The short answer
your passport is less secure than you think
Yes, a German passport can be refused, restricted and even taken away again.
The grounds are set out in § 7 of the German Passport Act (Passgesetz). § 8 applies them to a passport you already hold.
This is especially explosive for entrepreneurs and anyone whose life is international: a passport must be refused where the facts justify the assumption that someone intends to evade their tax obligations.
No final conviction for tax evasion is needed. The assumption the law requires, justified by facts, can be enough.
The state can also choose a milder measure: restricting your passport to certain countries or to a limited period.
What then is left of your freedom to move around the world?
The key insight is this: you hold your passport. But you are not the only one who decides whether it stays valid.
And that is exactly why a second citizenship can become so valuable.
Four legal grounds that can change your life
§ 7(1) of the Passport Act lists several grounds for refusal. Four deserve particular attention.
- Tax obligations. If the facts justify the assumption that you intend to evade your tax obligations, your passport can be refused. The offence does not have to have been committed first.
- Evading prosecution. Anyone who intends to evade criminal prosecution can also lose their right to be issued a passport.
- Significant interests of the Federal Republic. Endangering the internal or external security or other significant interests of the Federal Republic is also among the legal grounds.
- Military service. Several grounds for refusal relate to the law on conscription. After decades of little practical relevance, this area has moved back into the spotlight since 2026, because a permit requirement applies again.
And now comes the crucial point: § 8 makes these grounds relevant to passports that have already been issued.
Having held your passport for years does not make it untouchable.
What this means for families with grown-up sons in particular is explained in the article “Your son is grown up. Is his freedom to travel still safe?”
Even a restricted passport can bring your life to a standstill
§ 7(2) contains a proportionality rule.
Where a complete refusal would be disproportionate, in particular because restricting where the passport is valid or how long it is valid would be enough, the authority must not refuse it completely.
The restriction is entered in the passport.
Imagine you have international business meetings. Your children live on different continents. Perhaps you own property abroad.
And suddenly your passport is valid only for certain countries. Or only for a limited time.
Your life is international. Your passport, all of a sudden, is not.
§ 7(4) guarantees that you cannot be refused a passport for entering Germany.
So you can still return to Germany.
But that may suddenly be the only country your document is still valid for.
§ 14 Passport Act: the decision takes effect before you can fight it
For people who live internationally, this is one of the most unpleasant features of the law.
The measures are immediately enforceable.
That means the decision can take effect while you are challenging it in law.
An objection does not automatically stop it being enforced.
You may be proved right at the end of the proceedings. But what happens until then?
What happens to your business when you can no longer attend important meetings?
To your family, when you can no longer travel as planned?
To your life in a country where you have built your everyday world?
Winning the case later will not give you back the months you lost.
Two citizenships. Two independent decisions.
A second passport from another state fundamentally changes your position.
You no longer depend solely on Germany issuing you a valid travel document.
You hold the citizenship of another country and can in principle use its passport too, as far as the relevant legal travel restrictions and entry requirements allow.
Your German tax obligations remain. A second passport does not lift German exit bans or other legal obligations either.
But your entire existence as a citizen no longer hangs on a single country.
That is a significant difference.
You could, for example, look at the programmes of Sierra Leone, Dominica or São Tomé and Príncipe. Which passport suits you depends on the passport you hold now, your family and your personal situation.
How to use two citizenships properly when you travel is explained in the article “Two passports in your pocket. More freedom at every border.”
For German, Austrian and Swiss citizens
Germany: since 2024, the second door is open to you
Since 27 June 2024, multiple citizenship has been the rule for Germans.
You can acquire a second citizenship without automatically losing your German one.
You can give your life an extra layer of protection and keep your German citizenship.
Austria: the right order protects your citizenship
Austria has its own passport rules.
Above all, § 27 of the Austrian Citizenship Act (Staatsbürgerschaftsgesetz) applies. Anyone who voluntarily acquires a foreign citizenship generally loses their Austrian citizenship by operation of law.
That is why, before any acquisition, it must be settled whether you can keep your Austrian citizenship.
More on this in the article “A second passport could cost you your Austrian one.”
Switzerland: multiple citizenship has been possible for decades
Since 1 January 1992, Switzerland has allowed multiple citizenship without restriction.
The Swiss can therefore in principle acquire a second citizenship and keep their Swiss one.
You have built your wealth, protected your family and shaped your life on your own terms. So why should your freedom to move around the world depend on a single state? Let's talk about which second citizenship could give you that extra freedom.
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