Amendment to German citizenship law
20 August 2021
Shortly before rising for the summer recess, the German Bundestag and Bundesrat adopted the Fourth Act Amending the Nationality Act. It entered into force on 20 August 2021 after having been signed by the Federal President and published in the Federal Law Gazette.
Within the remit of the Federal Office of Administration (BVA), the following changes are of particular interest for persons living abroad:
- Victims of Nazi persecution and their descendants are allowed to become naturalized German citizens (naturalization pursuant to Section 15 Nationality Act, StAG).
- All those who were previously excluded by gender-discriminatory regulations from acquiring German citizenship at birth may now acquire it by way of declaration (pursuant to Section 5 StAG).
- The Act denies naturalization to anyone sentenced to imprisonment, a fine or youth custody for having committed antisemitic, racist or xenophobic acts, or other acts contemptuous of human dignity as per Section 46 (2), second sentence, of the German Criminal Code, where such a motive was established in the judgement.
- The fees for the procedure to establish German citizenship (issuance of a certificate of citizenship) has been increased to 51.00 euros.
For detailed information, please see our german web pages where you will also find forms for the new citizenship procedure and information sheets.
Information on acquisition by declaration pursuant to Section 5 StAG
Persons living abroad can thus submit their applications and declarations.