Nationality card
Service description
Formal proof of possession of German citizenship is provided by means of a citizenship certificate. This identity card is required for certain legal transactions or legal relationships (e.g. adoption, civil service).
Before issuing a certificate of citizenship or proof of legal status as a German, the citizenship authority must check:
- whether and by what means you have acquired German citizenship / legal status as a German,
- whether and by what means you have lost your German citizenship / legal status as a German.
In addition to the information about yourself, information about the persons from whom you derive your citizenship is also required. Please seek advice on this from the competent authority.
Who should I contact?
You can obtain further information on the certificate of nationality from the local foreigners authorities of the administrative districts and independent cities. If you live in the administrative district, the Landkreis Börde is responsible. Please contact the foreigners registration office of the administrative district.
Which documents are required?
To prove or substantiate that you and, if applicable, the persons from whom you derive your citizenship,
- have acquired German citizenship / legal status as a German,
- have German citizenship / legal status as a German, or
- have been treated as a German since at least 1950,
the following documents may be considered, for example:
- Documents on parentage and civil status: birth or parentage certificates, marriage certificates, transcripts / excerpts from the family register
- Documents on the acquisition of German citizenship:
Naturalization certificates, award certificates, admission certificates, certificates / deeds on the acquisition of German citizenship by declaration or option, appointment certificates in the case of civil servants, declarations on the acquisition of citizenship by service in the former German armed forces and other associations
- Documents on membership of the group of persons to whom collective naturalization applied:
Expellees' identity cards, late repatriate certificates (according to § 15 par. 1 and 2 BVFG), Volksliste identity cards, Volkstumsbescheinigungen or other documents concerning German nationality, proof of (former) right of homeland, citizenship or residence in the areas concerned, certificates concerning renunciation of the right of disclaimer
- Documents on the acquisition of legal status as a German without German citizenship:
Expellees' identity cards, late repatriates' certificates (according to § 15 par. 1 and 2 BVFG), (old) refugees' identity cards, registration certificates, registration confirmations or registration certificates
- Documents on the possession of German citizenship / legal status as a German:
Proofs of citizenship, certificate of origin, documents / identity cards on the legal status as a German, passports, identity cards and other identification documents (including old ones), excerpts from (former) family registers, citizens' lists or citizens' directories, documents on military service performed or activity as a civil servant, registration confirmations, registration certificates, documents on permission to retain German citizenship.
The documents must be submitted either as originals or as certified copies (original documents will be returned).
What are the fees?
The issuance of the citizenship certificate is subject to a fee of 25.00 EUR.
Legal basis
