Lose German Citizenship

[nwctzn 55]

Thanks all for your help!

Please let us know what route you take and how it goes since this will be of help for German citizens going through naturalization and who forget/overlook to file for their "Beibehaltungsgenehmigung"

And just to re-iterate what I wrote earlier: Whatever you do, never lie to USCIS!

Best of luck!

Edited January 9, 2012 by nwctzn

[karin_brenig 18]

My husband is German and applied for citizenship in the US and will be taking his oath next week. Will he lose his German citizenship after he takes this oath? Can't he just have dual citizenship?

oh my God! Too late!

Unless your husband finds a way to postpone his oath for another 2-3 months and files for BBG (=Beibehaltungsgenehmigung) successfully with the German authorities, he will lose his German citizenship. This is a terrible loss, in my opinion, because it means the two of you will not be able to just move to Germany whenever you like.

He can have dual citizenship ONLY if he gets Germany's permission to keep the German citizenship.

There is a Yahoo! group called zweipaesse that deals with this process.

I'm going through my N-400 right now, got my BBG in March of 2011.

[soch 2]

Spoke to uscis, explained our situation and they said to send for a postponement. Went to consulate they explained the BBG rules but did not give much hope on reason for wanting to obtain USC :-( he explained his parents are getting old and he is an only child and would have to take care of them. Still we r still applying.

My husbands dad owns a business in Germany and if he is too old or sick (he has some health issues) then my husband would have to go run the business. We r having his dad send us a company letter.... Do u think this is a good enough reason? Bob? Brother? What else can we put.

[Anna C. 4]

The part about why you need to keep the German citizenship is easy (and easy in his situation - he is entitled by German law to inherit stuff from his parents and the letter is good too). The tricky part is to convincingly explain why you need the American one. E.g. we had DH's commander write a letter explaining how DH required security clearance which has to be redone every 4-5 years and having a spouse who is a non-citizen complicates things, and it complicates it especially if the spouse is eligible for being American but doesn't follow through. They approved my BBG really fast. There are other reasons and I strongly suggest to go to the Yahoo group for advice. You have to prove that you loose out on something by not being American...

[nwctzn 55]

I am really wondering how much money the German Government is making from these BBG applications which are really in most cases just a formality. Are there any petitions we can sign so that Germany finally accepts that one can hold multiple citizenships? Or at least, as it is with the US, the German government can "recognize" that multiple citizenship exists (and be unhappy about it in the background). But losing your citizenship directly when you do not file for the BBG (which BTW I tend to confuse with BSE, or Mad Cow Disease) is really harsh. Especially considering that Germany is part and a driving force of the EU where you can work and live in whichever EU country you want.

Edited January 10, 2012 by nwctzn

[Brother Hesekiel 2,236]

Spoke to uscis, explained our situation and they said to send for a postponement. Went to consulate they explained the BBG rules but did not give much hope on reason for wanting to obtain USC :-( he explained his parents are getting old and he is an only child and would have to take care of them. Still we r still applying.

My husbands dad owns a business in Germany and if he is too old or sick (he has some health issues) then my husband would have to go run the business. We r having his dad send us a company letter.... Do u think this is a good enough reason? Bob? Brother? What else can we put.

A lot of stuff has been said here that's not really accurate. The BBG application has two components, and I'll be precise in my wording:

1) You have to show continuing ties to the Fatherland.

In plain English: you don't have to "prove" why you need to keep your German citizenship or anything like that. You can keep your German citizenship for the rest of your life. Nobody can take it away from you but you yourself, i.e., by applying for naturalization in another country. So if you don't want to lose your German citizenship, stay a Green Card holder for the rest of your life, which is perfectly suitable.

Which brings us to component . . .

2) You need to prove that you need to become a U.S. citizen, because you otherwise would face serious discrimination or experience a severe disadvantage based on being a foreigner in the U.S.

That means that you really don't want to become a U.S. citizen. You love the Fatherland, wear Dirndls and Lederhosen at home, listen to German Volkslieder all day long, have a German shepherd named Fritz, drive a Volkswagen, have the German flag in your yard and on your car. Your children go to a German school and you only speak German at home. You collect Kukusuhren and import Stollen from the Schwarzwald. If anybody were to google "German" a photo of you would appear. Guess you get the picture.

Every Green Card holder experiences some general disadvantages in not becoming a U.S. citizen, such as the inability to vote in a federal election, or having to fear losing their Green Card when staying abroad for too long, but none of these reasons are acceptable, because the apply to all Green Card holders equally. If those reasons were acceptable, then drafting the BBG application would take 20 minutes instead of 200.

The one thing that is a sure-fire winner is the job thingi. You want to apply for a job that . . . ouch! . . . has the requirement of U.S. citizenship. If you have the professional qualification and lack only the one thing that's needed, U.S. citizenship, you have covered component number 2 successfully.

"But I'm a housewife" you'll say. Doesn't matter. Nobody ask you what you are doing, or if you are even working. Nobody requires a resume from you. I have a degree in political science and and one in philosophy, am self-employed with an overhead that makes my head hurt, yet listed jobs that pay $10 an hour. Doesn't matter.

"But I live in Nebraska and there are no such jobs." Doesn't matter. Nobody prohibits you to move to another state. Who knows, maybe you always hated living in Florida and really want to see what it's like in Wyoming. None of their business. You can even embrace this by mentioning en passe that this job would provide the added advantage of moving to an area you always wanted to live at.

I can't really get too deep into this, but that's why I mentioned in my initial post that you need to know the rules of the game -- and a game it is, nothing else -- in order to be successful. What I can tell you that you shouldn't go into the lions' den and ask the lions on how to avoid being eaten by them.

If you like e-mail me to Brother_Hesekiel@yahoo.com and we can dig deeper.

[nwctzn 55]

... You love the Fatherland, wear Dirndls and Lederhosen at home, listen to German Volkslieder all day long, have a German shepherd named Fritz, drive a Volkswagen, have the German flag in your yard and on your car...

I have only the "Driving a Volkswagen" part covered

[Ruffie 22]

Spoke to uscis, explained our situation and they said to send for a postponement. Went to consulate they explained the BBG rules but did not give much hope on reason for wanting to obtain USC :-( he explained his parents are getting old and he is an only child and would have to take care of them. Still we r still applying.

My husbands dad owns a business in Germany and if he is too old or sick (he has some health issues) then my husband would have to go run the business. We r having his dad send us a company letter.... Do u think this is a good enough reason? Bob? Brother? What else can we put.

First of, the consulate has really no say in the decision if the BBG is granted or not. They just forward it to the Bundesverwaltungsamt in Cologne for your husband. The people there are the ones calling the shots on this application.

As mentioned SEVERAL times before, your husband needs to sit down, sign up with the yahoo group zweipaesse and READ all the granted applications people have been posting there, myself included. Pick and copy everything that, even in the slightest way, applies to his situation and then shape it all into his own written statement.

[NickD 202]

Have some interest in this post, wife is third generation German, her maiden name is indubitably German, don't ask me how she ended up in South America. Getting intrigued by this German citizenship, I am third generation Italian, did contact the Italian consulate, they want me back, is Germany the same way?

We recently got a new German Shepherd pup, of pure German lines, a huge difference between German and American bred German Shepherd dogs. But his name is Jethro, yeah, I don't like it either but a deal is a deal, I got to pick out the pup, wife got to chose the name. You are welcome to borrow him, but have to warn you, he is not housebroken yet.

Don't have a German car, friends that do have one have to wait as long a three months for a less common part. And a huge majority of that part cost covers all the benefits those Germans are receiving.

Really doubt if they would take me as my wife's spouse if she could get it, would be dead meat if a part of the deal was spelling or even pronouncing "Beibehaltungsgenehmigung".

[Anna C. 4]

NickD, you can read about this (in English) on the Consulate's websites (pick any - San Fran, LA, DC, New York, it's generic information). Basically if you want German citizenship more or less you gotta give up the others you hold... In rare cases you just get it, but the best way to get it is at birth (through a parent - you don't get German citizenship by being born in GErmany). I know what you mean - my husband's mother's side is from Argentina but really they are Italian and Slovakian (and some hold all sorts of citizenships). I even know a nice old lady who is German, American and British. Way before BBGs were introduced.

[nwctzn 55]

... but the best way to get it is at birth (through a parent - you don't get German citizenship by being born in Germany)...

I am one of the examples: Being born in Germany to Non-German parents and hence, being a Non-German citizen. Before becoming a US citizen, it was really a pain just to visit Germany. Although I was born there, I had to apply for a visa every time I went to Germany, even if I just made a transit stop at a German airport. I recall getting a 5-day visa (yes, I am not kidding, a 5-day visa) to attend my brother's wedding over there. Now, after becoming a US citizen, life is much easier for me since with the visa-waiver program I can go there to see my brother without a visa at all. I buy my ticket and I am good to go.

[soch 2]

I am one of the examples: Being born in Germany to Non-German parents and hence, being a Non-German citizen. Before becoming a US citizen, it was really a pain just to visit Germany. Although I was born there, I had to apply for a visa every time I went to Germany, even if I just made a transit stop at a German airport. I recall getting a 5-day visa (yes, I am not kidding, a 5-day visa) to attend my brother's wedding over there. Now, after becoming a US citizen, life is much easier for me since with the visa-waiver program I can go there to see my brother without a visa at all. I buy my ticket and I am good to go.

WOW!!!

[djamella 5]

My husband is German and applied for citizenship in the US and will be taking his oath next week. Will he lose his German citizenship after he takes this oath? Can't he just have dual citizenship?

Hi, yes, your husband will defently loose his citizenship for germany. Germany is one of the few countries who DO NOT support dual citizenship.

Yes, he can apply for it ... but for this he will have to proove that he has family-blood-line related ties in the USA!! Or if he owns land, lots of houses, a company etc that makes him need the citizenship in germany ... but even then its almost impossible that germany accepts it. For more info you can message me cause there is one way he can keep both .... greetings from Heidelberg.

[karin_brenig 18]

Hi, yes, your husband will defently loose his citizenship for germany. Germany is one of the few countries who DO NOT support dual citizenship.

Yes, he can apply for it ... but for this he will have to proove that he has family-blood-line related ties in the USA!! Or if he owns land, lots of houses, a company etc that makes him need the citizenship in germany ... but even then its almost impossible that germany accepts it. For more info you can message me cause there is one way he can keep both .... greetings from Heidelberg.

a few misconceptions need corrected here:

yes, Germans will loose their German citizenship automatically, if they take on a different citizenship of another country (as an adult).

yes, Germany doesn't encourage dual citizenship (but they allow it under certain conditions)

no, you don't have to proove "family-blood-line related ties in the USA". Seriously, I don't even know what you mean by that ??

no, it is not "almost impossible" to achieve that (keeping German citizenship when acquiring US citizenship) - I personally went through the process recently and will be sworn in as a US citizen on 2/17 while still keeping my native German citizenship.

Anybody interested in doing it for themselves is strongly advised to join the Yahoo! group ZWEIPAESSE - da werden Sie geholfen

[djamella 5]

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Edited February 3, 2012 by djamella