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Post by kristin on Apr 2, 2015 11:34:44 GMT -5
Hello,
I am seeking advice. I am keen to get started reclaiming my Luxembourg citizenship through lineal ancestry asap. My great-grandmother was born in Luxembourg and came to the U.S. in the early 20th century. Also I have two great-great-grandparents born in Luxembourg. All family is from my mother's side.
Has anyoen been through this process and can offer advice? What documentation do I need to get about my family? What is my next step?
I'm so excited to get dual-citizenship so I can move to Luxembourg, find a job and study a foreign language. Seriously a dream come true.
Best regards,
Kristin McNeil
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Post by moike92 on Apr 5, 2015 14:23:00 GMT -5
You need to have proof of lineal ancestry by basically making a line from the person whom had citizenship before and after the 1st of January 1900. You will need birth and marriage certificates for everyone going down that line. So the birth of your great grandmother and her marriage certificate and so forth. Obtaining the copies of the certificates in Luxembourg are actually very easy. You will need to contact the commune of the city that the birth or marriages occurred in and give them the information such as birth date, names of the parents, where it took place, etc. and also your mailing address so that they can send you the certificates. I have had 4 certificates sent to me 3 from Dudelange, Luxembourg and 1 from Florange, France. Everything has been free. No fees for them and no shipping fees. Sadly everything you will need from the U.S. will be quite expensive. You will also need a certified copy of your passport. The passport copy will probably take the longest to receive out of everything so I would order that as soon as possible. Also remember that everything that you have to mail in for phase 1 will not be sent back to you. So it you need extra copies of anything make sure you get them before you send everything out.
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Post by kristin on Apr 5, 2015 20:54:29 GMT -5
moike91, thank you so much for the information! Gosh I hadn't even noticed it was a "certified" copy of my passport. Eek! Do I need the certified copy of my passport for Phase 1 or Phase 2? Once I obtain all the certificates for Phase 1 and get those mailed off, about how long did it take to get the Ancestry Certificate? Is there any reason I would need copies of those certificates fron Phase 1... I don't need them for Phase 2, right? Sorry for all the questions.
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Post by John on Apr 5, 2015 23:06:40 GMT -5
Kristin,
For Phase 1, it will take about 8 to 9 months from the date that you submit your family documents to finally receive a certificat relatif a l'aieul Luxembourgeois. No, you do not need to re-submit the phase 1 family documents. They will keep them, though; you will not get them back.
For Phase 2, you it will take about 8 to 11 months from the date that you submit your final application package in person at Bierger Centre to receive a final decision whether you were successful or not.
The entire project takes about 2 years from start to finish.
Phase 1 requires that you submit proof in the form of birth, marriage and death records which show that your ancestor(s) were Luxembourg nationals as of 1900. You must prove that you are the direct descendant of a Luxembourger. So obtaining all of these records is your first challenge of the project.
Yes, you will need a certified copy of your passport for Phase 2.
Phase 2 materials are:
1. Original certificat relatif a l'aieul Luxembourgeois
2. Certified copy of passport
3. Certified copy of birth certificate
4. French translation of birth certificate
5. Criminal background check
6. French translation of criminal background check
7. Note d'information - French version
8. Questionnaire - French version
You should not think too much about Phase 2 yet.
Now you should be focusing on obtaining your family records. Acquiring the necessary birth, marriage and death records can be quite time consuming.
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Post by kristin on Apr 6, 2015 8:45:51 GMT -5
2 years! Ugh that is a super long time. I'm in the process of getting all the birth, death and marriage certificates. I just need my great grandmas from Lux and I already sent an email to Kaufendorf (sp?). For Phase 2, can the certified passport be a notarized copy from a regular copy machine?
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Post by moike92 on Apr 7, 2015 14:33:29 GMT -5
You should not need to worry about the death certificates. I have been in contact with a worker in the ministry of justice in Lux multiple times and he told me that I just need to mail in the birth and marriage of the person whom I am in direct line with that had the citizenship. So i am sending the birth and marriage of my great grandfather. Then the birth and marriage of my grandparents, birth and marriage of my parents, and finally my birth certificate and my brothers. No marriages because neither of us have been married.
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Post by kristin on Apr 8, 2015 10:10:53 GMT -5
That makes sense to me, moike92. I was wondering why they would need the death certificates because they prove nothing about lineage. Did you pay $50 for a certified copy of your passport, or are you making a copy yourself and getting is notarized? I have read conflicting information about if the passport copy should be certified or notarized. Help!
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Post by Workaholic on Apr 9, 2015 6:28:24 GMT -5
That makes sense to me, moike92. I was wondering why they would need the death certificates because they prove nothing about lineage. Did you pay $50 for a certified copy of your passport, or are you making a copy yourself and getting is notarized? I have read conflicting information about if the passport copy should be certified or notarized. Help! Kristin, Yes, please always communicate with the Ministry of Justice for the most accurate and up to date information. Yes, It takes some time to obtain the family documents and then for the Ministry of Justice to process them. You are likely looking at 1 1/2 ~ 2 years to have your file processed. |
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Post by moike92 on Apr 9, 2015 10:06:12 GMT -5
yes I paid $50 for a certified copy of my passport. I do not believe you can just make a printed copy of it and have it notorized.
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Post by kristin on Apr 10, 2015 8:42:55 GMT -5
moike92, thank you so much! Do you remember getting an Apostille Notary with you birth and marriage certificates. A person I'm in contact with from a county in Iowa said I'll need that but I'm confused as to if I need one for each certificate and is this just an Iowa thing?
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Post by moike92 on Apr 10, 2015 9:23:27 GMT -5
I am not sure on that one. I did not get apostille stamps for anything. Just everything is certified.
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seblux
Junior Member
Posts: 83 
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Post by seblux on Apr 10, 2015 13:13:06 GMT -5
Kristin, if I were you, I would send an e mail to the citizenship office in Luxembourg and ask very clearly for a confirmation of each document needed. Only their word will count at the end! Sometimes you might find yourself stuck and they could maybe tell you that you don't actually need a stamp or something. Well worth checking beforehand.
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Post by kristin on Apr 17, 2015 17:37:26 GMT -5
Did you all get your criminal background report from your state or from the FBI? I have only ever lived in Minnesota so will the criminal background check from the state of MN be adequate?
And by the way a contact in the immigration office told me that a notarized copy of our passport for Phase 2 was sufficient.
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Post by moike92 on Apr 19, 2015 9:48:47 GMT -5
I have been corrected. You will need the death certificate of the ancestor whom you are showing the connection to.
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Post by moike92 on Apr 19, 2015 9:49:52 GMT -5
Also the state record should be enough. I am pretty certain the FBI record is only required if have lived in many different places within a certain amount of time.
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