I know a few years ago there was a program that allowed children and grandchildren of Holocaust-era German Jews to apply and receive German passports. I cannot find any information about this on the internet, but I'm hoping someone can point me in the right direction.

My father's parents both fled Germany in the 1930s prior to the Holocaust. I want to apply for an EU passport, but I'm not sure if I am still eligible or how to go about it.

Does anyone know anything about this program or where I can find more information?

Thanks!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello. I am writing to let you know that my grandfather was German and my father, brother and myself have acquired the German nationality recently. Before 1975, German nationality was acquired only through the father. After that date the mother also transmits the nationality. To acquire the German nationality you need your grandfather's birth certificicate, marriage certificate, plus any evidence that he did not give up his German nationality. (eg. Enrolled in the army of another country, became a legal citizen of another country.) Although, having said that, what is important here -this being my dad's case- is that my grandfather was German when my father was born. Therefore when my grandad became a legal citizen of another country (eight years after my dad was born) this did not affect my father's right of acquiring the German nationality.
So, I think a good first step would be to get your grandfather's birth certificate. Then you have to prove the relationship between your grandfather and your father, and between your father and yourself. For that you will need your father's birth certificate, marriage certificate and your own birth certificate. Even if your great granddad was German, you could get the German passport. It is important to establish the links between the German grandfather and his descendants. I hope this helps.

Note that descendants' eligibility depends on when they were born, and which side (father/mother) they would inherit German citizenship from. For example, when my mother was 7 years old, in 1936, her (Jewish) family fled from Germany to the US. Their German citizenship was revoked by the Nazis. So my mother and her parents would be eligible to have their German citizenship restored.

However, I was born in 1950. At that time, German law provided that German citizenship could only be inherited from the father. Therefore, because my father was American, I am not eligible for German citizenship under this "restoration of German citizenship" plan.

Germany changed their law in 1975, so that citizenship could be inherited from either parent. But this revised law would only apply to people born after 1975.

This link from the German embassy explains in much more detail:
http://www.germany.info/contentblob/1915040/Daten/30703/_MB_Einbuergerung_BVAe.pdf