Doc J. Says:
How does a German second passport compare to others?
IL Executive Editor Jennifer Stevens Says:
Hi Doc,
Germany has a very strong passport—it ranks joint third in the Henley Passport Index, along with Spain. (This index is considered the standard reference tool for global citizens and sovereign states when assessing where a passport ranks on the global mobility spectrum.)
A German passport allows you visa-free travel to 190 destinations around the world. That’s four more than the U.S., which comes in 7th in the Index at 186.
On top of that, as an EU member state, a German passport grants you the right to live and work in any other EU country. That means a German passport gives you unfettered access to 28 countries, including Germany.
Here are the ways you can get a German passport:
- By descent from a German citizen parent, under the principle of right of blood, or jus sanguinis. If you were born before 1975, you must prove your father was a legal German citizen at the time of birth, or either parent if born after 1975.
- By birth within Germany, under principle of right of soil, or jus soli, if at least one parent has lived in Germany for at least eight years before the birth.
- By naturalization, after living in Germany for at least eight years with an official residence permit; of language proficiency; of financial stability; and of no criminal record.
However, there is one sticking point when it comes to the German passport, and it’s a doozy.
Under German law, in theory a person can have only one citizenship, unless they were born with a legal dual citizenship. If getting a German passport by naturalization, for example, you must renounce any other citizenship you have.
This principle does not apply to children who receive dual citizenship through descent from their parents. So if you have a German parent, then you can have a German second passport.
There are also exceptions for former German citizens and their descendants who were persecuted on political, racial and religious grounds between 1933 and 1945.
So as you can see, a German passport is very powerful, but for most people it is not a viable option as a second passport.
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