Germans - Any recent experiences with the Beibehaltungsgenehmigung?

[solus 19]

Hi all and happy holidays!

 

I am the USC and my husband is the German citizen.  We just finished compiling his ROC packet but we are already preparing anything that we might need to take care of for the N-400 an Beibehaltungsgenehmigung.  I have been doing some research, but all of the information I was able to find is several years old.  Has anyone recently gone through the Beibehaltungsgenehmigung process?  How has it changed, if at all, with the current political climate?  Is the processing time still 4-6 months?

 

We are in the New York area and are considering hiring a lawyer familiar with the process for this part even though I have handled everything (and will continue to) on the American side.  Any recommendations for good lawyers?

 

Hope everyone is having a smooth process, whatever stage you are in, and thanks!

 

[little immigrant 801]

I didn't bother with it but I read that you need to have the Beibehaltungsgenehmigung approved first before you receive citizenship of another country. You have to convince the German government that you still need to be a German citizen. I can try to find more updated info and get back to you. 

[little immigrant 801]

The most reliable source I found is here: 

 

http://www.bva.bund.de/DE/Themen/Staatsangehoerigkeit/Beibehaltung/beibehaltung-node.html

 

That website is from the German government. It mentiones that you need to go to a German Consulate and apply for the Beibehaltung there. They will probably also be able to tell you more about the process. 

[solus 19]

I'm sorry, I should have been more specific.  We know the process; I know exactly what we need to do and how to file.  I'm more interested in personal experiences at the moment; if their timeline is still correct, or if the whole Trump/Merkel unpleasantness is causing any problems with Germans who are seeking dual citizenship with the US?

 

I know the US process has shifted a great deal in the last few months - I work s a therapist and have clients who were denied for not taking their husbands last name, for example, because the powers that be decided they didn't truly intend to intertwine their lives.  I'm curious if these thing have had any effect on the German side of things.

[little immigrant 801]

I don't have experience because I simply gave up. I wanted to be a dual citizen but then I decided I don't want to deal with the German government anymore. Hopefully someone will reply with actual experience. 

[HK12 273]

This thread is a few days old, but let me chime in: I did my BBG last year, and it took 3 months back then. From what I gather from various Dual Citizenship Facebook groups, the process has slowed down a bit over the past few months and now takes 4-6 months on average. I don't think a lawyer is needed for either side of the process, unless there are any issues/red flags.

 

Good luck!  

 

Edited December 11, 2017 by HK12

[Gluck 2]

Hello,

I submitted my BBG end of July and picked the successful form up at the embassy mid November 2017. I followed the templates and recommendations from the zweipaesse Yahoo group and all went fine.

 

I don't think there is any change and effect in the respective authorities in Cologne. They even always responded when I emailed them reg. Questions or status inquiry.

 

Only thing with the BBG is that this form is painful. More the sheer amount of attachments/evidence. No need for a lawyer but it takes 3-4 days to fill it.

 

All the best

[solus 19]

Thank you for the response!  This is really helpful; I think we are going to try doing it ourselves first.

 

Frankly, after the removal of conditions, 3-4 days would be a godsend.  It took me 3 months to do the ROC packet because some banks had issues (Chase and Citi both had to mail me statements because their systems refused to allow me to save the pdfs, though its ok, because I will also need that for taxes...).  I also had to get a letter from each of our banks explaining why the account numbers all changed in January last year (my wallet was stolen so I had to cancel everything and get new accounts); I had to call one bank 12 times to request one f-ing letter.  

 

So, if it is less than 6 inches, 11 pounds, and 994 sheets of paper, Im good lol.

 

[TabeaK 517]

I am impressed by your organizational skills and thoroughness, but I have to say a 1000 page package seems a little excessive. I am working on my own ROC right now (I am the German) - no way will they get 11 pounds.

 

With regards to the BBG- there is a pretty active yahoo group, but you need to be the German speaker to use it. Let me know if you want the details. BBG still get approved as normal - they just take longer, usually 6 months plus these days.

[solus 19]

On 12/20/2017 at 4:02 PM, TabeaK said:

I am impressed by your organizational skills and thoroughness, but I have to say a 1000 page package seems a little excessive. I am working on my own ROC right now (I am the German) - no way will they get 11 pounds.

 

With regards to the BBG- there is a pretty active yahoo group, but you need to be the German speaker to use it. Let me know if you want the details. BBG still get approved as normal - they just take longer, usually 6 months plus these days.

 

Thank you, Chris compliments me on this regularly, and I take great pride in having my organizational skills complimented by Germans

 

We had to send everything but the kitchen sink because we don't have some of the big things - we live in a home owned by my mother, so no lease or mortgage (though I did include her will, which states that if something happens to her, the house is mine, if something happens to both she and I, it goes to Chris, who she sees as her other kid), we are both self-employed, so no joint health insurance, neither of us have life insurance or retirement accounts, though the one savings account we have is joint.  The only bills which we have are the electricity which, luckily, is in both names, and our cable/internet/cell phone accounts, which are all required by state law to be under one name, and I had before he came here.  So I included every bank statement and highlighted where we both pay these things even though they are only in my name.  The wills, powers of attorney, etc, are also quite thick.

 

I know of the Yahoo Group, but I've been having some issues getting it to show me newer posts.  I lived in Germany for 13 years and owned a business there, so my bureaucratic German is passable, but only in reading and speaking, not writing (my lawyers always did that).  I will have Chris take a look at it later this week and see if he can get it to show the recent information.

 

I'm the one who has mainly been handling these things, even from the German end (registering our marriage with the consulate, etc), because I have much more patience with bureaucracy than he does and, frankly, I'm a control freak when it comes to these things.  I want him with me and so I'm willing to pour tons of my time, energy and money into it.

[valkener 0]

On 12/15/2017 at 7:34 PM, Gluck said:

Hello,

I submitted my BBG end of July and picked the successful form up at the embassy mid November 2017. I followed the templates and recommendations from the zweipaesse Yahoo group and all went fine.

 

I don't think there is any change and effect in the respective authorities in Cologne. They even always responded when I emailed them reg. Questions or status inquiry.

 

Only thing with the BBG is that this form is painful. More the sheer amount of attachments/evidence. No need for a lawyer but it takes 3-4 days to fill it.

 

All the best

Hello,

 

I'm looking for a template I could follow. I can't seem to locate this ZweiPaesse group.