Descendants of Nazi victims: already 2,200 applications for naturalization

One year after the decision of the Bundestag to facilitate naturalization for compensation, almost 2,200 descendants of victims of Nazi persecution have already applied for such naturalization.

This was reported by the federal government's anti-Semitism commissioner, Felix Klein, on Saturday evening in Berlin in front of visitors to a concert on the occasion of the fourth amendment to the citizenship law.

It is a great “vote of trust for our country when the descendants of those persecuted by the Nazis who were forced to emigrate accept the offer of reparation naturalization and want to acquire German citizenship”.

On June 25, 2021, the Bundestag created a legal right to reparations based on nationality law, which expanded the previous circle of those entitled.

The change went into effect on August 20.

It primarily affects Jews who, although not formally expatriated, lost their German citizenship as a result of the racist, discriminatory laws of the time, or were therefore unable to acquire German citizenship.

In addition, those affected by the previously applicable rule that women married to foreigners could not pass on their German citizenship to their children were given the opportunity to acquire it retrospectively.

According to Klein, almost 4,300 people have so far submitted declarations to acquire German citizenship.

Among other things, Klein thanked the Greens domestic politician Filiz Polat, who had worked hard to bring about the new regulation.

Complex refugee biographies

Anyone who is eligible for reparation naturalization does not have to prove German language skills or meet some of the other requirements that normally apply to naturalization.

Because the authorities here assume that those affected lost their German citizenship through no fault of their own or - as in the case of children of German mothers and foreign fathers - never received it because of discriminatory laws.

Due to complex refugee biographies, it is often very time-consuming for the applicant to obtain the necessary documents, have them translated and certified.