Beibehaltungsgenehmigung advice

[skatz1990]

Hello and apologies for not writing this in German.
I'm a dual citizen of Germany and an additional country in which I was born and raised in. I've lived in the United States for the last 5 years and soon I will be eligible to become a US citizen.
From what I understand, in order to keep my German citizenship, I would have to submit a form, called Beibehaltungsgenehmigung with proofs that I have continuing ties to Germany.
The issue is that I really don't: I do not speak German, I do not have a bank account, pension, friends, family and as a matter of fact, I've never been to Germany before. As much as I would love to retain my German citizenship, I don't think I really stand a chance.
From past experience, could anyone advise me and tell me how hard they're relying on those "continuing ties to Germany", as I have absolutely zero?
Out of many lawyers that I talked to, only one was willing to consider taking my case (which is totally understandable!), so I was just curious if it's even worth the effort.
It's not going to be the end of the world for me to lose this citizenship, but I would rather keep it if possible.
Appreciate your help!

 

[Admin]

The issue is that I really don't: I do not speak German, I do not have a bank account, pension, friends, family and as a matter of fact, I've never been to Germany before. As much as I would love to retain my German citizenship, I don't think I really stand a chance.

Your conclusion is unfortunately correct, based on the information shared, there is no chance to retain your German citizenship.

Any lawyer who would offer you support based on these facts is just interested in your money.

 

[skatz1990]

That's what I thought, she asked for a ridiculous amount of money and basically told me that our chances are super low. Thank you for your input

 

[Ulrich]

I concur with my colleague.

If you have been in the US for 20 years or are at retiment age and have been in the US for at least 10 years, the process is somewhat simplified in so far as that you don't need to prove significant personal disadvantages from not obtaining the US citizenship, but even in those cases (or especially in those cases) you will still need to show ties to Germany. Unfortunately there is no way around it.

Now here is something to think about -- I don't know how old you are or what your marital/family status is, but if you are planning to have any kids in the near future then I would wait with the US citizenship until after they are born. That way they would be entitled to both the US and German citizenship (and presumably your other one as well); they would keep it (the German citizenship) even if you lost yours by becoming a US citizen afterwards. If you lose your German citizenship before any kids were born, they'd basically be SOL as well.

 

[skatz1990]

That's a great advice, thank you for that! It's actually very relevant for me right now

 

[Ulrich]

In that case make sure that you register the birth(s) with the consulate (really with the Standesamt Berlin, via the consulate) within 12 months of the kid(s) being born. Might make sense to request a German birth certificate (get multiple copies just in case) at the same time. If you do this within 12 months then your (grand)children will be able to pass on the German citizenship to their kids as well; otherwise that will stop with your grandchildren, I think. There was a change to the citizenship law a while back that you might want to google.

 

[skatz1990]

And the child should be good as long as I'm not a US citizen just yet (which means that I haven't given up on my German citizenship) the day that they're born. Right?
I'm asking because the dates are getting pretty tight for both actually: I will be eligible for citizenship in November, but expecting a baby in December, so might just wait for the birth and only then apply.

 

[Ulrich]

Just because you are eligible doesn't mean you are required to apply for citizenship. What's the rush? Aside from voting, what can't you do with a greencard that you can do as a citizen? There really is no great urgency that I can see.

And yes, you need to be a German citizen on the day of your baby's birth in order to confer citizenship to him/her. Add another month or two to your timeline, since you will have to collect all required forms/information (it will take a week or two before the US birth certificate is available, etc), and if I remember correctly, you will have to present the baby in person (you don't want to take a newborn out into public until their immune system has developed further) at the consulate when you apply for her German birth certificate/passport/ID card ("Personalausweis" -- originally only people residing in Germany could get one, but that has changed. I'd recommend applying for both the Passport and the ID card to have backup documentation of the kid's citizenship; and to get a few copies of the German birth certificate since it's easier (cheaper) now than a couple years down the line when you might need one for whatever reason). Getting the birth certificate also ensures that the birth is registered at the Standesamt in Berlin.

I believe all forms involving passports or similar documents these days include a question whether you have obtained another citizenship since the last time you applied for those documents. If you did then you will have to document the timing, i.e. provide a copy of the BBG and/or naturalization certificate. This also applies to you applying for your kid's passport, as long as they are a minor. So do yourself a favor and don't even turn in your N-400 until after you have applied for or preferably even received your kids passport/ID card (no need to wait for the birth certificate; that can literally take months/years before you get it) just to take some complexity out of the process.

Just my $0.02

 

[skatz1990]

Appreciate all your tips and help! You're right, I will wait until we get all the papers before I apply for N-400