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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.
In depth
The Reichsbürgergesetz (Reich Citizenship Law) of September 15, 1935 was one of the Nuremberg Laws, the antisemitic legislation of Nazi Germany. It stripped German Jews of their citizenship, reducing them to 'subjects of the state' (Staatsangehörige) without citizenship rights.
The Reichsbürgergesetz is the primary legal basis for Article 116 restitution claims — descendants of those deprived of citizenship under this law (and related Nazi-era decrees) are eligible for German citizenship restoration.
Ancestra retrieves the original deprivation orders from the Bundesarchiv (Federal Archives) in Berlin-Lichterfelde, which holds the Reichsbürgergesetz records.
Related terms
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.
The Bundesarchiv (Federal Archives) is the German national archives, which holds the Reichsbürgergesetz deprivation records needed for Article 116 cases.
The Grundgesetz (Basic Law) is the German constitution, adopted in 1949, which includes Article 116 on citizenship restitution for Nazi-era persecutees.
StAG (Staatsangehörigkeitsgesetz) is the German Nationality Act, which includes §15 providing for naturalization of victims of Nazi persecution and their descendants.
The BVA (Bundesverwaltungsamt, Federal Office of Administration) is the German authority in Cologne that processes Article 116 citizenship restitution applications.
The Arolsen Archives (International Center on Nazi Persecution) is the world's largest archive on Nazi persecution, holding records relevant to Article 116 restitution claims.