My friend was born in Germany...?

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6,5 â€°

He is only German if one of his parents is.
Germany has the jus sanguinis means you are only German if you have German blood.

mslolo

Living someplace, or even being born there does not change or determine ones heritage. I am partially of German descent so it makes sense I would be considered German (in part) even though I wasn't born there. My oldest daughter was born there, and because of my being part German, she is, as well. If your friend isn't of German descent through his biological parents, being born their won't make it so. That's not to say he can't or doesn't appreciate the culture, etc., but that is way different from ones ethnicity. I would say your friend is correct.

P.S. I lived there for several years, and it is a beautiful country!

rio-blanco

Your friend is right. For being a german, at least one parent must have the german citizenship, if the child should be german citizen too. It is not necessary that you are born in Germany.

starcloud.2007

Well, he was born in Germany but he doesn't seem to have a German passport, does he?
So he is not a German.

Mimarspre

I am afraid he is not. As so many people already told you in Germany applies the principle of descent (jus sanguinis) and not principle of birthplace (jus soli).

That means a child acquires German citizenship at birth only if at least one of his or her parents is a German citizen (Section 4, para. 1 of the Nationality Act).

There is however an exception: children born in Germany to non-German parents may acquire German citizenship if one parent has lived legally in Germany for at least eight years prior to the childâ€™s birth and been either an EU citizen entitled to freedom of movement, an equally entitled citizen of an EEC member state, a Swiss citizen entitled to freedom of movement, or the holder of an EU residence permit or a settlement permit in accordance with the Residence Act. (Section 4, para. 3 of the Nationality Act) . Those children however are not entitled to hold a double citizenship (German and the citizenship of the parents. They must decide between the ages of 18 and 23 whether to retain their German nationality or the nationality of their parents.

You find more information in the following links:

1. Web of the German Federal Ministry of Interior. Section about becoming a German citizen by birth (English Version):
http://www.en.bmi.bund.de/cln_012/nn_122730/Internet/Content/Themen/Staatsangehoerigkeit/Einzelseiten/Erwerb__der__deutschen__Staatsangehoerigkeit__durch__Geburt__en.html

2. Web of the German Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs (AuswÃ¤rtiges Amt) (English Version, see "Provisions for foreigners living in Germany"):
http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/diplo/en/WillkommeninD/EinreiseUndAufenthalt/Staatsangehoerigkeitsrecht.html

3. Text of the German Nationality Act (English Version. See Section 4)
http://www.iuscomp.org/gla/statutes/StAG.htm#4

Alex S

As I understand it his parents are not German. If that's the
case he is right. Germany has no "Be born there and be
German" laws. To be German by birth you need to have
German parents.

Anja H

Your friend is. German laws are not like US laws, that you are a citizen of the US, if you where born on US soil.
Primarily you get German citizen when one of your parents is German.
A law was passed in 1999, to make it easier for people which live for a long time in Germany and their children born in Germany.

F.C. Bayern

No, he is correct. He isn't German.
My parents are both German, as is my lineage a long time back, and I was born in Germany, therefore, I am German, but not because I was born there, but because of my lineage.
My sister was born in the US, and since US laws state that everyone born here is a citizen, she is an American citizen.
She also has the opportunity to have dual-citizenship because my parents are German.
That is how all the children born to illegal immigrants to the US are citizens automatically, because they were born here.

frackledJJ

German law says that a person in German if one parent has the German citizenship. For that, you do not have to be born on German ground.
Even so, If your friend was bron in Germany while his parents were serving with the the US forces on German ground: Everything that belonged to the bases, including army hospitals, was viewed as US American soil, so: If he was born in an Army hospital, he was even born on US soil, even if that was surrounded by the state of Germany.

So your friend is right. He is not German.

Tre

Hell No!!! He Is Not German!!! He is an American citizen...I bet his parents were in the military and he just happened to be born over there!!!

Sally Cinnamon

if he grew up in the us,and he feels american,he is.simple as.

sally dana

well my husband's grandfather is jewish and was borned in Germany. he even sounds so German.So cold! also his daughter who is my mother in law. They are both so cold. Did they get that from there. my mother in law she has blue eyes and blond her so does my daughters. my husband's brother also has blonde hair and blue eyes and he is so arrogant and bossy and cold is it because of his Germans ascendants? is it such big deal to have blonde hair and blue eyes only my daughter Judy doesn't have blue eyes but very beautiful dark hair. At least she is not cold.well I don't like them having german genes. i think of them as purely jewish.

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