Americans Abroad

I remain an American, and don't want the Germans controlling every aspect of my life. Despite the big change since the Nazis, the Germans are still unbelievable control freaks (the word "Kontrolle" is used in just about every other sentence in some context or other). When I asked my accountants in Dallas to cooperate with the German accountants to make sure my tax declarations for both countries were in order, the Germans contacted the guys in Dallas for a bunch of info they needed. They asked for just about every aspect of my life except which brand of toothpaste I use when traveling. My accountant in Dallas asked if I was moving to East Germany. He said he had never seen such an intrusive official invasion of privacy in his life, and he is used to IRS harassment of tax cheaters in Dallas of the worst kind.

My wife is German, so I had an easier time of it moving here. I had to prove that I had a steady income and health insurance, and they heard at my first interview that language wasn't going to be an issue.

By the way, one German grandparent is good enough for citizenship here. FOUR of them is a cinch, BUT, make sure you know every aspect of their lives including all details of how they emigrated, right down to the name of the ship they came on. The Germans will check the records to verify the info before granting the passport.