Section 15 StAG: restitution for descendants of persecuted Germans
Naturalization where persecution cost a family its German citizenship, but no formal deprivation order applies
Section 15 of the Nationality Act (Staatsangehörigkeitsgesetz, StAG) took effect on August 20, 2021. It gives people persecuted by the Nazi state, and their descendants, a legal entitlement to naturalization where German citizenship was lost, or never acquired, in ways that Article 116(2) of the Basic Law did not reach. In German it is called Wiedergutmachungseinbürgerung: restitution naturalization. This guide explains whom it is designed for and how the application works.
Who Section 15 may apply to
Section 15 covers people persecuted between January 30, 1933 and May 8, 1945 for the political, racial or religious reasons listed in Article 116(2) of the Basic Law who, as a result:
- gave up or lost German citizenship before February 26, 1955, for example by naturalizing in another country;
- were excluded from acquiring German citizenship through marriage, legitimation or a collective naturalization;
- applied for naturalization and were refused, or were excluded from naturalization altogether; or
- gave up or lost their habitual residence in Germany, within its borders of December 31, 1937, where that residence began before January 30, 1933 (or, for children, after that date).
Their descendants are covered too, including children adopted before January 1, 1977. The statute sets no generational cutoff.
A common American case. A German Jewish ancestor who emigrated in the 1930s and became a US citizen before November 25, 1941 generally lost German citizenship through that naturalization, not through a deprivation order. That situation typically falls under Section 15 rather than Article 116(2).
Who is excluded
- People sentenced to two years or more of imprisonment or youth detention for intentional crimes, or subject to preventive detention
- People who acquired German citizenship after May 8, 1945 and later lost it again, and their descendants born or adopted after that loss
Loss of post-war citizenship through marriage to a foreign national, or legitimation by a foreign father, before April 1, 1953 does not count against the claim.
How Section 15 differs from Article 116(2) and Section 5
Article 116(2) applies where the Nazi state formally took an ancestor's citizenship. Section 15 applies where persecution led to the loss or non-acquisition of citizenship by other means. The two are often reviewed side by side, because the same family history can point to either. Section 5 StAG is unrelated to persecution: it remedies older rules on mothers, marriage and legitimacy, and it has a deadline.
| Route | Typical situation | Deadline | Average processing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Article 116(2) Basic Law | German citizenship formally taken by the Nazi state between 1933 and 1945 | None | About 1.5 years |
| Section 15 StAG | Persecuted between 1933 and 1945, but citizenship lost or never acquired another way, such as by naturalizing abroad | None | About 2.5 years |
| Section 5 StAG | Cut off by older rules on mothers, marriage and legitimacy; no persecution required | Declaration must reach the Federal Office of Administration by August 19, 2031 | About 2 to 2.5 years |
All three routes are free of government fees. Average processing times are those published by German missions abroad in March 2026; individual cases vary widely.
Documents generally involved
- A copy of the applicant's current passport
- The applicant's birth certificate, marriage certificate if married, and the parents' marriage certificate
- Birth, marriage and family records for each generation back to the persecuted ancestor
- Proof of the ancestor's German citizenship, or of residence in Germany and exclusion from naturalization
- Evidence of the persecution, such as dismissal from public service, expulsion orders or detention records
- Adoption, divorce, paternity or name-change records where relevant
Documents must be originals or officially or notarially certified copies. Foreign public documents generally need an apostille, and foreign-language documents need a translation by a sworn translator. The Federal Office of Administration may also ask for a national criminal record check; for US residents that means an FBI Identity History Summary.
How to apply
Applicants living abroad send the application to the Federal Office of Administration in Cologne, either directly or through the German embassy or consulate responsible for them. The Federal Office's download package includes form E15 for applicants aged 16 and over, form E15_K for children under 16, and an Anlage_AV supplement for each generation of ancestors.
Applicants aged 16 and over make a declaration of commitment to Germany's free democratic constitutional order before receiving the naturalization certificate. Section 15 does not require German language skills or residence in Germany.
Cost and timing
The procedure is free of charge. Costs for records, apostilles and translations are not reimbursed, whatever the outcome. German missions abroad list an average processing time of about 2.5 years for this route (March 2026). Section 15 has no deadline.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a deadline for Section 15?
No. Section 15 has no application deadline.
Do I have to give up my US citizenship?
No. The Federal Office of Administration's information sheet states that applicants are not required to give up their current citizenship; whether another country's law affects it depends on that country's rules. Since June 27, 2024 German law generally permits multiple citizenship.
What if my ancestor's citizenship was formally revoked?
Then Article 116(2) is usually the more direct route. It covers formal deprivation of citizenship between 1933 and 1945, and its average processing time is shorter. Many families are reviewed under both.
My ancestor was not a German citizen but lived in Germany. Can Section 15 apply?
It can. Section 15 also covers persecuted people who were refused or excluded from naturalization, and people who lost a habitual residence in Germany that began before January 30, 1933. Showing that residence takes registration or other records from the period.
Does Section 15 cost anything?
There is no government fee. Records, apostilles and sworn translations are paid for by the applicant and are not reimbursed.
Karte Global researches the family line, identifies which route fits the records, and assembles the file for the Federal Office of Administration. The first step is a $49 eligibility screening, credited in full if you continue.
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