German Citizenship Application Forms – What You Need to Know
One of the main challenges when applying for German citizenship, whether via Article 116(2) GG, Section 5 StAG or Section 15 StAG, is completing the required application forms.
Under the rules of the German authority handling naturalisation petitions, applications must also be filed in the German language.
We do not expect our clients to be sufficiently proficient in German to complete these forms themselves. Instead, we provide official English translations and, once you have completed them, we transfer your information to the German forms ready for submission to the authorities.
What We Check When Completing Your Application Forms
Whilst we complete the German forms, we check the following:
- Is all the supporting evidence complete, including birth and marriage certificates, name change certificates, etc.?
- Are the forms fully complete, or is any information missing?
- Where there are multiple applicants, are there any discrepancies between the forms (i.e. one applicant’s father might be another applicant’s grandfather, and the details provided for each person must match)?
This stage ensures we identify and resolve any inconsistencies in the information provided in the forms and supporting documentation.
To help us do this efficiently, we ask that you provide all of the details requested in the English draft forms, to the best of your knowledge.
What Information You Need to Provide
Please note that all personal information requested within the forms that relates to you and your German ancestors must be supplied by you. German Citizenship Restoration cannot complete these sections on your behalf, regardless of what we uncover during the research phase of the application process. This is a requirement of the German authorities and helps to speed up their own research and processing times.
Support and Guidance Throughout the Process
When completing the forms, if you are struggling to provide exact dates for certain events, approximations will usually suffice. If you are stuck, unsure, or encounter any difficulty, please feel free to contact us. We will guide you and help you find any missing information to ensure the forms are processed smoothly, first by us and then by the German authorities.
And please remember, those forms are not merely a bureaucratic demand, but rather a summary of your personal family history.
Hopefully this will make the task less tedious and more interesting!