How to get dual American / German citizenship

My husband is the the US Army and we are currently stationed in Germany and I would like to get dual citizenship. Does anyone know how i can do that?

Please clarify. Are you a) both american, b) both german (possible, as the US army accepts foreign enlistees), c) one of each? Then we can start working on an answer.

You will be soon merged into this thread.

Sorry about that. I am American.

We are both Americans. But we want to stay here and i heard that if I got dual citizenship that it would increase our chances of staying.

You both have no German connection/blood?

Kind of our families both originated in Germany. But our parents are Americans.

Won`t help. You need to go for political asylum .

OK. So how do I do that?

Okay ... I'm trying to be constructive here:

1. Unless you have direct German lineage, you're pretty much out of luck.

2. You'd both likely have to renounce US citizenship and meet German citizenship requirements. A US citizen soldier doing so would clearly not be career-enhancing ... neither his spouse.

3. Germany does not recognize dual citizenship (althought EU pressure may change this), especially for for over-18s.

4. I'll assume you have <$1 million in the bank (which makes you a "likely tax avoider" in the eyes of the IRS, and put you on the hook for US taxes for 10 years after relinquishment).

What advantages would you see in doing so? I'd love to be a US ID-holder over here in Bananenrepublic Deustchland just to fill up at the AFES pumps, much less get real root beer at the PX :-)

We do not want to go back to the states there is nothing there for us anymore. That is why we are trying to find a way to stay here.

My kids have it.

You will both give up your US passports?

You mean, you would love to be in the American military so you could have these perks, because just having an American Passport doesn't get you into the PX (unfortunately)

Its not a great as some people may think. I rarely shop on post.

So do mine, but they're both under-18s. If yours are 18, how did they deal with military service and/or taxation on both sides?

Mine are 5 and 7. Those questions have time.

I wish it was that simple

I'd just take being exempt from double-taxation and live with paying the Hermans their EUR0.86 per litre fuel tax ... but I would willingly be deployed downrange to iraq to find real rootbeer ;-)

Agreed. Kids similar ages. See the aforementioned thread. Mandatory service likely will have the plug pulled in the next 5-10 years. My first thought was to simply tell my son to do the 10 months and be finished with it. Now, having read the thread, he should scoot under the wire going to university in the US/UK.

You don't need to give up your citizenship to live elsewhere in the world. Work on getting a job and residency. No need to be a dual citizen to do that. Don't do something stupid just cause you can and are good at it.

You don't need German citizenship to stay in Germany after your husband's ETS, in fact your time here with the military/as a military dependent does not in any way whatsoever count as residency in Germany in the eyes of the German government.

Try to line up either civilian employment with the US government here in Germany (a diminishing set of possibilities) or try to find work on the German economy (definitely not easy for most people to do).

What field is your husband in? What professional experience and skills you both of you have?

Even if you do get residency here as civilians, you will have to reside here a minimum of 7 years (if you both complete an integration course) have jobs and speak German to a certain level of ability in order to apply for German citizenship.

As for the taxation issue raised by Expaticus, if you are determined to have given up US citizenship for tax reasons, you would be required to file a US tax return for 10 years, although I have no idea how that could be enforced if you have no US source income, aren't US citizens and one other thing- I don't see how anyone could reasonably claim that a person would give up US citizenship for German citizenship for tax reasons.

OK stupid question but how do I get residency?

OK well my husband just reinlisted for six more years so do you know of any way to stay here even though he did that?

Agreed ... Big Blue is your best call option in the world if the sh*t hits the fan. Douglas MacArthur lived most of his life overseas, and really didn't want to go back, but was american as apple pie.

Are there bigger issues involved here?

What kind of bigger issues do you mean?

Hubby can be shipped to wherever the military pleases for the next six years.

You can't, generally speaking, unless you (the wife, not the servicemember) do so on your own, either by studying at a school here in Germany or getting an employment-based visa.


What kind of reenlistment option(s) did he choose? He probably could have stayed with his current unit as a condition of his reenlistment unless that unit is being permanently redeployed back to the US, in which case he could have asked to be stationed elsewhere in Germany.

Do you have orders back to the US already?

My husband is a construction equipment mechanic. The only experience I have probably wouldn't matter over here.

He has to keep his citizenship anyway if he stays in the U.S. military, doesn't he?

I'm not sure what type of reinlistment he chose. We are not scheduled to leave Germany for another 3-7 years but i figured I would do all that I could while he is in Iraq.

Yes I am pretty sure he does. But some of the soldiers that are married to German nationals are able to stay here if their spouse refuses to go to the states.

I have no idea what the OP and her husband were/are thinking, but, frankly, they are probably stuck with whatever the US government feels like doing with them.

(Incredulous) You didn't talk about his reenlistment options before he re-upped for six years?

Why do you want to stay here so bad? Why is the US so out of the question for you to return to?

yes, but not change the citizenship.

I have personal reasons as to why I don't want to go back. Plus we really like it here.

I told my husband to reinlist to stay here but he wanted the money and he promised me that there were ways to stay here.

The US is big and there are more places to live and escape too.

To stay, you should work on your qualifications and job skills and get a job. Worse comes to worse get an on base job that allows you to stay here.

Not always.

If you don't mind me asking, what is your husband's rank, and how long has he been in the military?

Regardless of what you think of your current life here and what you think of Germany, it is a bit different when you don't have the military providing you logistical support and employment.

My husband is a SPC and he has only been in for 2 years. He joined after I got discharged from the Marines.

Well, you're probably headed to Korea...but in answer to your original question...just get a farking job. They never deport taxpayers.

I have a job when the soldiers come back but its on post. What kinds of jobs are there for Americans here?

DH, you cannot get sent to Korea immediately after being stationed in Germany unless you specifically request it. They are going back to the US when his DROS date comes.

He should have had some sort of idea how the game works after a year in service.

Jobs for Americans "on the German economy". Sorry, but you don't have many options. What did you do in the Marines?

I hope he does and just isn't saying anything.

This thread just lit up the board!

A US civilian or person retiring from the military may concievably have a German spouse who a) simply doesn't want to go to the US and/or b) goes completely apesh*t and checks all the boxes on the I-94 form that she's a Nazi, terrorist, whatever, that denies her legal residency in the US ... and he decides to stay.

Again, back my question on what the broader issue might be ... unfortunately even if hubby is married to a German national, he's going to be deployed/PCSed to wherever he is told to be, regardless of the nationality of the spouse.

If, in fact, you're a spouse trying to figure out a way to keep hubby from being deployed, I'm afraid you're out of luck. The only advice I can give you is to observe that things are quieting down considerably.

It doesn't bother me that he goes to Iraq I was prepared to go to. I'm trying to keep us here

I was supposed to work on planes but I got injured during basic and they wouldnt let me finish.

@aahackett

1. You said your parents and grand parents are not/were not German citizens, Thus you are disqualified from German citizenship via blood.
2. You are a Military dependent. You are here with an active duty military member. You are not registered in the German system. You also
will prob. get laughed out of the registration office when they ask what your husband does for a living, and they'll tell you you don't need
to register.
3. You have no German Work/living permits (US Govt. sponcered) And unless you can line-up a german job you won't get them.
4. Why would you want to drop US citizenship in favor of German, "For tax reasons"? You do know that you will be paying atleast 45%
of everything you make to the Govt. Govt. right? There is absolutely NO BENEFIT what so ever in "Doing is for tax reasons"...
5. Your Husband can not apply for any permits from the Germans while he is still Active duty. Once he gets out thats a different issue.

If you really, Really, Really want German citizenship (Remember its not needed to stay in Germany). You must complete the following steps.

1. Husband and you, must get off the US Govt. tit (Sorta speak) He has to get out of the military (Which it sounds like he's not going to do for at least
another 6 years). Your status in Germany will then be that of a Tourist, you will be allowed to stay in Germany for 90 days.

2. Both of you need to then apply to the German Govt. for a Living/Working permit. This will give you an additional 90 days, to find a place to live
and a job. (Est. cost of this process is 30 Eur p.p) You will also need to begin the standard/required hours of German language school..

3. Once both of you have found a job, then you must return to the Ausländeramt, present them with the intention of employment letter from your
future jobs, and HOPE that they approve your first semi-permanent Work/living permits. These will be good for 1 year. keep in mind that if its
a simple job, the Amt will claim a German can do it, and deny your permit. (Est. cost of this process is 30 Eur p.p)

4. If after 1 yr your still employed and making money, you will then need to return to the local Amt for another permit update. This time they will be
good for 2 years. (Est. cost of this process is 30 Eur p.p)

5. Apply for 2nd 2 year permit. (Est. cost of this process is 30 Eur p.p)

6. Apply for 1st 5 year permit (Est. cost of this process is 30 Eur p.p)

7. Apply for Unlimited Permit (Est. cost of this process is 60 Eur p.p)

8. Once you get your unlimited permit, you then qualify to apply for German citizenship. You go back to your local Amt
Request the needed paper work (About 5-6 pages), Submit another 4in stack of other papers they'll request, Pass a German test
(Spoken and written), pay aprox 300-500 Eur, and spend the next 6months to 1 year waiting to see if you are accepted.

I'm sure I missed some steps, but the end result is the same. Be prepaired to wait the required 7-8 years and pay the 100s'/thousands
in Processing fees and, lawyer fees (If you have problems with the Amts)..

If all goes to plan you will then have a German passport, you can then tell the US to go fly a kite.. Welcome to Germany, and the home of the 48% tax.

Now don't ya wish ya just stayed an American.. (With the cheap taxes to boot)

If I don't need citizenship to stay here I won't get it. Taxes don't bother me. I will pay whatever I have to.