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In depth
Einbürgerung is the German term for naturalization — the process of acquiring German citizenship by application, as opposed to by birth (jus soli) or descent (jus sanguinis). Standard Einbürgerung requires 8 years of legal residence, German language proficiency (B1), and renunciation of other citizenships.
StAG §15 provides a special Einbürgerung path for victims of Nazi persecution and their descendants, with no residency or language requirement and no renunciation requirement. This complements Article 116 restitution.
StAG §14 provides for discretionary Einbürgerung of former Germans who lost citizenship and wish to regain it, with a residency requirement that can be waived.
Related terms
StAG (Staatsangehörigkeitsgesetz) is the German Nationality Act, which includes §15 providing for naturalization of victims of Nazi persecution and their descendants.
Article 116 of the German Basic Law (Grundgesetz) restores German citizenship to those deprived of it by the Nazi regime between 1933 and 1945, and to their descendants.
Naturalization is the legal process by which a non-citizen acquires the citizenship of a country, typically after meeting residency, language, and integration requirements.
The Grundgesetz (Basic Law) is the German constitution, adopted in 1949, which includes Article 116 on citizenship restitution for Nazi-era persecutees.
The Reichsbürgergesetz (Reich Citizenship Law) of 1935 was the Nazi-era law that stripped German Jews of their citizenship, and whose victims are eligible for Article 116 restitution.
The BVA (Bundesverwaltungsamt, Federal Office of Administration) is the German authority in Cologne that processes Article 116 citizenship restitution applications.