N-400 - Dual Citizenship for German Citizens

[Ninars95 2]

Hi All,

 

This is a German specific question, so I hope someone is dealing with the same issue currently and has more information.

 

Germany passed a law allowing dual citizenship earlier this year. However, the new law won't go into effect until April or May. I have my N-400 application filled out and ready to go but am hesitant since the law hasn't gone into effect yet.

 

Does anyone know if the time of filing matters or if it's only important that the law is in effect by the time of naturalization? I do not want to risk losing my German citizenship, nor do I want to waste a bunch of money for the application. But I'd definitely prefer to file before rates go up in April

 

Thank you!

[Dashinka 24,490]

This thread may be helpful.  Or you may want to report your thread and have it moved to the Europe Sub-forum.

 

Good Luck!

 

 

[mam521 2,062]

File at the end of March.  You'll pay the smaller fees.  It's just the filing, so until you have an interview and an oath, it's just that - an application.  Chances are it will take a month or 2 before your case would be eligible for an interview, so hopefully the law will have passed.  Even if you've passed your interview, you still have to have your naturalization ceremony to actually become a US citizen and that oath ceremony could potentially be rescheduled/delayed.  As long as German parliament pushes the actual changes into effect in mid-April as anticipate, you should be good to go.  

[H B 1]

I am in the same situation.

Do not file until you know when the new german law takes effect.  Once the new german law is published in the Bundesgesetzblatt (has not happened), it will take effect 3 months later.  Thus, most likely not before June 1st or July 1st.

In some USCIS field offices, interviews are scheduled within 2 months (with same day oath ceremony). 

Also, I believe the new fee ($760) includes biometrics.  The old fee was $640 plus $85 for biometrics (which you won't get back even when not needed). So hardly much more..

Good luck. 

 

[oneoftheunderdogs 86]

The law officially got announced today, will go into effect 6/26/24!

[californiabear 3]

I'm a little hesitant to file N400 before 26.06 tbh. I reached out to the German embassy and they told me to hold off with starting my application until the date the law goes into effect. There was no particular reason given but I try to play it safe and wait with my application until June 26th.

 

What do you guys think? I know lots of people say it will not be an issue as long as you didn't attend the Oath Ceremony before the 26th. But hearing the embassy's opinion I'm not so sure anymore.

[oneoftheunderdogs 86]

14 hours ago, californiabear said:

I'm a little hesitant to file N400 before 26.06 tbh. I reached out to the German embassy and they told me to hold off with starting my application until the date the law goes into effect. There was no particular reason given but I try to play it safe and wait with my application until June 26th.

 

What do you guys think? I know lots of people say it will not be an issue as long as you didn't attend the Oath Ceremony before the 26th. But hearing the embassy's opinion I'm not so sure anymore.

Who knows why the German embassy recommends waiting until the 6/26. as long as you don't take the oath before then you will be fine. I am eligible on May 1 and planning on filing my N-400 on 5/26, because my field office has been known to process applications quickly.

[tucson-laramie 1]

There is some really bad info in this thread. Let my story be a warning to you.
I applied on March 30 in Tucson, and unexpectedly received my interview notice for May 14 on April 12. Six weeks before the law goes into effect. You also cannot CHOOSE when you take your oath; you have to explain in writing if you will miss the ceremony. And what if they do same day? You just say "No, I'm good"??

 

Now I really wish I had waited with the application some more. The average posted processing time for Tucson then and today is 7 months, why they approved mine in less than two weeks ... who knows. Now I am scrambling to have it postponed.

[Allaboutwaiting 2,503]

2 hours ago, tucson-laramie said:

There is some really bad info in this thread. Let my story be a warning to you.
I applied on March 30 in Tucson, and unexpectedly received my interview notice for May 14 on April 12. Six weeks before the law goes into effect. You also cannot CHOOSE when you take your oath; you have to explain in writing if you will miss the ceremony. And what if they do same day? You just say "No, I'm good"??

 

Now I really wish I had waited with the application some more. The average posted processing time for Tucson then and today is 7 months, why they approved mine in less than two weeks ... who knows. Now I am scrambling to have it postponed.

 

You can request for a name change on the day of your interview and that can delay the oath ceremony up to 1-2 months, depending on your city/county judicial ceremonies calendar. The name change can be as simple as hyphenating surnames or changing one single letter.

Edited April 23 by Allaboutwaiting

[oneoftheunderdogs 86]

11 hours ago, tucson-laramie said:

There is some really bad info in this thread. Let my story be a warning to you.
I applied on March 30 in Tucson, and unexpectedly received my interview notice for May 14 on April 12. Six weeks before the law goes into effect. You also cannot CHOOSE when you take your oath; you have to explain in writing if you will miss the ceremony. And what if they do same day? You just say "No, I'm good"??

 

Now I really wish I had waited with the application some more. The average posted processing time for Tucson then and today is 7 months, why they approved mine in less than two weeks ... who knows. Now I am scrambling to have it postponed.

Don't know what info you are referring to, but just because you didn't wait long enough does not make it "bad".

[D.Ba 85]

The bad advice is
"File at the end of March.  You'll pay the smaller fees.  It's just the filing, so until you have an interview and an oath, it's just that - an application.  Chances are it will take a month or 2 before your case would be eligible for an interview, so hopefully the law will have passed.  Even if you've passed your interview, you still have to have your naturalization ceremony to actually become a US citizen and that oath ceremony could potentially be rescheduled/delayed.  As long as German parliament pushes the actual changes into effect in mid-April as anticipate, you should be good to go."

 

Which is exactly what I did, and we know now when the law will go into effect (which is not on the date it was passed) and I for one know that the average processing times mean nothing (website 7 months, actual 13 days). And likewise there is no guarantee on the oath scheduling ceremony.

 

Obviously, it is up to the individual (and I did not apply because someone suggested that on the internet), but to encourage people to do this is just not very helpful.

So, I'd advise to follow the German embassy's advice.

[D.Ba 85]

"You can request for a name change on the day of your interview and that can delay the oath ceremony up to 1-2 months, depending on your city/county judicial ceremonies calendar. The name change can be as simple as hyphenating surnames or changing one single letter."

 

Nice one, but having gone through a painful name change in Germany once, I have no desire to do that again.