Saved to your Wishlist

Turn this option into a real plan.

The free Mobility Match Assessment uses your priorities, timing, and household to surface countries and routes worth a deeper look. Your saved item stays in your Wishlist either way.

Take the free assessment
Back to mobility assets

de_cbd

German Citizenship by Descent

Germany · Central Europe

Source: Mobility Asset DatabaseLifecycle: UnknownEntitlement CitizenshipCitizenship by Descent

Program facts from the CitizensOS Mobility Asset Database. Unknown facts are shown as Unknown, never as zero.

Check your optionsCompare mobility assetsExplore Germany
Publication state
Mobility Asset Database
Lifecycle status
Unknown
Facts checked through
Sep 21, 2026
Source snapshots
Database edition

Identity and current status

The route identity and current status.

Present
Year establishedPublished
1914
Governing lawPublished
Nationality Act (Staatsangehörigkeitsgesetz - StAG)
Responsible authorityPublished
Bundesverwaltungsamt (Federal Office of Administration)

What the program provides

What the program gives the holder.

Present
What the program providesPublished
Convert your German roots into powerful EU citizenship with Europe's strongest economy

Best suited for

Who the program tends to suit. Research only, never a personal recommendation.

Absent

No governed customer claim is present for this section.

Eligibility

Personal qualifications an applicant must establish.

Present
Minimum agePublished
18 years
Clean criminal record requiredPublished
Yes
Local health insurance requiredPublished
No
Nationality restrictionsPublished
No
Basic eligibilityPublished
Descendants of German nationals with no generational limit
Type of remote employmentPublished
Not applicable
Generational limitPublished
No limit
Ancestral connectionPublished
Generally, citizenship is passed down through parents (1st generation) if the parent was a German citizen at the time of the child's birth | However, there are special provisions for descendants of those persecuted by the Nazi regime between 1933 and 1945. In these cases there is no generational limit | Also in 2021, Germany introduced new rules that expanded the right to citizenship for descendants of Nazi victims. This includes cases where: Citizenship was lost due to gender discrimination in old German law; The person was born before 1975 to a German mother and non-German father; The person was born before July 1, 1993, to a German father and non-German mother and the parents were not married
Unbroken chain of citizenshipPublished
German ancestor must not have lost their German citizenship before the birth of the next generation in lineage

Household inclusion

How spouses and children are treated.

Present
Family sponsorshipPublished
Yes
Spouse includedPublished
No
Children includedPublished
Yes
Child age limitPublished
18 years

Documents

Evidence categories and filing documents.

Absent

No governed customer claim is present for this section.

Process and timeline

How you apply and how long it takes.

Present
Processing timePublished
25.7–104.3 weeks
Can apply without travelingPublished
Yes
How you applyPublished
Nomad Watch lists: online or in person; can apply from abroad
What the processing time measuresPublished
180-730 days (Nomad Watch)
Official application routePublished
https://www.bva.bund.de/EN/Home/home_node.html

Costs and investment

Fees, income and savings thresholds, and investment amounts.

Present
Minimum investmentPublished
None required
Minimum passive investment (July 2026)Published
None required
Minimum active investment (July 2026)Published
None required
Processing feePublished
$275
Application feePublished
$275
Total cost to applyPublished
$550
Monthly income requiredPublished
None required
Monthly pension income requiredPublished
None required
Monthly rental income requiredPublished
None required
Savings requiredPublished
None required
Proof of sufficient fundsPublished
No
Local bank deposit requiredPublished
No
Minimum local bank depositPublished
None required
Fees paidPublished
Before approval

Presence and maintenance

Stay, renewal, and how long the status lasts.

Present
Stay required to keep statusPublished
None
Physical presence requiredPublished
No
In-country visit requiredPublished
No
Move-in windowPublished
0 months
Length of residencyUnknown
Unknown
Residency is lifetimePublished
Yes
RenewablePublished
No
Maximum durationUnknown
Unknown
Maximum duration is lifetimePublished
Yes
Stay rule (Sept 2026)Published
Citizenship: no presence required to keep it
Tax residency rulePublished
Residents staying more than 183 days per year will be considered tax residents
Personal income taxPublished
range between 14%-45%

Rights and onward pathways

Work, healthcare and other rights, and the path to permanent residence and citizenship.

Present
Time to permanent residencyUnknown
Unknown
Time to citizenshipPublished
Immediate
Work for a local employerPublished
Yes
Start a businessPublished
Yes
Remote or freelance workPublished
Yes
Local healthcare accessPublished
Yes
University accessPublished
Yes
Can buy landPublished
Yes
Local bankingPublished
Yes
Permanent residence timeline basisPublished
Not applicable
Citizenship timeline basisPublished
Immediate upon approval

Risks, limitations, and uncertainty

Notes on changes, conflicts, and limits.

Absent

No governed customer claim is present for this section.

Sources, freshness, and conflict disclosure

Where the CitizensOS Mobility Asset Database took these facts from.

Present
Official program websitePublished
https://www.germany.info/us-en/service/03-Citizenship/german-citizenship-obtain/919576
Plan B sources (Sept 2026)Published
https://nomad.watch/visas/citizenship/germany-citizenship-by-descent

Every fact on this page comes from the CitizensOS Mobility Asset Database (Sep 21, 2026 edition). A blank is shown as Unknown.

This anonymous dossier is read-only research. It does not establish personal fit, eligibility, legal or tax advice, filing, approval, residence, citizenship, or a held Right.