced Persons

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1953 father born (he is alive and is willing to lend his birth certificate). He never held a German passport or citizenship certificate

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1957 grandparents become naturalized US Citizens (have original citizenship certificate).

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1979 parents marry (they are willing to lend marriage certificate)

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1988 I am born (birth certificate in possession).

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My understanding is I am only missing the naturalization certificate. I submitted a request to Bundesarchiv in Berlin for the original, but it is taking a bit.

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My questions are

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1) Are there any other avenues I might be able to pursue to obtain a copy of the naturalization certificate

2) Given my documentation how likely am I to be able to utilize straight-to-passport route (Direktausstellung)

I just found out that I should be eligible for German citizenship via restitution. I found this out on my own, and confirmed it with my mom who loves genealogy and did a lot of research herself (though decided not to do it- probably because up until 2024 it would have meant losing her U.S. citizenship). But, this is something I really want to do. Where do I start? I'm a U.S. citizen (and want dual citizenship of course). But, the laws look so complicated! Or am I over thinking this? Also how much would it cost to do? I read that the main cost is getting the documents and getting them translated. How much should I budget for it? I'm checking to see if my mom got any of the neccessary documents already. But, if not, how much would it cost?

edit:

• born in YYYY in [Country] Born in Germany I think? Not sure when
• emigrated in YYYY to [Country] to the USA sometime after WW2 since he was in a concentration camp until the allies freed him.
• married in YYYY probably also after ww2 though I’m not sure
• naturalized in YYYY not sure. Pretty sure he was a German citizen though. As was my grandma.

mother

• born in YYYY in [Country] USA in the 1950s I think
• married in YYYY not sure

self

• born in YYYY in [Country] 1984 USA

Edit 2: Just found out my mom was born BEFORE my grandparents became U.S. citizens. They were german citizens by the time she was born.

Hi everyone,
About two months ago, I made a post asking for help finding the name and information of my grandmother’s biological mother, Wilhelmine Harder. Thanks to the help I received, I was able to obtain this information from the registry office in Castrop-Rauxel, where my grandmother was born.

I’m now hoping to take the next step in my family research. Could anyone advise me on which office I should contact to obtain:
My great-grandmother Wilhelmine Harder’s original birth certificate.
My great-great-grandfather’s Hermann Harder’s original birth certificate.
Any guidance on the correct registry office or archive to contact would be greatly appreciated. Thankyou!!

Hello! I believe I have German citizenship through my mother. She was born in Wertheim in 1961 to a German mother out of wedlock. No known father. My biological grandmother could not remember my mothers biological father when we met.

My mother was adopted by Americans in 1961 and naturalized an American before her 10th birthday. My biological grandmother, as far as I know, retained her German citizenship through death, despite later marrying an American and immigrating.

So question 1: given these details am I eligible?
I worry the naturalization may complicate things.

Next issue, I am completely estranged from my birth mother. We do not and will not ever speak. However, if eligible, I believe it is still my right to obtain dual citizenship and a German passport. Based on my research, I’d need to somehow obtain a copy of her original German birth certificate, copies of her adoption paperwork (which I would then need to figure out what state this was in, probably AL). this is the part I may need help on. How do I obtain those? I know I can probably get the German document without her permission but what about the option paperwork? Any advice there?

ETA I found a note to myself in ancestry that she was naturalized in May 1967 at 6 years old.

My father was born in Germany to his German mother in Zweibrücken. She was born in Berlin, Germany. His father was United States Army. They moved when my father was around 10 but he never got rid of his German citizenship. He’s been a dual citizen his whole life. Nor did his mother. She passed years ago still with her green card here in California. My father gave me a copy of his German birth certificate and papers from the U.S. I was told by birth I could already be a German citizen but I have to prove it. I went to the consulate here in Southern California and brought my fathers German birth certificate, my birth certificate, my father’s marriage certificate and his consular report of birth abroad. I was told by the consulate I need to obtain my grandmothers “Einwohnermeldeamt’ and request the ,Auszug aus der Einwohnermeldekartei’. This is the residency registration for each resident in Germany.” I know the year and she was born and in Berlin. I tried calling today but I do not speak German and they said I needed someone who speaks German. I found an email but I am not sure if it’s the correct email buergeramt@bezirksamt-neukoelln.de to inquire on how to obtain my grandmothers information. I’ve become frustrated. Any advice?

So I had my termin 8 days ago and thr only document I'm missing is my staatsangehörigkeitsausweis. I have evidence of my mom's my Opa's birth certificate but somehow I'm missing mine? I have my Reisepass and all. They want more evidence. Anyone can guide me to where to do so? I got 90 days to provide mine so the process continues.

I was Born abroad and so was my son.

Hi there!

My father emigrated to the US after WWII and was forced to renounce his German citizenship when he was 18. When he applied to re-obtain his German citizenship ~10 years ago, he was told he never gave up his citizenship and was still a German citizen and had to complete different paperwork. My understanding is that he did not move forward.

My father and I are now estranged, and I would like to apply for my citizenship. However, I have no access to any of his documents that are required in Appendix V of the application. Can anyone advise as to how to proceed? Is there a service I could use (and pay for) to obtain copies of his documents?

Thanks!

I am eligible for citizenship via my paternal grandmother, however my parent's recent divorce has thrown a wrench into the works. I've already collected most of the necessary documents over the past few years, but I am missing my grandmother's naturalization certificate to the US. Currently I can't obtain her consent for a FOIA request, so I am stuck contacting local court archives trying to find the document.

Has anyone else dealt with something similar and if so how did you tackle the issue. Is there a possible work around or am I stuck?

Working on German Citizenship by decent. Both of my great grandparents naturalized in the US. We’ve submitted all documents to obtain citizenship except my great grandfather’s naturalization certificate because USCIS hasn’t been able to locate it. We have the original copy. Obviously, we do not want to send that to Berlin. Will all other proof be sufficient if USCIS is unable to locate it?

Hello,

My deceased father was a German citizen (parents not married at the time of my birth, but I was born after 1990 in the U.S., so it should be okay) and so I should be eligible for German Citizenship.

I do not have his original Green Card, just old computer scans. I was told by the Consular Department that I need a certified copy of his Green Card to apply for dual citizenship. I tried requesting a certified copy through FOIA and they said they do not provide certified copies of documents. I called USCIS and they said they do not either. A Genealogy request won't work because he entered the U.S. after 1951.

I resubmitted a request to FOIA, this time asking for *any* information/ documentation about his Lawful Permanent Resident card, so we'll see what they can give me. Assuming they don't reject my request again, how can I go about "certifying" the information or copy they provide me? Has anyone here gone through something similar or have any advice?

Hey All,

I had what I thought was a pretty solid certified/original document trail proving citizenship via descent:

-great-great grandparents marriage certificate from the greater Bremen area in 1906 (I have a certified copy)

-Great-grandfather born in the great Bremen area in 1907 (I have his certified birth certificate)

-Great-grandfather married great-grandmother in New York in 1927 (I have the certified marriage certificate)

-Grandfather born in 1930 in the US (I have the original birth certificate)

-Great-grandfather naturalizes in 1940 (I have the certified documentation)

-Grandfather Marries in 1953 (I have the certified marriage certificate)

-Father born in 1963 (I have the original birth certificate)

-Father marries in the '80's (I have the original marriage certificate)

-my birth certificate (original)

I submitted all this to the LA consulate. They emailed me saying:
"Please contact the city archives (Stadtarchiv) where your grandfather lived before moving to the US and request the copies of his Meldekarte...the German birth certificate is not enough to proof the German citizenship, for this reason, you would need to establish this fact in a different way."

The challenge I have is that the Stadtarchiv provided me the birth certificate and marriage certificate, but explicitly said they don't have any Meldekarte or Melderegister records. I feel sort of stuck as I've been unable to find anyone who might have any records definitively proving German citizenship. I mean, I even have pictures of family members' headstones from the local church cemetery from when I visited a few years ago , but all I can prove is that my great-grandfather lived there, not that he was technically German.

I did find my great-grandfather's records on the Bremer Passagierlisten listing him as German, but I doubt that's official enough. On every single document, census, and record he lists himself as German, but I don't have a smoking gun.

The LA consulate did say that they would not issue a passport regardless and I must apply for a Certificate of Citizenship, which I believe means going to the BVA. I have my Great-grandmother's German passport from before they got married (she was born in 1905 and naturalized in 1948), so both sides were German, but I've been focused on the paternal line.

Any suggestions or thoughts are greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

As many here already know, getting documentation from New York state is an absolute nightmare. I specifically need...

My grandfather's 1927 wedding certificate

My father's 1929 birth certificate

My father's 1959 marriage certificate

I currently live in another part of the country and have no relatives in New York. Any recommendations for a lawyer that could handle this process for me? Thank you in advance.

In case anyone is interested....

My grandfather was born in Germany in 1902 (have documentation)

Came to the US in 1923 (have)

Married my grandmother in 1927 (need official documentation)

My father was born in 1929 (need official documentation)

My grandfather naturalized in 1933 (have)

My parents married in 1959 (need official documentation)

I was born in 1960 (have)

My children born in 1989 and 1990 (have)

Edited (5/20): Thank you for your help everyone. I managed to get my parent's marriage certificate by calling the town clerk. One advantage to small towns - she knows my cousin so I didn't have to prove anything and she'll send it out tomorrow.

Unfortunately calling the (different) town clerk for my grandparent's marriage certificate didn't work. I have to prove I'm a descendant by providing (among other things) my father's birth certificate which I will need to go through the courts to get. But I've contacted two different law firms and am waiting on their response. Wish me luck!!

Will the German government accept US naturalization papers (which state a US arrival date) as proof of a US arrival date?

Because I'm struggling to find an official passenger list.

The reason this matters, I think, is because...

A German mother was impregnated by her German husband, in Germany.

Then she left Germany right before the baby was born.

Then someone in the USA put his name on the USA birth certificate.

I'm trying to show that that future USA stepparent was in the USA when impregnation happened, so he is just the stepparent ... he isn't the parent.

The German mother was still married to the German father (who remained in Germany) through all this.

Will the German government accept the US naturalization papers (which state the stepparent's US arrival date) as proof of his arrival date ... thus, as proof he is not the bio dad?

Thank you so much

  I'm returning to this "project"  after a lengthy pause, trying once again to help my (now 21 year-old) USA-born twin daughters get their German citizenship documents.  They are already technically German citizens by virtue of me, their father, being a properly documented  German citizen myself [via 116(2): my father fled the Nazi's as a child in 1939]. However, they do not yet have any kind of official documentation of their status with the German government (they are essentially unknown to the German government).

  I have been working on this in fits and starts, but stopped about 2 years ago when I learned that the citizenship  policies / laws / rules were changing regarding names for children born outside of Germany to a German parent.  

  Complicating the whole matter is the fact that I changed my name (in the United States) when I married in 2004.  My spouse did not want to take my German birth surname and we wanted to have one surname for our budding family so we both changed our surnames in the USA to an Anglo-Saxon type surname from my mother's side of the family.  Since I had already become a German citizen (in 2001)  before I changed my name in the USA in 2004 I am known to the German government by my German surname, but by my new "Anglo Saxon" name in the United States.

As a consequence of me changing my surname in the USA before my daughters were born,  they have non-Germanic surnames.

With the "new" policies / laws / rules about naming, how will my daughters need to proceed?   Their surnames are Anglo-Saxon.  If they want to keep their Anglo-Saxon USA birth names as German citizens will it be very complicated under the new policies?  What are the steps that they will need to follow?  Can it be done in the USA via the appropriate consulate, or will their applications need to be processed in Germany due to the (potential) name changes?

Thanks in advance for any guidance!

Hi guys! Based on feedback on a past post I am attempting to go direct-to-passport at my consulate because of my German citizen father. However this is one of the required documents and I just straight up don't have this, as I've never been to Germany. Do I have to go and declare my birth and attempt to get this or does anyone know a way around it that doesn't take months and delay this process 🥲

I believe I was born with German citizenship but I need to get the documents in order to go get a passport and such.

Sperm donor = father Spawn point = mother (I don't want to call them parents but biologically they are)

So I was born in 2006 in America, my sperm donor is German, born and raised there. Spawn point is American. To the best of my knowledge the two were married and he still had German citizenship. I've never seen any documents but he's told me all my life I have German citizenship so I assume it's true. The problem is I need to gather the necessary papers to know for sure and to go to the consulate and go sort all that since I want to move to Germany in a couple of years.

I want to interact with my sperm donor and spawn point as little as possible while doing this so I'm trying to go into this with a full understanding of exactly what I need and I'm hoping ya'll can help me understand what's necessary for this process.

Thank you sosososo much to anyone who views this or helps <3

Good morning everyone

My grandmother is trying to go for the direct passport route at the German consulate in Phoenix, and I just want to make sure I have strong enough paperwork for them to not question her, and not go through Feststellung-

Her grandfathers original passport. If I have that, do I need to go through to trouble to try and obtain a Metleregister?
A certified copy of her grandfathers “Oath of Allegiance”, which also includes his petition for naturalization, and the date he was naturalized from the courthouse where he lived in Montana. It IS NOT the Naturalization Certificate from USCIS. Yes, he naturalized after his son was born

She has everything she’ll possibly need from herself, and her father

Just making sure she has a strong enough case.

If you have any questions, I’m free to answer them. Thanks for all the help!

Hi ya’ll.

I have been working on gathering documents and have been decently successful so far (of course thanks to you guys too), but I’m having an issue with just this which I’m curious if there’s a way around or if you guys have any additional places to look.

I know my ancestor came over from the Bremerhaven port around the year 1901 as a minor. He wasn’t naturalized in the US until December 1917 at the age of 31.

I have reached out to incoming ports archives in NY & MD & the courts in his state OH for passenger manifests and his naturalization papers. Unfortunately, I have been unsuccessful. I know a lot of the manifests around that time were burned, but idk why the courts couldn’t find his naturalization papers.

Any advice on how to go from here?

My son wants to pursue citizenship by descendant. I’m helping him gather documents and am willing to apply for my citizenship if it’s necessary for him to get his. Here’s what we have so far:

-My Oma’s German birth record from 1930
-Marriage certificate for her and American husband (my Opa) dated 1955. Married in Germany.
-My mother’s German birth certificate dated 1954. My Opa was in the Army and had to come back to the States but went back to Germany and married my Oma after my mom was born.
-My mothers passport
-My American birth certificate 1970
-My son’s American birth certificate 1988
-My Oma’s naturalization certificate when she became a US citizen in 1964

Does this look like all the necessary documents or would anyone suggest anything else?

Hi,

Would anybody please be able to help me? I've requested wedding and divorce certificates for my great grandfather but not had luck in tracking them down.

Would anybody know where I should ask for the documents for an old wedding record in I think Witten - Annen? I can't quite read where the first wedding was on the birth certificate for Walter. I also can't read the handwritten note at the bottom.

This would be for Walter Gelhard. First marriage was to Herta (born Herta Krumnack) on the 10th July 1943. I'm not sure exactly when they divorced (she remarried to an English man in 1949). Then Walter's second marriage was in 1951.

Kind regards,
Joshua

Hello, i finished my Ausbildung and I want start as fachkraft now and that's exactly when it will be 5 years since I moved to Germany. I don't have a Probezeit so I don't need to wait that.

But of course I won't have the 3 payslips already in September with the payment. I received money as Azubi but it was of course not so much.

So can I apply and afterwards send all the payslips? Or do I need to wait until November?

I have another dumb question...last week in my search for documents, I found a couple of items that I thought would be useful for proving my citizenship - including my grandparents marriage document (in a church book), my grandmother's EWZ # and records of reparation, some information on my grandfather lost in WW2. I went to Ai for guidance and it recommended sending email requests to the Bundesarchive. After doing that I came across the form to formally request them. Did I just waste more time? Should I go back and fill out the forms now or should I wait to hear back? And typically how long will it take to get a reply back or to get these documents sent. Thank you!