Citizenship by birth

Hi Elizabeth, Because you were born in Germany to German parents, you were a German citizen at birth. If you later became a U.S. citizen by naturalization, you likely lost your German citizenship at that time unless you had prior approval from Germany to retain it.

To regain German citizenship while keeping U.S. citizenship, you can apply for reacquisition/restoration of German citizenship through a German consulate. Germany now allows many former German citizens to regain citizenship without renouncing their U.S. citizenship, provided you can prove your original German citizenship and how it was lost.

The U.S. allows dual citizenship, and Germany permits it in approved restoration cases. The next step is to gather proof of birth and prior German citizenship and contact your nearest German consulate to apply.

Germany may allow former German citizens to reacquire citizenship by application if you can prove:

• You were originally a German citizen (German birth certificate, parents’ German citizenship, old passport, etc.), and
• You lost German citizenship due to naturalization in the U.S.

Germany now allows many former Germans — especially those with strong ties to Germany — to reacquire citizenship without having to renounce U.S. citizenship. This is handled through the German consulate or the local Staatsangehörigkeitsbehörde in Germany.

This is not automatic — you must apply and submit documentation. Best of luck! Violeta