Bismarck to citizenship, January 8, 1873

Extracts from German laws relating to citizenship.

Law of June 1, 1870, concerning the acquisition and the loss of confederate and states citizenship. (Law Journal of the Confederation, 1870, pp. 355 to 510.)

We, William, &c., &c., decree, in the name of the North German Confederation, with the approval of the confederate Council and the Parliament, the following:

* * * * * * *

§ 13. Henceforth citizenship can be lost only—

• By discharge upon motion.
• By decree of the authorities.
• By a ten years’ residence abroad.

* * * * * * *

§ 20. North-Germans residing abroad can be declared to have lost their citizenship by decree of the central authorities of their native state, if, in case of war, or impending war, they refuse to comply with an explicit order, issuing from the Bundespräsidium and covering the entire Confederation, to return home within the time specified in the order.

§ 21. North-Germans who have left the territory of the Confederation and have lived abroad uninterruptedly for ten years, thereby lose their citizenship. The afore specified period is reckoned from the time of leaving the territory of the Confederation; or, incase the person leaving possesses a passport or citizen paper, from the time of extinction of such passport or citizen paper. This period is interrupted by inregistration in the register of a consulate of the Confederation. It begins anew the day following the cancellation of such inregistration.

For North-Germans who reside in a foreign country for at least five years uninterruptedly, and at the same time, acquire citizenship there, the period often years can, by treaty, be reduced to a period of five years, without exception, whether those concerned are in possession of a passport or citizen paper or not.

North-Germans who have lost their citizenship by a residence abroad of ten years, without, however, having acquired a citizenship in another country, can regain their citizenship in their former native state without taking up their residence there.

North-Germans, who have lost their citizenship by a ten years’ residence abroad, and thereafter return within the territory of the North-German Confederation, acquire citizenship in the state wherein they have taken up their residence by a certificate of admission to citizenship, which must be granted them by the superior authorities upon motion.

Law of January 8, 1873, concerning the introduction of the imperial law upon the freedom of emigration and immigration, of November 1, 1867, and the imperial law upon the acquisition and the loss of confederate and state citizenship. (Imperial Law Journal, 1873, p. 51, No. 913.)

We, William, &c., &c , decree in the name of the German Empire, with the approval of the confederate Council, for Alsace-Lorraine as follows:

• Article 1. The annexed imperial law concerning the freedom of emigration and immigration of November 1, 1867, is extended to Alsace-Lorraine. The final regulations following the first part of § 7 of the annexed law are collected in the appendix.
• Art. 2. The law regulating the acquisition and the loss of confederate and state citizenship of June 1, 1870, modified by a provision of § 9 of the imperial law, and repeated in the annexed reprint, obtains in Alsace-Lorraine; with this distinction, that wherever, in the previous law, mention is made of the North-German Union, its territory, states, natives, constitutional organizations, subjects, and officials, the German Empire and its corresponding relations are to be understood.