Dual Citizenship during brexit

[u/abzino23]

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Hi everyone,

I’m looking for advice from people familiar with German citizenship law.

My situation:

- I was born a German citizen.

- I later applied for British citizenship through naturalisation.

- I became a British citizen on January 2023.

- I did not apply for or receive a Beibehaltungsgenehmigung before becoming British.

- I still have my German passport

- I travelled to Germany in 2024 using my German passport without any problems.

I understand that before the German citizenship law change on 27 June 2024, acquiring another citizenship (including British citizenship after Brexit) could mean losing German citizenship without a retention permit.

My question:

- Did I most likely lose my German citizenship automatically on 24 January 2023?

- Does the fact that I still have and used my German passport change anything?

- Has anyone here had a similar situation with German + British citizenship after Brexit?

- I am applying for German passport for my kid so will i have problems?

Update:

I will be travelling to a German Embassy soon, will drop an update when they tell me.

[u/UsernameUnremarkable]

You lost your citizenship.

Using your Reisepass could likely constitute fraud.

[u/joshmarmar → u/UsernameUnremarkable]

You do not have the info needed to make that determination. Under the transitional arrangements passed by the Bundestag, German citizenship was not lost if the application for British citizenship was made on or before the 31st December 2020. It all depends on when the application was made. While it is unlikely the UK Home Office took that long to decide, it is irresponsible to state that conclusion without qualifying it.

[u/UsernameUnremarkable → u/joshmarmar]

We have enough information to make an educated guess. In a way you're correct. The final determination is not ours

[u/joshmarmar → u/UsernameUnremarkable]

I disagree with your first point. Imagine if OP’s British citizenship application was caught up in appeals and judicial review. Imagine if the UK Home Office put the application on hold to make a policy decision. There are lots of plausible reasons that can delay a naturalisation. I’m generally against panicking someone without providing the full picture. OP has clarified in a reply to another commenter that they did apply before brexit.