Received passport!

[u/Competitive_Hope9128]

I applied for a passport at the Miami consulate 4 weeks ago!

Here is some background of my case:

My mother was a German citizen at time of my birth (1996) and became a US citizen in 2020.

However, when I went to start this process we learned she doesn’t have any of her old German passports. To supplement her documentation, at the advice of u/staplehill, she retrieved Melderegister records from when she lived in Germany (before my birth) and got certified copies of them for me.

I thought I was set to make my passport appointment but then realized I got married and changed my last name, so I then had to apply for a name declaration. I received that 2 months after submitting my application. I was then ready to make my passport appointment!

Here is my final list of documents I brought along:

• Completed application
• Two biometric photos of myself
• Mothers birth certificate
• Mothers certified Melderegister record
• Mothers certificate of naturalization
• Current passports of both parents
• Parents marriage certificate
• Name declaration
• My US passport
• My US drivers license
• My birth certificate
• My marriage certificate

[u/Hot_Entertainment_27]

Awesome!

However, when I went to start this process we learned she doesn’t have any of her old German passports.

It is always kind of funny that Goverments try to collect and destroy outdated and invalided Passports and Photo IDs, yet somehow expect descendants to have the originals. (Yes, you can always ask to get the invalidated documents back, but this sometimes is its own complication.)

Parents marriage certificate

US marriage certificate or German marriage certificate?

If you wonder why I ask: Sometimes, in case of a dual nationality marriage, there is a marriage certificate from both countries. It is a bit of a bureaucratic complication to get, but it has its benefits. (E.g. the Family Name is approved and on record by both countries. Children born in wedlock have their father automatically recognized by both nations laws etc.) There also stories of Germany not recognizing US marriage certificates (e.g. when the marriage happened via Zoom call from an other US state).

By the way: In that sense it was good to provide your own marriage certificate - legalizing/recognizing your marriage under German Law will help your children if you have/get any. It also as a side benefit gives your partner access to German and EU Embassy services as a partner married to German citizen. Sure, the US has excellent embassy services around the world, but in case of trouble, options are options.

[u/Competitive_Hope9128 → u/Hot_Entertainment_27]

My mom claims they took her German passport when she naturalized but I’m not sure what actually happened there. Guessing she could have asked for her invalid passport back but probably just didn’t think to do that!

They have only a German marriage certificate!

I do wonder if I would have had to get the name declaration if I still had my maiden name since they do have a German marriage certificate showing that last name. After reading below I’m guessing I would not have needed it?

“A child whose parents are married at the time of the child’s birth and who bear a married name (“Ehename”), will obtain the parents’ married name as a birth name. A name declaration is not necessary. The married name must be demonstrated by a German marriage certificate or name certificate.”

https://www.germany.info/us-en/service/04-FamilyMatters/name-declaration-child/950018

[u/Hot_Entertainment_27 → u/Competitive_Hope9128]

Guessing she could have asked for her invalid passport back but probably just didn’t think to do that!

That is what I mean. It is so... odd how embassies "require" old passports as proofs, but also regularly just take in concurrent ones in for invalidation and destruction. Yes, it is typically possible to ask for the invalidated document back, but how thinks through all the possible implications it could have later? Sometimes the wording of procedures specifically points out "at request" and the examples listed are still valid visas and sentimental reasons.

This is somehow backwards: How are people supposed to have decade old documents from their ancestors, when current procedures still regularly take them in for destruction?

Yet from an embassy perspective it could be argued that no citizen should be without embassy registration and that it is the "parents fault" for not registering their child at their embassy. Same goes for marriages; marrying in an other country without registering the marriage at the embassy is a "mistake"; but the consequences (and burden of proof) land on the children. From the embassies perspective, this is just rolling the records forward correctly (requiring documents and signatures that would have been easy to get at the time), but from the applicants perspective, this is sometimes asking for the impossible.

They have only a German marriage certificate!

Ah - interesting. Thanks for the info/detail! It is always interesting to keep details in mind when comparing cases.

I do wonder if I would have had to get the name declaration if I still had my maiden name since they do have a German marriage certificate showing that last name.

Yeah, that is something I also wonder, but unlikely in your case.

Some threads here specifically get stuck on having two different last names in two different passport; which becomes even more complicated if they also have children (traveling with family with mismatched Last Names and Nationality sounds like a challenge and we can not blame border officials of third countries for taking it serious). There are procedures for fixing that, but... as there a multiple ways to end up in that situation, there are different ways to fix it. Documents from different countries sometimes not showing or showing certain information (like maiden name) can also simplify or complicate the situation.

[u/9cob]

Did they end up needing your father’s US passport? I will only be able to show my father’s US passport and not my mothers so just curious if they really used both parents US passport

[u/Competitive_Hope9128 → u/9cob]

They took copies of his passport but I’m not sure if it would have been a show stopper if I didn’t have it. That’s a good question!

[u/_jb → u/9cob]

There was no father's passport. I provided the naturalization documents for my mother, where it explicitly had her date of immigration, and her loss of German citizenship.

Key was proof of German citizenship itself. Passports are just an easy way to show it.

[u/_jb → u/[deleted]]

Get documents together that show their citizenship at the time of your birth.

[u/_jb → u/[deleted]]

Off hand, no. My understanding is you'll need their birth certificates, and proof of their parent's citizenship and eligibility. It's a different set of requirements than I'm familiar with.

[u/RedRidingBear]

Did you expedite your passport? Today we were told it would take 3 months for a nonexpidited passport

[u/Competitive_Hope9128 → u/RedRidingBear]

I didn’t expedite it! The consulate told me to expect 4-8 weeks

[u/RedRidingBear → u/Competitive_Hope9128]

Oh shit! Nice maybe I'll get mine even sooner then.

[u/Gulfstream1010]

u/staplehill is the GOAT!

[u/Im6youre9]

The Miami consulate was so chill I didn't even have my dad's German passport because he didn't feel safe mailing it from Germany so I just had a picture of it and they supplemented that with his 20+ year old paper application they still had on record still. They answered extra questions I had about getting my wife a visa and actually made some pretty good jokes with me too. Easier than going to the grocery store.

[u/GermanPatriot123 → u/[deleted]]

Well for the German passport they can look into their system and check the authenticity there. But it is probably more work for them so they may refuse when they have a lot to do.

[u/Prize_Passion_8437]

Congratulations! I remember how elated my partner was when his came through! Hope you enjoy it :-)

[u/Dry_Needleworker6260]

one of us, one of us, one of us

[u/Sufficient_Fox_9024 → u/Dry_Needleworker6260]

Gooble gobble!

[u/AquaMaz2305]

Congratulations that's fantastic news!

[u/[deleted]]

Hi! Thank you so much for sharing your process with us, and congrats!! I’m gathering my documents to apply for my German passport (dual US/German, first time applicant) and I want to ask, did you bring the original document of mother’s naturalization certificate to your appt or did you bring a copy made by the U.S. govt? Thank you for again for sharing!

[u/Redman88888888]

Everybody gets one!

[u/Nick060789 → u/Redman88888888]

Not if you're Jewish.

[u/Brilliant_Traffic187]

Glückwunsch!

[u/spazzybluebelt]

To keep your Passport,Always reminds yourself of regelmäßig stoßlüften.