Can I keep my current passport?
Yes. Since June 27, 2024 Germany allows dual citizenship, and so do the UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
My great-grandfather became American. Is that the end of it?
It depends on when. If he became American after his child in your line was born, that child had already inherited German citizenship and could pass it on. If he naturalized before the child was born, the chain usually broke there.
Does the 2024 dual citizenship law help families who lost it earlier?
No. It stops new losses from June 27, 2024, but it doesn’t restore citizenship that was lost before then.
My German ancestor was my mother or grandmother. Does that count?
Since 1975, yes, automatically. Before then, a German mother married to a non-German usually couldn’t pass it on. Those affected, and their descendants in many cases, can now become German by a free declaration until August 19, 2031.
My family fled the Nazis. Can I get citizenship?
Yes, very likely. Descendants of people stripped of German citizenship between 1933 and 1945 for political, racial or religious reasons are entitled to have it restored, whatever citizenship they hold now.
My ancestor left Germany in the 1880s. Could I still qualify?
Probably not. Before 1914, Germans living abroad for 10 years usually lost their citizenship unless they registered with a German consulate. Ancestors who left before about 1904 often lost it this way.
Will I have to do military service?
Compulsory military service is still suspended, as it has been since 2011. But since January 2026, German men turning 18 must fill out a questionnaire. Compulsory medical assessments, starting with men born in 2008, are being phased in, and the Defense Ministry plans to cover everyone from mid-2027. Bringing back compulsory service would need a new law. The official guidance doesn’t say how this applies to Germans living abroad.
Will I owe German tax?
German income tax depends on where you live, not on citizenship. US citizens still file US tax returns wherever they live.
Do I need to speak German?
No, not to prove citizenship by descent, make the declaration or have citizenship restored.
Living there
A German passport lets you live and work in any EU country, and in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.