German Citizenship Project

Depriving individuals of citizenship

From 1933 to 1945, thousands upon thousands of Germans were deprived of their citizenship. Although mostly Jews, others also lost their claim to the rights and protections of citizenship including, for example, Communists, Socialists, members of the Social Democratic party, Conscientious Objectors, Jehovah's Witnesses and Quakers. In some cases, the deprivation of citizenship occurred specifically with the publication of an individual's name in the Reich Law Gazette (Reichsgesetzblatt). Most, however, lost their citizenship with the passage the Eleventh Decree to the Law on the Citizenship of the Reich of 25 November 1941. This decree not only stripped Jews of their remaining rights, but also stipulated that Jews living outside of Germany were no longer citizens. Consequently, deprived of their citizenship (and their passports nullified), this effectively stranded them in place.

The German government also published a list of Jews whose citizenship were annulled: Name Index of Jews Whose German Nationality was Annulled by the Nazi Regime 1935–1944. The records were created when German citizenship was revoked because of the Nuremberg Laws of 1935. The laws spelled out exactly who was considered Jewish and who was allowed German citizenship and its accompanying rights. An admixture of so-called "Jewish blood" with "Aryan blood" made individuals with one quarter of more Jewish ancestry (one or more grandparents) Jewish. Individuals with less than one quarter (one grandparent) were considered first or second class Mischlinge (mixed race). The degrees are further complicated by the dates of birth, when and if parents married, and if the individual ever practiced the Jewish religion.

Deprivation of citizenship in particular applied to all individuals of Jewish or mixed Jewish–Christian descent. Nazi policies required all Germans to carry an Ahnenpass that documented a person's ancestors. The presence of a Jew or a Slavic ancestor on the Ahnenpass was enough to prevent someone from becoming a civil servant, a teacher, or a lawyer.

Legal avenues to reclaim citizenship

Prior to 1948, any German citizen who became a citizen of another country before November 25, 1941, would have lost his/her German citizenship according to Sec. 25 of the German Citizenship Act: they relinquished their citizenship and claimed a different one. However, given the adoption of Basic Law in 1948, if they emigrated because of Nazi policies and acquired a new citizenship (for example, in the US) individuals may be eligible nevertheless to re-obtain former German citizenship. This also applies to the descendants of deceased refugees.

The avenue to reclaim citizenship has been available since 1948. Under Article 116 (paragraph 2) of Germany's Basic Law, any citizen during the Nazi regime, or their descendants, who lost their citizenship for "political, racist, or religious reasons" is eligible to have it reinstated. The law does not require them to give up citizenship of whatever country where they currently reside. In 2010, 815 applicants from the US requested restoration of citizenship.

Specifically, the law reads:

Former German citizens who[,] between January 30, 1933 and May 8, 1945[,] were deprived of their citizenship on political, racial, or religious grounds, and their descendants, shall on application have their citizenship restored. They shall be deemed never to have been deprived of their citizenship if they have established their domicile in Germany after May 8, 1945 and have not expressed a contrary intention.

The number of applicants from Israel declined from 3,505 in 2003 to 1,459 in 2010.

The lists of Jews deprived of citizenship lists were compiled and indexed, and, after 1959, they were available for research at the Berlin Document Center. There are also lists of Jews who fled Germany, first to France or Vienna, and then to Spain.