Article 116 GG

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What is Article 116 GG?

Article 116 GG is a provision within Germany’s Basic Law (Grundgesetz) that allows certain people, and their descendants, to restore German citizenship if it was taken from their family due to Nazi persecution between 1933 and 1945.

It recognises that many people were unlawfully deprived of their German citizenship for political, racial or religious reasons. Today, Article 116 GG provides a legal route for eligible descendants to reclaim that citizenship, helping to reverse one of the injustices of the Nazi era.

Article 116 GG is one of the principal legal routes for restoring German citizenship. However, it only applies where specific legal criteria are met. Determining eligibility requires careful examination of your family history, the circumstances in which citizenship was lost and the documentary evidence available.

Article 116 GG eligibility

Eligibility is limited to those who were directly deprived of German citizenship between 1933 and 1945 on political, racial, or religious grounds under Nazi rule.

You may be eligible if:

You / your direct descendant ancestor was a former German citizen who was deprived of German citizenship between 30 January 1933 and 8 May 1945 for political, racial, or religious reasons.
This includes people whose citizenship was automatically lost under the 11th Decree implementing the Reich Citizenship Act of 25 November 1941—in particular, German citizens of Jewish faith who fled Germany and were resident abroad when the decree took effect or later.
It also includes people who were individually stripped of citizenship under the Act on Revocation of Naturalizations and Deprivation of German Citizenship of 14 July 1933; such individual deprivations were published in the Reichsanzeiger.

Each family’s circumstances are different, and eligibility cannot be determined from a simple checklist alone. Factors such as your family’s history, the conditions surrounding the loss of citizenship and the documentary evidence available all need to be considered carefully.

At German Citizenship Restoration, every enquiry begins with a free initial, no obligation assessment. We review your family history, assess the available evidence and determine the most appropriate legal route before recommending the next steps. In many cases, the initial engagement begins with targeted research in Germany’s state & national archives, alongside all relevant institutions to source irrefutable evidence for application stage.

documentation requirements

The documents required for an Article 116 GG application will vary according to each case. However, the German authorities will normally require evidence that establishes your eligibility and demonstrates your family’s entitlement to restored German citizenship. It is vital that all evidence presented to the authorities is in the correct format otherwise this can lead to an application being denied or delayed.

Typical documentation may include:

Evidence that you or your ancestor held German citizenship before it was revoked between 1933 and 1945.
Evidence that another nationality was acquired only after the loss of German citizenship.
Birth, marriage and other official records that establish the family relationship between you and the former German citizen.

Unlike some other German citizenship application routes, Article 116 GG applications do not require a police clearance certificate (ACRO) /DBS.

application timelines

Once an Article 116 GG application has been submitted, it is processed by the Bundesverwaltungsamt (BVA) in Germany. Processing times are determined entirely by the German authorities and are outside the control of both applicants and German Citizenship Restoration.

At the time of writing, Article 116 GG applications typically take around 2 to 2.5 years to be processed, although these times are subject to change.

Applicants aged 85 and over may have their applications processed more quickly in certain circumstances. However, this is considered on a case-by-case basis and cannot be guaranteed.

Throughout the process, our clients are kept informed of any significant changes to expected processing times and we provide updates whenever information becomes available.

Application PROCESS

Applying for German citizenship under Article 116 GG involves several stages, from confirming eligibility through to the granting of your German citizenship certificate. German Citizenship Restoration provides a complete end-to-end service, managing the process on your behalf and supporting you through every stage.

1. Free eligibility consultation

2. Specialist research in Germany (where needed)

If existing documents are incomplete or inconclusive, GCR, for a research fee, undertakes targeted research in German archives / registries and relevant institutions to obtain the necessary proof of former citizenship / residency.
Research typically takes an average of 3–6 months to obtain the required documentation, though timeframes can vary depending on the case and archive response times.

3. Application preparation and legal submission

GCR will only engage clients to application stage once it is confirmed that the supporting evidence meets or exceeds the German authorities’ strict requirements and the correct legal route has been identified.

Once engaged, we’ll provide a personalised document checklist to include each applicant and guide you every step of the way:

How to prepare that documental evidence to submit with your petition (application).
Which supplementary ID documents are required – this will be tailored to include the additional family members applying.
We provide draft English petition forms and translate the contents into the official German versions, as required by the authorities.
We closely review all applicants petition forms and check all documental evidence is correctly prepared.

4. Submission and liaison with German authorities

GCR submits your application along with the legal grounds for restoration directly to the competent German authority or prepare the application for submission via your nearest German Embassy/Consulate, depending on the application route and your country of residence.
Throughout the process, GCR handles all correspondence on your behalf, responds to any queries and manages any potential additional requests.

5. Citizenship decision and final steps

Once the German government approves your application, GCR’s formal role concludes.
You will be invited directly by the relevant German Embassy/Consulate to collect your naturalisation certificate. Once you have signed for it, you’ll officially become a German citizen as such, entitled to apply for a passport. Passport appointments can be made directly at the respective German mission usually at the same time as certificate collection.

Why choose us for your application

Applying for German citizenship under Article 116 GG involves several stages, from confirming eligibility through to the granting of your German citizenship certificate. German Citizenship Restoration provides a complete end-to-end service, managing the process on your behalf and supporting you through every stage.

Applying successfully for German citizenship under Article 116 GG requires far more than simply completing application forms. Establishing eligibility often involves interpreting complex family history, obtaining historical records and ensuring the supporting evidence meets the German authorities’ strict format requirements.

At German Citizenship Restoration, we focus exclusively on restoring German citizenship. Since 2019, we have helped 131 families and individuals, resulting in over 700 successful applications across the various legal restoration routes.

Every application is prepared individually with the utmost attention to detail. We only proceed to application stage once we are satisfied the correct legal route has been identified and the supporting evidence will ensure a successful application. Our meticulous attention to detail is reflected in our 100% track record of successful applications since our establishment in 2019.

Article 116 gg resources

To help you better understand Article 116 GG and the German citizenship restoration process, we’ve brought together a selection of related guides and resources. These articles explore eligibility, supporting evidence, the application process and other topics that may be relevant to your family’s circumstances.

Ready to Find Out If You Qualify?

If you believe you may qualify under Article 116 GG, we would be happy to assess your circumstances and advise you on the most appropriate next steps.