Americans using their ancestry to gain European citizenship - 40% of Americans eligible

[Anonymous]

DH was born in Italy (military family). He’s got both an Italian birth certificate and a U.S. certificate of birth abroad. Does that help DD if she ever chose to pursue it?

I think I could qualify on my dad’s side, but it sounds like a lot of work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My parents and siblings were born in Croatia.i never applied for citizenship. What would yhe benefit be?

Benefit would be EU passport. Can live and work in EU, kids attend some EU universities for low cost. Downside could be taxes.

I have no plans to work in EU. Kids are done school. If I ever wanted to live in EU, I could apply for citizenship then. Am I missing something?

[Anonymous]

Can someone tell me more about Italy? My understanding was that I wasn’t eligible because my grandmother immigrated before Italian women had rights so there were no rights to transfer to me. If she’s been a boy, it would have worked. Am I wrong?

[Anonymous]

I am interested. My cousins all made sure to get citizenship in EU but I didn't pursue anything like that.

Honestly, the U.S. has changed before our eyes. It'll be a third world nation before I'm old.

I'm not keen on picking up and leaving, but I'd like to have options for the future. The day the U.S. blatantly turns into a police state is the day I'm leaving.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Spouse did it for German citizenship for himself and our kids, via a Jewish grandparent (rest of the family killed in the Holocaust). He had to collect a bunch of paperwork but it was all doable. Took about 2 years from start to finish.

what kind of paperwork? we’re jewish and my grandmother grew up in germany (she’s still alive), she and her parents survived concentration camps and came to the US when she was a teen. I can’t even imagine where to start looking for paperwork or what kind of paperwork I’d need?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Spouse did it for German citizenship for himself and our kids, via a Jewish grandparent (rest of the family killed in the Holocaust). He had to collect a bunch of paperwork but it was all doable. Took about 2 years from start to finish.

what kind of paperwork? we’re jewish and my grandmother grew up in germany (she’s still alive), she and her parents survived concentration camps and came to the US when she was a teen. I can’t even imagine where to start looking for paperwork or what kind of paperwork I’d need?

I did this for Lithuania - similar situation and basically just emailed their national archives and got the documentation. But I also knew detailed info - name, address, date of birth, date of marriage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Spouse did it for German citizenship for himself and our kids, via a Jewish grandparent (rest of the family killed in the Holocaust). He had to collect a bunch of paperwork but it was all doable. Took about 2 years from start to finish.

what kind of paperwork? we’re jewish and my grandmother grew up in germany (she’s still alive), she and her parents survived concentration camps and came to the US when she was a teen. I can’t even imagine where to start looking for paperwork or what kind of paperwork I’d need?

It’s clearly laid out on their website. Essentially you need to prove that your German relative was Jewish, that he lived in Germany during the Nazi regime, the birth certificates showing the relationship between that relative and you. In our case, the grandparent was able to leave Germany, and had his old passport (with a J stamped on it).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Spouse did it for German citizenship for himself and our kids, via a Jewish grandparent (rest of the family killed in the Holocaust). He had to collect a bunch of paperwork but it was all doable. Took about 2 years from start to finish.

what kind of paperwork? we’re jewish and my grandmother grew up in germany (she’s still alive), she and her parents survived concentration camps and came to the US when she was a teen. I can’t even imagine where to start looking for paperwork or what kind of paperwork I’d need?

It’s clearly laid out on their website. Essentially you need to prove that your German relative was Jewish, that he lived in Germany during the Nazi regime, the birth certificates showing the relationship between that relative and you. In our case, the grandparent was able to leave Germany, and had his old passport (with a J stamped on it).

https://www.germany.info/us-en/-/2370240

Also, if you call the embassy, I think they were very helpful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am interested. My cousins all made sure to get citizenship in EU but I didn't pursue anything like that.

Honestly, the U.S. has changed before our eyes. It'll be a third world nation before I'm old.

I'm not keen on picking up and leaving, but I'd like to have options for the future. The day the U.S. blatantly turns into a police state is the day I'm leaving.

Same here. Manhattan already has its first actual Chinese Communist police start set up.

[Anonymous]

Nearly half of Americans with EU citizenship...what could possibly go wrong?

I mean, I wouldn't want to be American right now either, but this thread is pathetic. Check your privilege and fix your own mess, "y'all".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've looked into it. It can get a little tricky because borders have moved.

For instance, my grandparents were Polish, and came over to America in the late 1800s when all these present-day-countries were under the Austro-Hungarian Empire. However, after WW2 the lines were redrawn and their villages are now in the Western Ukraine. So does that mean we look toward Polish citizenship or Ukrainian? Messy!

Also in the case of Poland if your ancestors went through US naturalization or was conscripted into the Russian/Austrian/Prussian army it can also disqualify you. If an ancestor served in US military it *could* also disqualify you. Ancestors didn’t return to Poland when it re-emerged on the European map? Likely a disqualifier.

For PP they’d likely have to go through Ukraine because people eg, east of the border lines drawn after WWI and WWII were excluded / stripped of Polish citizenship.

Hungary a decade or so ago was the back door for many people. They had the loosest requirements. 🤷‍♀️

[Anonymous]

Be sure you understand the tax situation you put yourself into when you have dual citizenship. You may be required to pay taxes in two countries.

[Anonymous]

Here is a flow chart for those considering going through their Polish heritage:

https://pgsa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Education-Polish-Citizenship.pdf

[Anonymous]

What is the benefit of doing this? You aren't going to move to Europe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is the benefit of doing this? You aren't going to move to Europe.

Why do you assume they wouldn’t? My kids have German passports in addition to their US passports, which we got in significant part so they would have an option to live/work there as adults. My college student is seriously considering it for after graduation.