Dual Citizenship
 

Good morning

Do any of you have experience in applying for dual citizenship?

I want to keep my British passport but would also like to have the German pass too. I have been in Hamburg for 26 years.

Serious comments are more than welcome.

Cheers

Re: Dual Citizenship
 

German nationality law - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

HTH

Re: Dual Citizenship
 

I think you can keep your British passport. The legal basis is §12 Absatz 2 STAG:

StAG - Einzelnorm

The requirement of §10 Nr. 4 STAG is that a foreigner is willing to give up his or her original citizenship. This requirement is waived by 12 Absatz 2 STAG for EU citizens. That means you need to apply as long as the UK is still a EU country.

You can also ask the competent authority where you live. I am not sure which Behörde that is but the Ausländeramt should know.

Re: Dual Citizenship
 

You don't apply for dual citizenship - you become a dual citizen as a consequence of having more than one nationality. British nationality law has had no issues with dual nationality since 1949 and, as Assanah says, German nationality law now exempts EU citizens from renouncing their previous citizenship in order to become German. Providing you meet the requirements to naturalise as a German citizen then you should have no problem holding both citizenships concurrently.

Re: Dual Citizenship
 

Considering both, a. the additional rights you get with German citizenship (including the vote and a German passport + ID card), and b. the possibility that Britain may leave the EU in the medium term (and with it, the allowance for dual citizenship), it's not clear why anyone eligible for German citizenship should wait a day longer.

If Britain does leave the EU, new applicants for German citizenship will likely have to renounce British citizenship. Those who already have German citizenship would not (highly unlikely) be asked to renounce British citizenship in order to keep it.

Re: Dual Citizenship
 

Yes, for those you would like to keep their access to Europe either for work or retirement it might be time to apply for another EU citizenship.

Re: Dual Citizenship
 

Good point, JAJ. My son - who has just been granted Permanent Residence in Norway - can now apply for Norwegian citizenship. BUT he would have to give up his UK citizenship; Norway does not allow dual citizenship. If Britain were to leave the EU, it would be up to Britain to decide whether it would or wouldn't allow dual citizenship. I don't think the EU cares one way or another.

Re: Dual Citizenship
 

Norway is not in the EU, she is a member of the EFTA.

Re: Dual Citizenship
 

Not that nationality law has anything to do with membership of either. If the UK left the EU/EEA then it wouldn't change the fact that the UK allows dual citizenship for naturalising citizens whereas Norway doesn't.