German Citizenship

Prior to the rise of the Nazis in the 1930s, German Jews were one of the most prosperous diaspora communities. But as the Holocaust unfolded, many of the Jews had to flee the country to save themselves. Many of the descendants of those German Jews residing in other countries can now get back to their…

A recent easing of restrictions in the German constitution has opened the country’s gates to hundreds of thousands of former citizens whose citizenship was forcibly revoked between the years 1933-1945, as well as their descendants in Israel. At issue is loss of citizenship from the time the Nazi party came to power up until the…

This article addresses German citizenship eligibility. At the end of June of this year (2021), the German parliament set new regulations for the process of obtaining German citizenship for victims of the Nazi regime and their descendants. Under the new regulations, the pool of eligible people has expanded significantly, and the vast majority of people…

This article addresses obtaining German citizenship for Nazi victims in light of the easing of recent regulations.  Background German Jews were the largest and most prosperous Jews in Europe before the Nazi party gained power. Descendants of these Jews who left Germany after January 1933 are eligible to obtain a German passport today.  If you…

You are eligible to reclaim German citizenship if you are the descendent of a German citizen whose citizenship was deprived for political, religious, or racial reasons by the Nazi regime (between 1933 and 1945) – including all Jewish citizens of Germany at the time. There are two main ways in which German nationals were denied…

Background  German Jews were once among the most successful and numerous Jewish communities in all of Europe. This changed with the rise of the Nazi party in the 1930s and the Holocaust. Today, one of the ways Germany is seeking to address this issue is through its naturalization policy for descendants of German Jews.  There…

This article addresses applying for German citizenship based on German Jewish ancestry. If you are the descendent of a German Jew or another victim of Nazi oppression whose citizenship was denied on racial, religious, or political grounds and who escaped Nazi Germany or left it after the Holocaust, you are eligible to request and receive…

Background Information German Jews were some of the most numerous and prosperous in all of Europe in the 20th century. Due to discriminatory laws and policies put in place with the rise of the Nazi party, many Jews fled Germany or Europe. A number of legal reforms over the years have sought to make it…

The German Nationality Law has recently been broadened, easing the process of obtaining citizenship for those persecuted by the Nazi regime, as well as their descendants. Before you embark on the official process of applying for citizenship, you should know about the expansions in the law and who is eligible under them. At our offices…