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To gain citizenship in Germany, you must renounce other citizenships first, unless you are born with multiple citizenships (which I may have through my great-grandparent), but I'm trying to get that legally checked out to make sure my genealogy research is accurate. So, yes, I could get dual USA-German citizenship, but only because I have a great-grandparent from there. What I read online, though, is that for children born before 1938, its based on the father being German, and I am not sure if my great-grandfather was also German at the time my grandmother was born.
You will not qualify for dual citizenship in Germany whether your great-grandfather was German or not. One of your actual mother and father would need to be a German citizen and even then theres a ton of rules.
In order to obtain German citizenship by residence you would need to
- live in Germany for 8 years
- have an unconditional and permanent residence permit (i.e. a student or work visa would not be sufficient)
- prove fluent knowledge of German and pass the citizenship test.
Germany is one of the more difficult countries to get dual citizenship in Western Europe. Other countries are more open to 'ancestry'-based citizenship.
You will not qualify for dual citizenship in Germany whether your great-grandfather was German or not. One of your actual mother and father would need to be a German citizen and even then theres a ton of rules.
In order to obtain German citizenship by residence you would need to
- live in Germany for 8 years
- have an unconditional and permanent residence permit (i.e. a student or work visa would not be sufficient)
- prove fluent knowledge of German and pass the citizenship test.
Germany is one of the more difficult countries to get dual citizenship in Western Europe. Other countries are more open to 'ancestry'-based citizenship.
VV, your comments agree with what I know about the rules for citizenship in Germany. I have lived part time in Germany since I retired in late 2017. I have obtained a temporary residence permit twice, that have allowed me to stay for up to 2 years at a time. My most recent permit expired in October 2021.
I am returning to Germany in 2 weeks, and will apply again for a temporary residence permit shortly after arrival. It is fairly easy for me as a retiree to get a non-working residence permit, because I can prove good monthly retirement income (more than most workers or retirees in Germany earn). I just have to show that I have a valid rental contract with a fixed address and proof of Germany-based health insurance (expensive for me). The cost of an apartment and health insurance equals what I would pay for a good 1 BR apartment in a medium-cost city in the US, so it sort of evens out my cost of living compared to the USA. I speak German, so filling out the forms and going to the interview for my residence permit is no big deal.
You will not qualify for dual citizenship in Germany whether your great-grandfather was German or not. One of your actual mother and father would need to be a German citizen and even then theres a ton of rules.
In order to obtain German citizenship by residence you would need to
- live in Germany for 8 years
- have an unconditional and permanent residence permit (i.e. a student or work visa would not be sufficient)
- prove fluent knowledge of German and pass the citizenship test.
Germany is one of the more difficult countries to get dual citizenship in Western Europe. Other countries are more open to 'ancestry'-based citizenship.
Remember, borders changed a great deal after WWI/WWII. My great-grandparents immigrated from Poland or Austria - forget about getting dual citizenship from the Austro-Hungarian Empire!
Even Italy which is one of the easiest country from dual citizenship isn't automatic. My Italian great-grandfather has not a citizen when my grandmother was born. My grandmother was an automatic Italian citizenship - she never renounced it. However, Italian citizenship comes from the father - not the mother. My grandmother could never pass on her citizenship to her children. My Italian grandfather (her husband) gave up his Italian citizenship before his children were born.
The best place to start is collecting documents from the USA government -
It's going to take a year - you have to apply to for a file number and then apply for the documents associated with the file number. The whole process may have to be done multiple times until the right papers are found.
My grandfather's government file number was unfound. I apply a second time and received the file number. The file associated with that number was unfound so I applied a second time. It took over a year!
You'll need to keep the envelope that file comes in for proof. I threw the first one out and had to do the whole process a second time.
You'll also need to obtain birth and marriage certificates from their country of origin. In Europe, it could get tricky as so many government buildings/churches were bombed and records were destroyed.
It's going to take years and as Veritas Vincit said you are going too far back! If your grandfather or father fought for the US, his enlistment papers required him to give up any dual citizenship. So forget it.
I met a middle aged nurse who was German; been in the US for 20 years. She could not go back to Germany because she did not put enough time into that system for retirement. She had to stay in the US for benefits/retirement. The more you split your time between countries the less likely you are to qualify for benefits in either/any country. Fence sitting is a dangerous business; make a decision.
I'm 26, am 4 years into a teaching career, 1 year into a 15-year mortgage, 1 year into a 5-year car loan, and am kind of settled where I am. The past few years, though, I've been watching a lot of videos about Berlin and Paris and have been wondering what it would be like to live in those two cities, but I feel like moving would be starting over, as simultaneously exciting and scary as that is. I guess if I moved, I would move to Paris first to try to get dual citizenship with France since France allows dual citizenship and Germany doesn't, but Germany allows French citizens to just settle in Germany without needing any special visas or permits. I feel like in my mid-sized American town of Shreveport, the only interesting thing to do here is eat, so I just eat all the time and am getting fatter and fatter. Moving may be good for my health. I am unmarried and have no children except my 3 toy poodles.
I am not sure what jobs I could do abroad with my current specifications as a teacher of who also holds a pharmacy tech certification and a general studies bachelor would be, but if Germany offers free programs in English for education in areas that pay well and are in high demand, I wouldn't mind going back to school, the only thing question would be how I'd handle my living expenses while I did that.
You are never too old to try something new or to start over. You are not too old at 70 years of age, and you are especially not too old at 26.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wile E. Coyote
I met a middle aged nurse who was German; been in the US for 20 years. She could not go back to Germany because she did not put enough time into that system for retirement. She had to stay in the US for benefits/retirement. The more you split your time between countries the less likely you are to qualify for benefits in either/any country. Fence sitting is a dangerous business; make a decision.
The United States has an international social security agreement with Germany (December 1, 1979).
For example: You need to have worked 10 years in the U.S. in order to qualify for SS, and 5 years in Germany. Those agreements allow for the accumulated months/quarters to be counted in both countries.
Let's say you have worked 8 years in Germany and 2 years in the U.S. Then you are eligible to receive SS benefits from the U.S (equivalent to the 8 years you paid in) and from Germany. That way you don't lose any benefits and you do not need the 10/5 years in each country to qualify. The only exception is that you still have to have worked 18 months (1,5 years) in the U.S. or Germany. So you can't work 9 years in Germany and only 1 year in the U.S. In that case you'd only receive benefits from Germany, since you do not have 18 months in the U.S.
Some people may not be aware of that and think they need to have worked 10 years in the U.S. and 5 years in Germany in order to qualify for SS benefits. However, that's not the case.
Maybe you ought to try living "aboard" - a boat - in the Mediterranean... or access the waterways in Europe.
Can you boat through Europe?
You can bring your own affordable hotel right into the center of many major cities, or find a secluded anchorage amidst peaceful surroundings. You can buy a boat in Europe, transport a boat to Europe or rent a vessel from bases throughout Europe.
I'm 26, am 4 years into a teaching career, 1 year into a 15-year mortgage, 1 year into a 5-year car loan, and am kind of settled where I am. The past few years, though, I've been watching a lot of videos about Berlin and Paris and have been wondering what it would be like to live in those two cities, but I feel like moving would be starting over, as simultaneously exciting and scary as that is. I guess if I moved, I would move to Paris first to try to get dual citizenship with France since France allows dual citizenship and Germany doesn't, but Germany allows French citizens to just settle in Germany without needing any special visas or permits. I feel like in my mid-sized American town of Shreveport, the only interesting thing to do here is eat, so I just eat all the time and am getting fatter and fatter. Moving may be good for my health. I am unmarried and have no children except my 3 toy poodles.
I am not sure what jobs I could do abroad with my current specifications as a teacher of who also holds a pharmacy tech certification and a general studies bachelor would be, but if Germany offers free programs in English for education in areas that pay well and are in high demand, I wouldn't mind going back to school, the only thing question would be how I'd handle my living expenses while I did that.
Your problem isn't your age, your problem is your loan and mortgage. It also makes absolutely no sense to try to acquire French citizenship. Why would you need a French citizenship?
If you really want adventure (**** I hate that word), you need to sell your house/apartment and your car, then you can perhaps try to do working holiday or sign up for a course (can be language or otherwise) in either of these countries.
Btw, quality of life in many European cities is really not all that outstanding. Cost of living is often much higher but other than Switzerland and Norway, wages are all much, much lower. In Paris for example you would be looking to pay more than 1000/month for a 20m2 studio and average net wage in France is like 2200 euro, which is like 2300 USD.
You are never too old to try something new or to start over. You are not too old at 70 years of age, and you are especially not too old at 26.
The United States has an international social security agreement with Germany (December 1, 1979).
For example: You need to have worked 10 years in the U.S. in order to qualify for SS, and 5 years in Germany. Those agreements allow for the accumulated months/quarters to be counted in both countries.
Let's say you have worked 8 years in Germany and 2 years in the U.S. Then you are eligible to receive SS benefits from the U.S (equivalent to the 8 years you paid in) and from Germany. That way you don't lose any benefits and you do not need the 10/5 years in each country to qualify. The only exception is that you still have to have worked 18 months (1,5 years) in the U.S. or Germany. So you can't work 9 years in Germany and only 1 year in the U.S. In that case you'd only receive benefits from Germany, since you do not have 18 months in the U.S.
Some people may not be aware of that and think they need to have worked 10 years in the U.S. and 5 years in Germany in order to qualify for SS benefits. However, that's not the case.
I see your technical point; but, your SS payout is calculated on your highest 35 year (else those remaining years are 0's.). So, the kid needs to think longer term.
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