A German loses his citizenship with the voluntary acquisition of a foreign citizenship (Section 25 (1) sentence 1 Citizenship Act - StAG). In addition to an application for naturalization, the acquisition of a foreign nationality also includes acquisition on the basis of an option, by registration or declaration.

The loss of German citizenship does not occur if the German acquires the citizenship of another member state of the European Union, Switzerland or a state with which the Federal Republic of Germany has concluded a corresponding treaty under international law (Section 25 (1) sentence 2 StAG). In all other cases, the loss of German citizenship is avoided only if written permission to retain German citizenship has been granted prior to the acquisition of the foreign citizenship. Subsequent approval is not possible.

A retention permit may be granted if public or private interests justify the acquisition of the foreign citizenship and the continued existence of the German citizenship and no intergovernmental interests oppose the granting.

The decision in the retention procedure must be awaited before the other nationality is accepted or acquired. Otherwise, with the acquisition of the foreign citizenship, e.g. by naturalization, the German citizenship is automatically lost by operation of law.

The retention permit should be kept carefully, as it serves as proof of the continued existence of German citizenship despite the acquisition of another citizenship. Descendants who derive their German citizenship may also need to be able to prove this one day.

For individual advice and application, please contact the following in case of permanent residence

• in Germany (Free State of Thuringia), please contact the citizenship authority responsible for your place of residence in your administrative district or your independent town or city
• outside Germany, please contact the German diplomatic mission abroad or the Federal Office of Administration in Cologne

• Possession of German citizenship
• Public or private interests justify the continued possession of German citizenship as well as the acquisition of foreign citizenship.
• The other nationality law allows the possession of two or more nationalities.

• Application for a retention permit
• German passport and federal identity card
• extended information from the civil register not older than 6 months
• documents about birth, parentage and civil status
• curriculum vitae
• statement on the continuation of ties to Germany
• Detailed description of the reasons for the necessity of acquiring the other citizenship and proof of this
• Confirmation of naturalization from the other country (if available)

The original documents must be submitted with the application. Additional documents may be required.

The application is subject to a fee: 255,00 Euro with the exception of the cases of § 29 Abs. 4 StAG

The retention permit must be applied for before acquiring the foreign citizenship.

The application should be made in writing. An official form is not prescribed. To facilitate the application, the citizenship authorities provide forms. A personal visit is required. It is advisable to make an appointment in advance.

The text was automatically translated based on the German content.

Thuringian Ministry of the Interior and Local Affairs

02.05.2017

The decision on the retention application is made by the Thuringian State Administration Office if the applicant is domiciled or permanently resides in the Free State of Thuringia. In the case of permanent residence abroad, the Federal Office of Administration decides on the application for retention.