PLAN B PASSPORTS: Israelis Lead The World In Claiming German Citizenship As Descendants Of Nazi Victims
Official figures show 11,500 people gained citizenship in 2025, with Israeli and U.S. applicants driving demand for restitution-based naturalisation.
- More than 170,000 applications for German citizenship have been received in recent years from people persecuted by the Nazis or their descendants, according to Federal Office of Administration figures.
- These applications fall under Article 116 of the Basic Law and Section 15 of the Nationality Act, special provisions addressing citizenship withdrawn, lost, or denied due to Nazi persecution.
- Provisional Federal Statistical Office data show completed restitution-based naturalizations rose nearly 60 percent in 2025 to around 11,500, including 5,924 Israeli and 2,995 Americans.
- Sociologist Lukas Fuchs of the German Centre for Integration and Migration Research attributes the surge to geopolitical insecurity, citing rising Israeli interest since the October 7 Hamas attack.
- For many families, German citizenship serves as a "Plan B," Fuchs said, while Brexit and Donald Trump's election prompted interest among British Jews and Americans with German-Jewish ancestry.
11 Articles
11 Articles
PLAN B PASSPORTS: Israelis Lead The World In Claiming German Citizenship As Descendants Of Nazi Victims
Germany has received more than 170,000 citizenship applications since 2023 from victims of the Nazi regime and their descendants, and Israelis are leading the list by a wide margin, according to German authorities. Close to 45 percent of all such applications worldwide are being filed by Israelis. Immigration offices in Germany describe the wave of […]
For Jews whose families fled the Nazis, naturalization has been an option for several years. The number of applications is rising – partly because Germany has a good image.
Restitution naturalization allows descendants of Nazi victims to obtain German citizenship. Israelis with German roots, in particular, are increasingly taking advantage of this option – with a high demand since 2023.
More and more people apply for German citizenship through reparation naturalisation, especially Israelis. There are many reasons for this – from geopolitical to private.
They're Lining up for German Passports. As Many as 80 Percent of Applications Come From One Country.
More and more people persecuted by Nazi Germany or their descendants want to obtain German citizenship.
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