matesol
3/13/2016 08:09 EST
My Grandfather, now deceased, was born in Germany in 1922. He immigrated when he was 2 and a half years old. However, he had polio before immigrating to Canada. As such, his mother pretended he was still an infant when she went through customs so they would not be rejected as immigrants. Because of this, my grandfather never even applied for Canadian citizenship because he did not want to be "found out" and he never had a Canadian passport. He was, however, a permanent resident of Canada. My father is still alive. Can I obtain German citizenship or would my father have to apply for it or is it impossible for both of us? I'd really like to have a German passport and be able to travel/live in Germany without restriction. Please advise!
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BrendanC
3/13/2016 10:48 EST
Unless the rules have changed, you wouldn't be eligible. I was born in Germany, German mother, Irish-American father. I've always had a US passport. In my 20s I looked into getting a European passport and found out I would have to had take German citizenship before my 18th birthday to be eligible. There was no provision for citizenship through descent.
Ireland does allow citizenship through parents or grandparents and I was able to do that through my father's parents.
All that said, you should contact the German embassy or a consulate to get the official word.
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jeba
3/14/2016 02:19 EST
Sorry, I don´t know the answer to that. However, you might check another forum, which is more active than this one and where you might well find somebody more knowledgeable who will help you:
toytowngermany.com
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germanit
From: Italy
3/28/2016 04:21 EST
@ matesol
On what passport did your grandfather live in Canada?
You should ask at the German consulate in your area and / or contact also the Bundesverwaltungsamt in Cologne (Germany).
You should state when and at which age your grandfather left Germany, if (and when) his parents got Canadian citizenship and why your father is a Canadian citizen.
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germanit
From: Italy
3/28/2016 04:26 EST
@ BrendanC
It depends on your date of birth. Till the 1970's (I don't remember the exact year) you got German citizenship only if your father was a German citizen. When the law was changed, people with a German mother and a foreign father could apply for German citizenship because of the German citizenship of their mother for a ristrictetd time.
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Charliewhite
4/4/2016 14:01 EST
Best contact the German Embassy! It used to be so that German citizenship was granted up to 5 generations past. I helped a friend in that regard back in the '80. She was a US citizen with a German G-G-dad, lived temporarily in London, and wow, it worked for her. She was able to stay in Europe as an actress. But the Laws may have changed, although I see many ethnic Germans from Kazakhstan living happily in Germany now....Good luck.
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