GCR Has Great News! – Germany Announces “Section 15”- A New Regulation to Ease the Pathway to Citizenship Restoration for Descendants of Nazi Victims
Whilst the details are yet to be revealed, German Citizenship Restoration is optimistic this new route will render more German descendants eligible than ever before. Until now, restoring German citizenship to descendants of former Germans who were deprived of citizenship due to Nazi persecution was reserved for those who met specific requirements:
- Formerly, under Article 116 II GG, citizenship restoration was reserved exclusively for those who descended from a German paternal line or from a maternal line only if they were born after April 1st, 1953 and only if the mother hadn’t previously lost her citizenship by marrying a foreign national (which often occurred when she fled Germany due to Nazi persecution).
- Later, Germany eased the regulations regarding the maternal lineage, insofar as it allowed applicants to file for discretionary naturalisation under Section 14a of the German Nationality Act. However, this route required the applicant to possess basic knowledge of German culture and language. Also, the regulation included a so-called “generation cut” which excluded those descendants from naturalisation whose parent was born in the year 2000 or later.
- More recently, following significant pressure on the German Ministry of Interior from scholars, organisations and individuals alike, Germany agreed to include descendants of maternal German Jewish lineage, as well as illegitimate children within the group of people eligible under Article 116 II GG for non-discretionary naturalisation.
To Qualify, the Respective Ancestor Must Have Held German Citizenship and Have Been Deprived Thereof During the Years 1933 – 1945
This stipulation excluded a great number of descendants of German Jews who both lived in Germany and experienced brutal persecution without compensation. Those, for example, whose former German ancestor naturalised in another country before being deprived of their citizenship. Or descendants of those who never held German citizenship originally, but who may have sought to naturalise in Germany if not for Nazi persecution.
2021 Will Hopefully See Section 15 Introduced & Implemented Into the Nationality Act
Promising less stringent eligibility requirements and opening the door to naturalisation applications from descendants fitting the aforementioned circumstances, Section 15 StAG will provide a new route to restoration, different to that of Article 116 II GG. We are eagerly awaiting clarity on the regulations so we can accurately advise our clients.
Until then, watch this space for more detailed information. Don’t hesitate to contact GCR to register interest for further updates – info@germanpassport.co.uk