German Citizenship

German-Born, U.S. Adoptees

This information is provided as a courtesy to assist post-WWII, German-born, U.S. Occupation-U.S. adoptees, who are interested in having their German Citizenship recognized.

Kindly refer to the German Consulate in your area for the most up-to-date information.

Children born out of wedlock to a German mother AFTER January 1, 1914, ACQUIRED German citizenship.

If you were born in Germany to a German mother and were adopted from Germany as an infant/ child, and your U.S. adoptive parent(s) signed your German passport and U.S. naturalization documents on your behalf, YOU DID NOT LOSE YOUR GERMAN CITIZENSHIP. YOU ARE AND HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A GERMAN CITIZEN.

If you were in possession of German citizenship (see above) at the time of your children’s birth, your children most likely acquired German citizenship automatically. Therefore, with the required documents, your children can apply for a German passport.

I AM BOTH GERMAN AND AMERICAN.
German-born Adoptees Can Apply For and
Obtain Recognition of German Nationality.
by William L. Gage
Read HERE

German Citizenship Questionnaire HERE

CERTIFICATE OF CITIZENSHIP REQUIREMENTS HERE
If you have your original German passport, you may not need to apply for a certificate of citizenship

PASSPORT REQUIREMENTS HERE

NAME DECLARATION INFORMATION HERE
If you were married prior to June 1976 and provide proof of name change from maiden to married, you may not need a name declaration.

For the most up-to-date information on German Citizenship, BGCS highly recommends contacting the German Consulate General in your area:

Atlanta
Boston
Chicago
Houston
Los Angeles
Miami
New York
San Francisco

GERMAN EMBASSY WASHINGTON

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