What Documents Do You Need for German Citizenship by Descent?

You need an unbroken chain of civil records — birth, marriage and sometimes death certificates — linking you to your German ancestor, plus evidence of that ancestor’s German citizenship. For Article 116(2) cases you also need evidence of the persecution or loss of citizenship between 1933 and 1945.

The chain of civil records

The backbone of any descent claim is an unbroken chain of civil records connecting you to the German ancestor: your birth certificate, your parent’s, your grandparent’s, and so on, plus marriage certificates where a name or line changes. Each link must be documented; a missing certificate is the most common thing that stalls a case.

Proving the ancestor was German

You must show the ancestor actually held German citizenship. Evidence can include an old German passport, a Heimatschein or registration document, military or civil service records, or naturalisation papers showing when they became German or when they lost it on emigrating.

Extra evidence for Article 116(2)

Restoration cases need evidence of the persecution or loss of citizenship — for example a denaturalisation record, emigration or deportation documents, or entries in archives such as the Arolsen Archives. This is often what links a family’s history to the specific ground for restoration.

Certified copies, apostilles and translations

German authorities usually require certified copies rather than plain photocopies, sometimes with an apostille to confirm a foreign document is genuine, and certified translation of documents not in German. What’s required varies by office and document, so confirm before you order.

Where these records live

The records sit across many offices, countries and eras. Working out which authority holds each one — across borders that moved repeatedly — is the hardest part of the whole process. Our records and archives guide explains how to trace them.