Anyone who has German citizenship is a German within the meaning of the law. This is more than just an entry in the passport. It is the firm legal connection between a person and the German state. This connection entails a number of rights and obligations that shape life in Germany and abroad.
Possession of German citizenship is the result of a legal process. You have either acquired it and have not lost it since. The exact ways to acquire it and the reasons for a possible loss are regulated in the Citizenship Act (StAG).
The legal connection to the German state
German citizenship is what formally assigns a person to the German state. All persons who possess this nationality together form the German nationality. From an international perspective, this connection also creates a relationship between the person and Germany that is recognized by other states. An important consequence of this is that Germany has a duty to accept its own nationals into the country again and again.
The consequences in Germany - rights and obligations
German citizenship is the basis for many fundamental rights in Germany. It is the decisive characteristic that distinguishes Germans from foreigners and is therefore also the basis for all migration law. Only German citizens have certain, particularly important rights. These include, for example
- The right to assemble freely and form associations.
- The freedom to choose your place of residence and stay anywhere in Germany.
- The free choice of profession.
- Access to public office, i.e. the opportunity to become a civil servant or judge.
A bonus - European citizenship
Every German citizen is automatically also a citizen of the European Union. This European citizenship is not an independent nationality, but a supplement to German citizenship. It cannot be acquired or lost separately, but is always linked to the nationality of an EU member state.
European citizenship confers important rights within the EU, such as the right to move and reside freely in any other EU country.
Important demarcation - Status Germans
It is important to know that the term "German" in the Citizenship Act refers specifically to persons who have German citizenship. So-called status Germans, i.e. people who have come to Germany as German nationals but do not have German citizenship, do not fall under this definition. Other regulations apply to them in some cases.