RE-ACQUISITION/RETENTION OF FILIPINO CITIZENSHIP (RÜCKERWERB DER STAATSBÜRGERSCHAFT)
Legal Basis: Citizenship Retention and Re-acquisition Act of 2003 (Republic Act 9225)
The Citizenship Retention and Re-acquisition Act of 2003 (Republic Act 9225) shall apply to former natural-born citizens of the Philippines, as defined by Philippine law and jurisprudence, who have lost their Philippine citizenship by reason of their naturalization as citizens of another country.
Corollary to the above, a former natural-born citizen of the Philippines who is abroad and is not an alien registered with the Philippine Bureau of Immigration shall file a petition under oath with the nearest Philippine foreign service post for the issuance of an Identification Certificate (IC) under Republic Act 9225.
Derivative Citizenship for Children below 18 Years Old
Republic Act 9225 provides for the acquisition of Philippine citizenship by children, below 18 years old, of former natural-born Filipinos who have successfully re-acquired Philippine citizenship under the provisions of the same law. For concerned qualified applicants, the same documentary requirements shall be submitted to the Consulate (include the original marriage certificate of parents).
If born abroad (for minor children included in the petition of the applicant), please submit the Birth Certificate issued by competent foreign authorities. Payment of processing fee of €27.50 per child included in the petition (per BI Memo Circular AFF. 05-002) plus fee of €27.50 per child for the Report of Birth that will be submitted to the Philippine Statistics Authority.
REQUIREMENTS:
Note: All documents should come in one (1) original and three (3) photocopies.
Qualified applicants should submit the following documentary requirements personally at the Philippine Consulate General in Frankfurt, Germany:
- Duly-accomplished application form in triplicate: RA 9225 REACQUISITION AND RETENTION FORM
- As many of the following documents showing proof of Filipino citizenship:
- Philippine birth certificate;
- Old or valid Philippine passport;
- Voter’s affidavit or voter’s identification card;
- Marriage contract indicating the Philippine citizenship of the applicant; or
- Such other documents that would show that the applicant is a former natural-born citizen of the Philippines as may be accepted by the evaluating officer. In all cases, the evaluating officer may require the submission of additional documents if there is reasonable ground to believe that the applicant is not a former natural-born Filipino.
- Eight (8) recent passport-size photographs of the applicant, six (6) of which are taken against a white background and the two (2) against a royal blue background (BI Memorandum Circular No. MCL-08-006).
- Original Marriage Certificate, if applicable.
- Proof of acquisition of foreign citizenship (Einbürgerungsurkunde) from the Landkreis Emsland. This document must have an English translation by a licensed translator (vereidigter Übersetzer) and certified by the State Judicial President (Landgericht) where the translator is registered.
- All documents should come in one (1) original and three (3) photocopies.
In all cases, the evaluating officer may require the submission of additional documents if there is reasonable ground to believe that the applicant is not a former natural-born Filipino.
If all initial documentary requirements are found in order, the Philippine Consulate General will proceed with the processing of the petition and request the applicant to pay the processing fee of €55.00 and €27.50 for each qualified dependent plus €27.50 for the authentication of the Einbürgerungsurkunde (Naturalization Certificate).
The Consulate General will inform the applicant of the schedule for the latter to personally take his or her Oath of Allegiance before an authorized official of the Philippine Consulate General.
The Philippine Consulate General will issue an Order of Approval and Identification Certificate (IC) to applicants who have taken the Oath of Allegiance and whose papers have been forwarded to the Bureau of Immigration in the Philippines.
Re-acquired Philippine citizenship under Republic Act 9225 may be revoked by the competent Philippine authorities upon a substantive finding of fraud, misrepresentation or concealment on the part of the applicant.
RENUNCIATION OF FILIPINO CITIZENSHIP (ENTLASSUNG AUS DER PHILIPPINISCHEN STAATSBÜRGERSCHAFT)
Please select the applicable form:
- Form No. 1 – For Adults (18 and above) with Einbürgerungzusicherung
- Form No. 2 – For minor applicants
- Form No. 3 – For adult applicants (18 and above) with Eingbürgerungsurkunde
Specific requirements can be found on the second page of each form.
GENERAL POLICIES REGARDING DUAL CITIZENSHIP (DOPPELTE STAATSBÜRGERSCHAFT PHILIPPINISCH-DEUTSCH)
Currently, Germany allows dual citizenship only in the following cases:
- Children born of mixed marriages (e.g. Filipino-German) are entitled to both citizenships (dual citizenship) by reason of blood.
- Those born in Germany after 01 January 2000 to parents who, upon said birth, 1) were both foreigners and 2) one parent has stayed in Germany legally for 8 years, and 3) the child has grown up in Germany, can now opt for both German citizenship and the citizenship of their parent’s country when they turn twenty-one (21).
- Children of foreign parents who were born in Germany between 01 January 1990 and 31 December 1999 and were naturalized, becoming German citizens in the year 2000.
- Children born in the Philippines who were naturalized by adoption of German citizens.
German citizens born to one (1) Filipino parent who wish to have their Philippine citizenship recognized should refer to the guidelines on filing a Report of Birth under the Consulate’s Civil Registry Services. Please note that the Filipino parent should still have been carrying Philippine citizenship at the time of birth for the applicant to qualify for this process.
Former Filipinos who have been naturalized as citizens of Germany may apply to re-acquire their Filipino citizenship but may be required to renounce their German citizenship as a result in the absence of a relevant dual citizenship law in Germany.