Dual citizenship after the 2024 reform

Philippine dual citizenship under RA 9225

Since 27 June 2024 you no longer lose German citizenship by becoming American. The change is not retroactive: if you naturalized before that date without a retention permit, the loss still stands.

The Act on the Modernization of Citizenship Law came into force on 27 June 2024 and removed the rule that had cost German expatriates their citizenship for decades. It is the single biggest change in this area in a generation, and it draws a hard line by date.

What changed, and what did not

Before the reform, a German who took another citizenship on application lost the German one automatically unless they had obtained a retention permit first. That permit no longer exists as a requirement.

You also no longer have to tell German authorities that you plan to naturalize somewhere else.

The reform does not reach backwards. Somebody who became a US citizen in 2015 without a permit lost German citizenship then, and the 2024 law does not give it back.

The case where nothing was ever lost

Anyone who acquired US citizenship by being born here and German citizenship by descent from a German parent has always held both. There was nothing to apply for and nothing to lose.

The old rule applied to citizenship acquired on application, which is a narrower category than people assume.

If that is your situation, what you need is proof of the German side, and that means the certificate of citizenship rather than any dual nationality procedure.

If you lost it before June 2024

There is a route back, and it runs through naturalization rather than through a correction. It is handled by the Federal Office of Administration.

The relevant pages are published only in German, because German language ability is part of what is assessed.

This is a long road. Before starting it, find out whether your children have a separate claim in their own right, because in many families they do.

Where you stand, by date

Your situation	Effect on German citizenship
German by birth, American by birth	Both, always. Nothing to apply for
Naturalized American before 27 June 2024, no retention permit	German citizenship was lost, and the reform does not restore it
Naturalized American before that date with a retention permit	Both kept
Naturalized American on or after 27 June 2024	Both kept, with no permit and no notification

Which case applies to you

I became American in 2019 and nobody told me anything

That is the common case, and the answer is uncomfortable: German citizenship was lost at the moment of naturalization. The 2024 reform changed the rule going forward and left the past untouched.

I have a retention permit from 2011 and naturalized in 2012

Then you kept both, and you still do. Keep the permit with your German documents: missions ask for it when you next apply for a passport.

I was born in Texas to a German father in 1990

You have been a dual citizen your whole life. What you may not have is the paperwork, which is a matter of registering the birth and getting a certificate of citizenship.

My children were minors when I naturalized

Children generally did not lose citizenship through a parent’s naturalization in the way the parent did. It is worth checking their position separately, because it is often better than the parent’s.

27 June 2024 is the date that decides this. Before it, the loss was automatic and silent. After it, there is nothing to apply for.

What to have ready

Your US naturalization certificate, with the date
Any retention permit (Beibehaltungsgenehmigung) you were granted
Your last German passport or ID card, even if expired
Birth certificates for any children who may have a claim of their own

All procedures

Fees and requirements