citizenship / nationality
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citizenship / nationality
A person's legal affiliation with a particular state, which is connected with rights and obligations.
Auf dem Formular müssen Sie Ihre Staatsangehörigkeit angeben.
On the form, you must state your nationality.
The word is made up of 'Staat' (state) and 'Angehörigkeit' (affiliation/belonging). So it literally means 'belonging to a state'.
Die Staatsangehörigkeit ist in ihrem Pass vermerkt.
Her citizenship is noted in her passport.
This is the official, legal term (bureaucratic German). It is used on forms, in laws, and in contact with authorities.
Für den Antrag müssen Sie einen Nachweis über Ihre Staatsangehörigkeit erbringen.
For the application, you must provide proof of your citizenship.
Common verbs used with 'Staatsangehörigkeit' (citizenship/nationality) are 'haben' (to have), 'besitzen' (to possess), 'beantragen' (to apply for), 'erwerben' (to acquire), 'annehmen' (to take on), or 'verlieren' (to lose).
Nach vielen Jahren in Deutschland hat er die deutsche Staatsangehörigkeit beantragt.
After many years in Germany, he applied for German citizenship.
An important and frequently used combination is 'die doppelte Staatsangehörigkeit' (dual citizenship). This means that a person has legal affiliation with two states.
In Deutschland ist die doppelte Staatsangehörigkeit unter bestimmten Bedingungen erlaubt.
In Germany, dual citizenship is permitted under certain conditions.
migration background
'Migrationshintergrund' and 'Staatsangehörigkeit' can both come up in conversations about origin, but they describe different things. 'Staatsangehörigkeit' is legal: it says which state a person belongs to, for example according to their passport. 'Migrationshintergrund' says something about the immigration history of a person or their parents. The words are easy to confuse because someone with a migration background can also have German citizenship. In official forms, it is therefore important to read carefully what is being asked.
Für den Antrag braucht sie einen Nachweis über ihre Staatsangehörigkeit.
For the application, she needs proof of her citizenship.
Viele Kinder in der Klasse haben einen Migrationshintergrund, obwohl sie in Deutschland geboren sind.
Many children in the class have a migration background, even though they were born in Germany.