Dual citizenship?

Question

I was born in Germany in a German hospital 18 years ago (as of yesterday :) ). My dad was stationed in germany with the army but the hospital on post wasn't equipped to handle the complications that may arise with a premature birth (I was almost 6 weeks early). So, for the past 18 years, I've carried citizenship to both nations. My question is, with Germany's rather strict dual citizenship laws, can I still claim citizenship there, or do I have to petition for citizenship, do I even have to have a reason to try to maintain citizenship? I haven't lived there since I was an infant but may in the future. I'm not sure where to look for answers so I'm asking you guys!

Answer 1

Seems you're a dual citizen - got this from a rather good web site:

The status of persons with dual citizenship sometimes raises questions among persons located in Germany, whether as members of the military or civilians. Both the United States and Germany recognize the concept of multiple nationality.

A child born to an American parent and a German parent acquires both American and German citizenship at birth, regardless of place of birth. Neither country requires a person born under these circumstances to choose between American and German citizenship. They may keep both for life.

A child born in Germany to two American parents may also become a dual national at birth. But under German law, such a person has to choose between American and German citizenship before turning 23.

While Germany recognizes the concept of dual nationality, for most purposes it considers a dual national in Germany a German citizen only. Thus, the ability of the U.S. Embassy and consulates to provide assistance to an American-German dual national in Germany may be limited. The reverse is true in the U.S., where such a person is considered only American for most purposes.

http://www.howtogermany.com/pages/dualcitizen.html

Answer 2

The quickest way to find out is go to the Germany Embassy closest to you or call them. They should be able to answer those questions for you and direct you as what you need to do. Good luck