The Federal Foreign Office provides a general overview about the German citizenship. An English translation of the Nationality Act is available here.

Please note that German missions abroad are not citizenship authorities and therefore ar not bindingly able to confirm your citizenship status. The competent citizenship authority for persons living outside of Germany is the Federal Office of Administration (Bundesverwaltungsamt), which can be contacted by email: staatsangehoerigkeit@bva.bund.de.

Non-acquisition of German nationality for children born abroad to German parents

(section 4 (4), first and third sentences, of the Nationality Act)

Children born abroad whose German parents or German parent were born abroad after December 31, 1999, and who have their habitual residence abroad at the time of the child's birth do not acquire German citizenship by birth if they are born abroad.

The child only acquires German citizenship retroactively to the date of birth if the parents submit an application for registration of the child's birth in the birth register to the competent registry office in Germany or the competent German diplomatic mission abroad within one year of the child's birth.

Example:

Mr. A was transferred to Spain by his company in 1999. His daughter Klara was born there on February 1, 2000. The family returned to Germany a few years later. In 2018, Klara met a US citizen with whom she moved to the USA. Her son was born there on January 1, 2020. Although his mother is German, he does not acquire German citizenship by birth, as he acquires US citizenship by birth in the USA.

In order for the child to acquire German citizenship, Klara or the child's father must submit an application for registration of their child's birth at the responsible registry office in Germany or the responsible German diplomatic mission abroad. If the application is submitted on time and in full, the child can be issued a German passport upon request.

Please note: All Germans (expats and emigrants) who were born abroad and who give birth abroad, regardless of the reason for or duration of their residence abroad, need to be aware of this rule.