Originally Posted by
Senseiheinrich
Dear Andreas
My father was a German citizen living in South Africa from the age of 21 (1952) till his death in 2003. He never renounced his German citizenship while living in South Africa until his death. I was born in South Africa and was a South African Citizen. However I moved to Namibia in 1987 and was 'forced' to renounced my South African Citizenship to became a Namibian Citizen (naturalization). My daughter is now 13 and I would like to apply for a German passport for her. The German Embassy in Windhoek said and I quote, "Your daughter Carmen-Issabella was born in 2003, when you had already long lost your German citizenship. Therefore she also cannot possess it" I never renounced my German citizenship, but will my South African citizenship. Is it thus correct that my daughter can not obtain German citizenship through her grandfather, who never lost his German citizenship?
Thanking you.
Heinrich Hellmann
Didn't the Namibian naturalization require renunciation off all foreign citizenships? It generally has from what I recall, and that routinely impacts even citizenships not known/disclosed but held at the time of naturalization. If you did that naturalization-based renunciation after reaching the age of majority under Germany law at the time of Namibian naturalization, then you are likely to be out of luck with German citizenship claims. There may be some exceptions, as if having a claim that the procedure was done under duress; but even then this won't be an easy and cheap thing to accomplish.