At the beginning of April 2025, we decided to take the final step toward obtaining American citizenship. Why? Firstly, because we can, and secondly, because we want to! Each of us is grateful to this great country for what we have been able to achieve here so far. We love the landscapes and like most (not all) of the people here. We feel more welcome here than in many places in Germany. We greatly appreciate the much-vaunted freedom in the USA. And yes, the blue passports look really cool…
N-400 Form
April 4, 2025 – In July 2024, the Germany abolished the requirement to apply for a retention permit in the event of acquiring another citizenship, which greatly facilitates our decision to acquire dual citizenship (retaining German citizenship and acquiring American citizenship). So we each fill out the N-400 form required to apply for citizenship, including the necessary supporting documents, pay $710 for each application, and then wait…
Biometrics
May 1, 2025 – At 8:00 a.m., we have our “biometrics appointment” to submit our fingerprints, have our photo taken, and provide our signature at the USCIS office in north Austin so that the FBI can “screen” us.
To be on the safe side, we get up at 6:00 a.m. and leave at 7:00 a.m. The navigation system predicts a travel time of only half an hour, but with the local traffic, you can never be sure. And we definitely don’t want to be late (like we were in 2019 at the US Consulate in Frankfurt).
We arrive at the USCIS office at 7:30 a.m. sharp and are immediately served. A huge line has already formed, which does not bode well in terms of waiting time. The office opens its doors at 8:00 a.m. sharp, and then, unexpectedly, things move quite quickly. They check whether we have all the required documents, we fill out a form with our personal details, and then there is a quick check to see if we have filled everything out correctly. Here, you always have to specify your ethnicity. Normally, there is a “White” option for us, but this form did not have it. So we checked “Unknown.” The friendly employee who checks our forms again points out that we should check “Caucasian,” which doesn’t make much sense to us at first, but we do as we are told. At home, the internet search engine explained to us that “Caucasian” is an old racial term for light-skinned people. Learned something new! Then we quickly had our photos and fingerprints taken, and we were done. At 8:15 a.m., we were already on our way home.
Now we have to wait about three months until we receive invitations to interviews in San Antonio.
Celina’s invitation to the interview arrives on June 30 for August 14, 2025, at 2:00 p.m., Andrea’s on July 1 for August 18, 2025, at 8:30 a.m., and finally Matthias also receives an invitation on July 28 for September 15, 2025, at 11:10 a.m. So now it’s time to download the Citizenship App and practice questions and answers to be properly prepared.
In the week before Celina’s interview, all three of us diligently learn the history questions, names of representatives, governors, etc., and come up with funny mnemonics that will make us smile many times during the interviews.
Interview Celina
August 14, 2025 – Celina and Matthias drive to San Antonio for Celina’s interview. Matthias has to wait outside. Celina is so nervous that she doesn’t understand the question about whether she is carrying any weapons, but the security guard takes it in stride and lets her in anyway. Then her fingerprints are taken and a photo is taken, she is given a number and allowed to sit in the waiting room until an officer comes to get her. Then it gets serious: she has to take a test with 6 correct answers out of 100 questions on US history, read a question aloud and write down the answer to prove her English language skills, then go through the application form. Celina’s interview lasts 10 minutes. She passes, yay! But now the computer isn’t working as it should, so there’s time for a chat with the officer, who, to her delight, turns out to be an amateur photographer. The invitation to Oath will now come by mail. Well, let’s wait and see.
Interview Andrea
August 18, 2025 – For Andrea’s interview, the three of us drive to San Antonio on Sunday, stopping at the Snake Farm on the way. We check into a nearby hotel, as the appointment is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Andrea is dropped off at USCIS, while Matthias and Celina go to McDonald’s for breakfast. The procedure is the same as for Celina, and Andrea also passes the interview without any problems.
She is then given the date for her oath ceremony. Since we have not yet received an invitation for Celina, the officer can schedule both oath ceremonies for the same date (September 5). That’s nice because it saves us a trip.
About two hours later, we arrive back home, pretty exhausted (also because of the heat), and look forward to the upcoming naturalization ceremony in two weeks.
Oath Celina & Andrea
September 5, 2025 – Celina and Andrea’s oath ceremony is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. at the USCIS office in San Antonio. That’s good, because Celina doesn’t have any classes or work this Friday. Andrea has taken the day off, and Matthias started work later than usual. So we leave around 7:30 a.m. to make sure we arrive at the USCIS on time.
First, we go through security again, then we say goodbye to our green cards and take our seats in the auditorium. A diverse group of people from a total of 26 countries are set to receive American citizenship with us today. This is a solemn ceremony and a unique experience. Since punctuality is not taken very seriously here, the gentlemen from USCIS start with a few jokes and quizzes about famous immigrants such as Arnold Schwarzenegger to pass the time. Then various speeches are given, and finally everyone stands up to solemnly take the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance—the oath of loyalty to the American flag and the republic. In our case, the text is read aloud and we just have to say “Yes, I do” in confirmation. Then there are congratulations, and finally the speaker asks if anyone has graduated from high school here in the US. Celina is the only one who responds and thus has the honor of being brought to the podium to recite the Pledge of Allegiance (which is recited every morning at high schools) with the gentleman from USCIS. She finds this somewhat embarrassing, but at the same time she is as proud as punch. Afterwards, everyone receives their certificate (i.e., their “new American birth certificate”) and, equipped with a US flag, they all march outside, where other family members are already waiting and photos can be taken.
Interview Matthias
September 15, 2025 – Today, Matthias gets to do his interview. We don’t know why his appointment is about a month later. Andrea and Matthias are back in San Antonio together, but this time Andrea gets to wait outside (or rather, she wanders around the hardware store and checks out the Halloween decorations). Matthias practices the 100 questions in the car beforehand to calm his nerves. Then the procedure is the same as usual, and after about an hour, he too can happily leave the office with his Oath appointment. Two more weeks and then we’ll all be Americans!
Oath Matthias
September 26, 2025 – Once again, we happily drive to San Antonio. Our car knows the route by now, but this time we’re not going to the USCIS office, but to the courthouse, because Matthias is being sworn in at the courthouse.
And things get off to a funny start right away, because we get noticed at the security check because our little daughter still has her cell phone in her pants pocket, which should have gone through the detector. Oh well, never mind, because one of the officers in charge of seating recognizes Celina from the last oath ceremony. “That was the young woman who was brought on stage to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, right?” Yes, sir, that’s right. So we take our seats and… wait.
With about a half-hour delay, it finally begins. The USCIS officer arrives, the judge arrives, the flags arrive (ceremoniously carried by men in historical uniforms), and music is played by the Army Base Music Corps. Yes, um, you can’t see anything because of all the people, but it sounds solemn. So, now it’s time to swear allegiance to the USA, a few more important bits of information and videos, and then the fun is over. 199 people from 44 countries, primarily from Mexico, of course, are now “Americanized” (including Matthias, of course).
The next challenge is to find each other again in the crowd, but thanks to Celina’s eye-catching hat, that was relatively quick. Now it’s time to get out of the chaos, but Andrea has met someone else she got to know during Matthias’ interview. Okay, small talk and now to the exit. Yay, fresh air, and we didn’t exceed the parking time either.
… 2355 days after setting foot on American soil for the first time, he is now also an American citizen, meaning that our little family is finally complete with dual citizenship.
After the oath, we head to our hotel, put on some comfortable shoes, and take a short walk along the Riverwalk (picking up two Hard Rock Cafe pins, of course), before ending up (as befits good new Americans of German descent) at the “Prost Haus am little Rhein” to enjoy a German bratwurst, Jägerschnitzel, and hamburger. Accompanied, of course, by good German pilsner, because it’s Oktoberfest season.
Now there are just a few minor bureaucratic tasks left to do: re-register our social security and driver’s licenses and apply for the stylish blue passports, but that won’t be possible until October. Well, bureaucracy is bureaucracy.
But even though we are now “real” Americans, our adventure continues and we are excited to see what else awaits us. We still have a few goals… getting rich, for example, is still on the agenda.