German Dual Citizenship in the U.S. — 2026 Guide

German nationality law changed decisively on 27 June 2024, when the Act to Modernise Nationality Law came into force. Multiple nationality is now generally permitted: a German who acquires another citizenship no longer loses their German one, and the old retention permit has been abolished. The change is not retroactive, so a loss that occurred under the previous rules still stands.

Quick facts

There is also no longer any duty to notify German authorities before taking another nationality, which removes the trap that cost many German-Americans their citizenship before 2024.

What changed, and when

The repeal of the accelerated route concerned naturalisation by residence in Germany only. It did not touch citizenship by descent, and it did not undo the dual nationality reform.

Routes from the United States

1. By descent. A child of a German parent is generally German from birth, subject to the rules in force at the time. Missions receive applications for a certificate of citizenship, which is decided by the federal administrative office.
2. By declaration. People excluded from citizenship by the gender-discriminatory rules of earlier decades, and their descendants, can claim it by declaration under a dedicated provision with its own deadline later this decade.
3. Restoration. Those who lost German citizenship through persecution between 1933 and 1945, and their descendants, have a separate route with no residence requirement.
4. Naturalisation abroad. Available in narrow circumstances for people with close ties to Germany, decided case by case.

Required documents

• Birth records for every generation in the line, in long form.
• German documents of the German ancestor: passport, identity card, birth certificate or naturalisation papers.
• Marriage certificates connecting the line, with divorce decrees where relevant.
• Evidence of whether and when any ancestor acquired another citizenship, with dates.
• Apostilles on U.S. records, plus German translations.
• The application forms for the route that applies, signed at the mission.

Where to apply

Files are submitted through the mission covering your state, which checks them and forwards them to Germany. The decision is taken there, not at the counter.

Additional notes

Losses before June 2024 still stand

Someone who naturalised as a U.S. citizen before that date without a retention permit generally lost German citizenship at that moment. The reform did not restore it, though other routes may exist.

Dates decide everything

Citizenship by descent is judged by the law in force on the date of each birth, so a single year can change the outcome across a family. Gather exact dates before drawing conclusions.

Timelines are long

Determination files are routinely measured in years rather than months. Start well before any deadline you care about, including declaration deadlines.

Naturalisation inside Germany

The five-year route, the language and citizenship tests and the exclusion grounds apply to people living in Germany, and are handled by the local naturalisation authority, not by a consulate abroad.