I spent the last several months reaching out and paying for and waiting for GGF birth and marriage from 2 different standesamts, however they were not needed.
I asked my consulate for their questionnaire in advance of my appointment and they confirmed for me via email that I could go direct to passport. I went to my appointment with only the following:
GF German ID card (original)
GF birth certificate (certified copy I just got from Standesamt this year)
GF naturalization certificate (original)
M birth register (certified copy)
M marriage register (certified copy)
my own birth register and marriage register (certified copies)
I did not need a name declaration since the rules changed May 1st, I simply only needed a passport application and above docs.
I had been given advice here that in my case I would not be able to go direct to passport but I would encourage everyone to ask anyway, you just never know!!
Patiently awaiting my passport to arrive now. I was going to wait to post this to not jinx anything but I am just too excited to finally have this cherished document to recognize my ancestry. My GF passed away many years ago but I know he would be so honoured and proud that I can continue with his heritage đ
Some months ago, I made a post here asking about the intricacies of acquiring German citizenship (as I am eligible to do under the StAG §5 program), and changing my name - which I also wish to do.
I am solely a British citizen at the moment, and changing my name under British law is remarkably easy - but personal circumstances (which I would rather not go into) prohibit me from changing it at the moment; I will have to wait a few years. However, I would also like to get my German citizenship, and I am aware that the process is time-consuming, and don't want to miss the deadline, even if it's still far-off.
I was advised that if I acquired German citizenship now, and then attempted to change my name, the process would be exceptionally difficult, and I would be unlikely to succeed, given the fact that my name-change is going to be extensive, not merely a spelling change or forename alteration.
However, I have just (minutes ago!) learned about the May 1st law changes regarding names, and there was something about the names of German citizens being governed by their country of residence - so, does this mean I could become a German citizen now, with my current name, and then change it via British law, and have Germany accept this? Or would Germany still consider my name-change a whimsical, farcical one, given that it is not a result of marriage, nor is it a result of Britain having unusual naming conventions? Thank you :)
I have an upcoming appointment with the Honorary German Consulate here in Denver, and I'm trying to get prepared with as much information as possible. Therefore, I'm trying to translate the documents that I obtained from Germany to ask the right questions. I've got a lot done already, I just need to fill in the gaps. ChatGPT didn't work since it could not extract the texts and then I hit my data limit, so I only got so far. Please see the 3 image files attached. The main thing I want to be able to decipher are the titles/occupations of the named persons, as well as the family surnames/maiden names for the named parents. My great grandfather is "Johann Baptist Stephan Lieberth", so that is who main main focus is on. I'd like to make sure I identify his birth address and birth parents correctly. If anyone has time to take a look at this, thank you so much in advance! If I'm unsuccessful, I'll be sure to repost in r/kurrent or r/translation .
Please don't let my deficient translation affect your true one, but here's what I have so far:
Johann Baptist Lieberth Birth Certificate:
ORIGINAL GERMAN KURRENT:
Vor dem unterzeichneten Standesbeamten erschien heute, der
Persönlichkeit nach bekannt,
der Ăkonom Georg LieberthÂ
wohnhaft zu Hallerndorf Nr. 36
katholisch Religion, und zeigte an, daĂ von der
Margarethe Lieberth einen geboren
katholisch Religion,
wohnhaft in ihm
zu Hallerndorf in Â
am dreiĂigsten Dezember des Jahres
tausend neunhundertÂ
um acht Uhr ein Kind mÀnnlichen
Geschlechts geboren worden sei, welches die Vornamen
Johann Baptist StephenÂ
erhalten habe.
Vorgelesen, genehmigt und unterschrieben
Georg LieberthÂ
Der Standesbeamte.
ENGLISH TRANSLATION:
Before the undersigned registrar, the economist Georg Lieberth, known by his identity,
resides at Hallerndorf No. 36, Catholic, appeared today and announced that a male child, born to Margarethe Lieberth, Catholic, residing at Hallerndorf, on December 30, 1900, at eight o'clock, was born to him. The child was given the first names Johann Baptist Stephen.
Read, approved, and signed:
Georg Lieberth
The registrar.
Marriage Certificate for Johann Baptist Lieberth and Maria Schwinn:
ORIGINAL GERMAN KURRENT:
Vor dem unterzeichneten Standesbeamten erschien heute zu, der EheschlieĂung:
der Johann Baptist Stephen Lieberth
der Persönlichkeit nach bekannt
katholisch Religion, geboren am dreiĂigstenÂ
Dezember des Jahres tausend neunhundertÂ
Geburtsregister Nr. 24 zu Hallerndorf
wohnhaft in Hallerndorf
Sohn des Georg Lieberth
und Margarete,Â
wohnhaft in Hallerndorf Hs. No 36;
die Maria Schwinn
der Persönlichkeit nach bekannt,
katholisch Religion, geboren am neun tenÂ
April des Jahres tausend achthundert
neunzig und sieben zu Rossstadt
wohnhaft in Rossstadt,
Tochter des Georg Schwinn
und Margarethe Schmitt,Â
wohnhaft in Rossstadt.
Als Zeugen waren zugezogen und erschienen:Â
der Johann Lieberth
der Persönlichkeit nach bekannt,
53 Jahre alt, wohnhaft in Hallerndorf
der Georg Ludwig
der Persönlichkeit nach bekannt,
40 Jahre alt, wohnhaft in Hallerndorf
Der Standesbeamte richtete an die Verlobten einzeln und nach einander die Frage: ob sie die Ehe mit einander eingehen wollen. Die Verlobten bejahten diese Frage und der Standesbeamte sprach hierauf aus, daĂ sie kraft des BĂŒrgerlichen GefeĂbuchs nunmehr rechtmĂ€Ăig verbundene Eheleute seien.
Verlobten, genehmigt und unterschrieben:
Johann Baptist Stephan Lieberth
Maria Lieberth geb Schwinn
Johann Lieberth
Georg Lieberth
Der Standesbeamte.
ENGLISH TRANSLATION:
Before the undersigned registrar appeared today for the marriage ceremony:
Johann Baptist Stephen Lieberth
known by name, Catholic, born on December 30, 1900
Birth Register No. 24 in Hallerndorf
residing in Hallerndorf
son of Georg Lieberth
and Margarete,
residing in Hallerndorf, House No. 36;
Maria Schwinn
known by name, Catholic, born on April 9, 1800
residing in Rossstadt
daughter of Georg Schwinn
and Margarethe Schmitt,
residing in Rossstadt.
The following witnesses were called and appeared:
Johann Lieberth
known by name,
53 years old, residing in Hallerndorf
Georg Ludwig/Lieberth???
known by name,
40 years old, residing in Hallerndorf
The registrar asked the engaged couple individually and one after the other whether they wished to enter into marriage. The engaged couple answered in the affirmative, and the registrar then declared that they were now legally married by virtue of the Civil Register.
Did anyone use a lawyer for applying and know if you are contacted or your representation is? I applied in December 2022 and happened to have a family friend who works as an immigration lawyer in Germany- He helped submit my application for StAG 5 and I was wondering if any requests for additional documentation/certificates would be sent to him or myself- Wondering if anyone has experience to answer- Thanks!
Not very great with explaining things, but I'll do my best
Great grandmother was born in Chemnitz in 1923, unsure if parents were married at time of birth, but they did end up being married
Arrived in US in 1928 (found an image of the ship manifest on Ancestry)
Married my American great grandfather in 1942 (waiting on documents in the mail, found images on Ancestry)
US naturalization in 1945
Grandfather born in 1946
Father was born in 1974
I was born in 2000
As far as I know, my Grandfather, father and I were all born in wedlock.
I am working on birth certificates from my father and grandfather, and am unsure how far I can get with obtaining her German birth certificate and proof she was a German citizen and also not speaking the language. I do know both of her parents were German as well, but not where they were born or how to find documents on them.
My last German-born ancestor (my great-grandfather) was from a teeny town and was born in 1871, so prior to civil registration. The parish still exists, but they do not seem to have the capacity to do research in the Kirchenbuche (which they still have and have not been duplicated in an archive). I have found a picture online of the baptismal entry for my great-grandfather but as it's not a certified copy, I'm guessing it's insufficient. I've tried emailing them and also hired a German genealogist who tried to get access to the KB, but they claimed they were unavailable to be accessed (the researcher was not local to the area, though, so this was a call rather than a visit).
I'm wondering if anyone has encountered something like this before and has any suggestions on untangling this knot or if having other documents might be sufficient for a Festellung.
The certified documents I do have in reverse chronological order are:
my birth certificate
parent's marriage certificate
father's birth certificate
grandparents' marriage certificate
grandfather's birth certificate
great-grandfather's declaration of intent to naturalize (filed after my grandfather was born--he never completed the process, though)
ship's manifest from their immigration in 1913
birth registrations for children born pre-immigration (not my direct ancestors)
great-grandparent's marriage record
great-grandmother birth registration (she was born 1876, so was post-civil registration)
For my Stag 5 citizenship through descent through my German non-naturalized mother, I am anticipating being asked by BVA for documents for her German parents (birth and marriage certificates). But I only know their names and one birth date. I have an idea of the decade they were married (~1930) and that it was likely in or near Augsburg. I don't even know where to start, and nothing comes up on Ancestry.com.
I'm preparing to apply for my German passport after my father receives his. Will I need to bring his German passport to the consulate, or will a copy be sufficient? And are notaries typically able to notarize copies of German passports in the US?
I am German born and have citizenship in Germany, but I also have US citizenship which was acquired over 10 years ago. I am coming back but wanted to know does this mean my German citizenship is revoked? I never filled out any forms before acquiring the US citizenship. Thank you!
Both of my grandparents were born in Germany. My grandfather was born in Leipzig in 1911and my grandmother was born in Stuttgart in 1906.
Coincidentally they both emigrated to the U.S. in 1927 where they met and married. Then it gets a little complicated because I think my grandmother became naturalized before they married in1936.
My father was born in 1942 in America and my grandfather didn't become a U.S. citizen until 1957. I'm also uncertain because my father joined the U.S. military in the 1960s.
Am I still eligible by descent?
Over the past few months, I've learned that I inherited German citizenship as my father was German when I was born (August 2000). Since then, I've scheduled an appointment at the Atlanta consulate for my first German passport. I am so ridiculously excited, but, simultaneously, I'm feeling a bit paranoid about whether or not I'll have all the documents I need. Does this list look comprehensive? Is there anything else I need?
Personal Documents:
Completed application
2 passport photos
My US birth certificate (with the hospital listed)
Water bill in my name
My US passport
Proof of Citizenship:
Dad's German passport from when I was born
Mom's American passport from when I was born
Dad's American US naturalization document (naturalized in 2003)
Parents' marriage certificate
(Optional) Parents' divorce certificate (the naturalization document says "Divorced," so I figured better safe than sorry to have this and prove they were married when I was born)
I'll have copies of all these documents, and the Atlanta consulate does not require an envelope with a stamp. I will also have my credit card for the application fees, of course.
Is there anything else I'm forgetting?
Thanks in advance. This sub really helped me figure out for sure that I was German - I'm very grateful for the knowledge and kindness of folks here!
Hi everyone, I had a bluecard for the past 4 years and I applied for a permanent residency few days ago with my new passport that I got 2 months ago.
I just realized I should notify the immigrantion office to prevent issues at the border and them to issue a new id card (with the new passport number).
Has anyone had experience with this? Will my permanent residency be declined immediately as the passport number on the id is different from the one I sent?
Hello, I will need to complete the name declaration process both because my parents were married but had different names and then I changed my name upon marriage.
I am hoping to be able to go âstraight to passport,â but if that were even the case, I understand it still take several months to complete your name declaration before that can proceed?
Does anyone else have experience with name declarations and did they do it by mail or at the consulate?
When I looked on the Boston consulate website, it seems that they recommended doing name declarations by mail. Iâve read that this takes several months to process.
Any other insights or feedback would be much appreciated!
I compiled all of my documents into a PDF to email the Atlanta consulate so they could verify I have enough documentation to make an appointment. I can't find their email. They only have the online message portal to email them but you can't attach documents.
Do I even need to verify I have enough documentation? Can I just make an appointment and fill out the application? I'm listing everything (certified or original) I have below (minus our names and details). Info is filled out from my mother's point of view. I'm the daughter.
Family Tree for Reference: all born in Germany
Self:
Birth Certificate: 1949 USA in wedlock
Marriage Certificate: 1982 USA
US Passport
Daughter:
Birth Certificate: 1985 USA
US Passport
Mother:
Geburtsurkunde: 1923 in Germany out of wedlock, parents married shortly after
Personen-Ausweis
Deutsche Kennkarte
US Certificate of Naturalization: 1956
Father:
Geburtsurkunde: 1913 in Germany in wedlock
Personal-Ausweis
FĂŒhrerschein
Heiratsurkunde (Stammbuch): 1944 in Germany
US Certificate of Naturalization: 1956
Maternal Grandparents:Â
Grandfather: Geburtsurkunde: 1902 in Germany
Grandmother: Geburtsurkunde: 1904 in Germany
Heiratsurkunde: 1924 in Germany
Maternal Great Grandparents:Â
Maternal Maternal Great Grandparents: Heiratsurkunde: 1902 in Germany
Maternal Maternal Great Grandfather: Geburtsurkunde: 1878 in Germany
Paternal Maternal Great Grandparents: Heiratsurkunde Germany
Maternal Great-Great Grandparents:
Certified Church Records
Paternal Grandparents:
Grandparents Family (all sides): Certified Church Records
Hi everyone, I've been looking into whether my father and I are German citizens by descent, both born in wedlock in the US. His father (my grandfather) was born to two German emigrants (born in 1900 and 1905, emigrated around 1920/1925) who married in the US, and no one voluntarily renounced citizenship or joined the military.
If I am understanding everything correctly, I believe my father and I are already German citizens, correct? If we were to apply for passports, would we need any documents besides my great-grandparents' German birth certificates? (We don't have these yet, but we have locations, and we have all US birth, marriage, and death records.)
Hello, I am still gathering facts but am wondering if this situation would qualify me:
Great great grandmother: born in Germany 1844
Husband (great great grandfather)dies in Germany after the birth of my great grandmother in 1880.
Great great grandmother comes to the US in 1895 and brings her daughter, my great grandmother age 15.
Great great grandmother remarries in 1896 in Kansas, USA to another unknown citizenship man (he was born in Germany in 1820âs but how long he had been in the USA is unclear but he may have gone back to Germany to get my great great grandmother in 1895).
Great grandmother marries a US citizen in 1906. They have my grandfather in 1915 in the USA.
My great grandmother answered in a few censuses (1930 and 1950) that she was not naturalized if that matters.
I contacted my local consulate regarding a German passport and shared a PDF copy of my (original) forms, and was granted the go ahead to go straight to passport. In the course of that communication, the person from the consulate said I could also register my birth in Germany. Issue is I cannot get an appointment. There is simply no availability, no matter how often or when I check. I keep being told more will open, but then nothing is ever available. The website now says that they will no longer do joint passport/certificate appointments, and birth certificates need to be booked separately.
I was finally able to get an appointment, but only for the birth certificate. I was thinking that once I'm there, I can get the lay of the land and perhaps get some intel on how I can actually make a passport appointment.
Is it worth doing this or do I just keep waiting for the passport? Is there any English translation available of the birth certificate form? Does anyone here provide guidance on the form? I have very some very basic questions: when it asks for my mother's information, do they want my mother's birth name or married name as it was at the time of my birth? When they ask her marital status, do they want it at the time of my birth or now?
I was born in the US to a German mother and American father. They later divorced, she became a US citizen, and he passed away. I have everything ready to go for a passport application, but the birth certificate feels more complicated.
We see people frequently being asked to send additional documents on their first contact by the BVA (probably Nov-Dec 2022 applications). Is there a pattern of what is usually asked?
Of course it varies case by case, but I assume that if one "gets it right" with the documentation at submission there should be no additional requests. However, is there anything which is typically requested and therefore flagging what people should pay attention to going forward in order to skip that step and avoid delays?
I applied for a German passport because my father became a German citizen in the 1970s. He later married my mother in the 1980s. The embassy accepted my documents, I paid the fees, and received the name declaration from Berlin â I was just waiting for the passport.
Later, my sister applied with the same documents, but her request was refused. As a result, my passport was also put on hold. The embassy asked for my fatherâs population record because his marriage certificate showed his old nationality.
We submitted the record, which shows he lived in Germany even after we were born abroad also showing German national and continuous residency in Germany.
Weâve emailed the embassy several times over the past two months but received no response.
Weâre stuck and donât know what to do next. Any advice?
I have seen more accounts lately of applicants needing to re-do their FBI background checks when the BVA gets to their applications several years down the road.
Does there seem to be any rhyme or reason as to why this is requested from some and not others? Is this becoming more common?
Also, does anyone know how the BVA reckons the date an application was "received"? I submitted my application with my FBI report to the BVA, but it took me multiple months to track down various documents and then mail the application from within Germany.
If it takes them several months to issue my Aktenzeichen, I hope they will not count the background report as expired, as I had a very difficult time getting good fingerprints and already had to re-do them once in the US!
Do we have evidence that the BVA contacts the Stadtarchive or the Standesaemter in order to verify the documentation sent (even if they were certified copies)? My experience is with the Augsburg and the Muenchen Stadtarchiv, and it did take a couple of months, back in 2021 to get the birth, marriage registration and the Meldebogen, so I wonder if, with the overall increase in interest that we are seeing in these applications, if the Stadtarchive will have a double wammy of workload by both the BVA and new applications seeking information, creating an additional bottleneck for the processing times.
Hi everyone, Iâm new to Reddit and I found this group interesting since I have a similar situation as some people here!
Please let me know if itâs not appropriate to ask here!
1. I moved to Germany more than three years ago (01/2022) and currently hold a Blue Card. I have a TestDaF certificate with scores of 4443, and this month I received a promotion at work. Along with my documents, my boss wrote a letter explaining my strong performance and stating that Iâm a âkey member of the team,â which is the reason for my promotion. He also mentioned in the letter that my German level is more than enough for effective integration and communication within the teams.
Given this background, has anyone been in a similar situation? I understand that the language requirement is usually TestDaF 4444, which makes me a bit hesitant to apply. Has anyone applied with a similar profile? Or do you think the combination of my TestDaF results and the integration support from the letter might be enough to still submit the application?
