Germany’s rules on multiple citizenship changed fundamentally on June 27, 2024. Before that date, a German citizen who acquired another nationality (particularly a “third country” nationality outside the EU and Switzerland) automatically lost German citizenship under Section 25 of the German Nationality Act (Staatsangehörigkeitsgesetz, or StAG), unless they had first obtained a Retention Permit (Beibehaltungsgenehmigung). The Citizenship Modernization Act (Staatsangehörigkeitsmodernisierungsgesetz) repealed Section 25 without replacement. As a result, the Retention Permit no longer exists, and it is no longer possible to apply for one, because it is no longer needed. German citizens may now acquire a foreign nationality without risking the loss of their German citizenship.
This change is not retroactive. Anyone who acquired a foreign nationality before June 27, 2024, without holding a valid Retention Permit at that time, lost their German citizenship under the old law, and the reform does not automatically restore it. If this applies to you, or if you are unsure whether it applies to you, our German citizenship lawyers can review your case and advise on the available paths back to German citizenship.
At Schlun & Elseven Rechtsanwälte, our team has in-depth expertise in German nationality and citizenship law, including matters involving the Federal Office of Administration (Bundesverwaltungsamt, or BVA), the authority that formerly issued Retention Permits and that now handles determination and re-naturalization procedures for former German citizens.
What the Retention Permit Used to Require
The Retention Permit was a certificate issued under the former Section 25(2) StAG. When obtained before a person acquired a foreign nationality, it protected that person from losing German citizenship as a result. The Bundesverwaltungsamt was responsible for issuing it.
The decision to grant a Retention Permit weighed public and private interests. The public interest most often cited was the general principle of avoiding multiple nationalities. On the private-interest side, an applicant had to provide a credible, specific reason why acquiring a foreign nationality was advantageous or necessary. There was no fixed list of acceptable reasons. A Retention Permit could be granted only if the foreign state itself permitted dual nationality.
To be valid, the certificate had to be issued and received before the foreign nationality was acquired, and it was valid for a maximum of two years from issue. A person who acquired a foreign nationality without holding a valid Retention Permit at that moment lost German citizenship immediately and automatically. None of this procedure is available or relevant going forward, since Section 25 StAG has been abolished, but it remains relevant to anyone assessing a citizenship loss that occurred before June 27, 2024.
If You Lost German Citizenship Before June 27, 2024
If you acquired a foreign nationality before the reform came into force and did not hold a valid Retention Permit at the time, German law treats you as having lost your German citizenship on that date, and the 2024 reform does not reverse this. Two remedies are generally available, depending on where you live:
- Section 13 StAG: a re-naturalization route for former Germans habitually resident abroad. It does not require you to give up your current nationality.
- Section 8 StAG: discretionary naturalization for former Germans now living in Germany, handled by the local naturalization authority rather than the BVA.
In some cases, citizenship was never actually lost. This can occur, for example, where the foreign nationality was not acquired voluntarily, where a valid Retention Permit was in fact obtained, or where the foreign nationality was that of an EU member state or Switzerland (which has not required a Retention Permit since August 28, 2007). A determination procedure with the BVA can conclusively confirm your status. Where the BVA’s decision is unfavorable, it can generally be challenged first by objection and subsequently before the Administrative Court of Cologne.
Other Ways German Citizenship Can Still Be Lost
The reform did not remove every ground for losing German citizenship, only the ground tied to acquiring a foreign nationality. Under the current Section 17 StAG, German citizenship can still be lost through:
- Formal renunciation,
- Joining the armed forces, or a comparable armed organization, of a foreign state,
- Concrete participation in the combat operations of a terrorist organization abroad,
- Withdrawal of an unlawful administrative act (for example, a naturalization obtained through fraud).
None of these grounds is connected to holding multiple nationalities.
Broader Effects of the 2024 Reform
Beyond abolishing the Retention Permit, the Citizenship Modernization Act shortened the general residence requirement for naturalization and made naturalization easier to obtain overall. It also added an explicit requirement that applicants commit to the free democratic basic order and distance themselves from racist and antisemitic views.
Practice Group: German Citizenship Law
Practice Group:
German Citizenship Law
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