By Christine Stenner, Attorney (Germany) at Stenner Law| Foreign Legal Consultant (PA) | August 1, 2025
During a recent visit to the Jewish Museum in Berlin/Germany, I documented exhibits that illustrate how families were stripped of their rights and legal identities under Nazi rule. One photo from that visit looks just like aged paper files but in fact captures the weight of this history. Shelves filled with documents for deregistration and other bureaucratic measures designed to burden, isolate, and ultimately erase individuals from legal existence.
Between 1933 and 1945, the Nazi regime enacted hundreds of discriminatory laws and decrees designed to exclude Jews from every aspect of German life. From education and employment to property rights and personal freedoms, no area was untouched. The government imposed severe restrictions and bureaucratic barriers that made emigration difficult and, in many cases, financially devastating. Taxes, levies, and local deregistration requirements systematically stripped families of their assets. Yet, despite these obstacles, over half of Germany’s Jewish population managed to flee and find refuge in more than 90 countries—including many who settled in the United States.
How Citizenship Was Stripped Away
Nazi persecution went beyond social and economic exclusion. It aimed to sever legal ties entirely. In 1935, the Reich Citizenship Law (Reichsbürgergesetz) created a two-class system: Jews were downgraded to mere “subjects” with no legal rights. In 1941, the Eleventh Decree to this law (Elfte Verordnung) declared that Jews who had left Germany automatically lost their citizenship. These measures were deliberate tools to erase the legal identity of German Jews.
Modern Legal Remedies: Reclaiming What Was Taken
Today, Germany acknowledges the injustice of these actions. Two legal provisions now allow descendants of Nazi victims to reclaim German citizenship:
- Article 116(2) of the German Basic Law (Grundgesetz):Restores citizenship to individuals and their descendants who were stripped of it between 1933 and 1945 for racial, political, or religious reasons.
- 15 of the German Nationality Act (StAG):Broadens eligibility to those who were excluded from acquiring citizenship due to Nazi-era laws. This includes individuals who were never German citizens but were prevented from obtaining it because of discriminatory regulations.
The Legal Basis of German Citizenship
German citizenship is based on the principle of jus sanguinis—the right of blood. This means citizenship is passed down through a German parent, not granted by birthplace. A German birth certificate alone is not sufficient to prove citizenship, as it does not confirm the parents’ legal status at the time of birth. Under Nazi rule, these inheritance rights were often denied or distorted. Some children were born stateless due to racial laws. Women automatically lost their German citizenship when they married foreign nationals. Others were deliberately excluded from naturalization procedures for discriminatory reasons.
At STENNER LAW, we understand that reclaiming German citizenship is not just a legal process. It is a deeply personal journey to restore what was unjustly taken. Our legal support goes far beyond filling out forms. We consult archives, interpret historical documents, and assemble fragmented family records. Every case is handled with the same care we would give our own family’s history. To learn more about your rights to reclaim German citizenship:
