Aryan certificate

A 1943 Ariernachweis

Ahnenpass

Ahnentafel used as Ariernachweis

In Nazi Germany, the Aryan certificate (German: Ariernachweis) was a document which certified that a person was a member of the Aryan race. Beginning in April 1933 it was required from all employees and officials in the public sector, including education, according to the Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service.

There were two main types.

• Kleiner Ariernachweis" ("Lesser Aryan certificate") was one of:
  • Seven birth or baptism certificates (the person, his parents and grandparents) and three marriage certificates (parents and grandparents) or certified proofs thereof.
  • Ahnenpass (literally ancestor's passport)
  • Certified genealogy table ("Ahnentafel")
• "Großer Ariernachweis" ("Greater Aryan certificate") was required for compliance with the requirements of "Reichserbhofgesetz" (land heritage law) and membership in the Nazi party. This certificate had to trace the family pedigree down to 1800 (and to 1750 for SS officers).

See also

• German Blood Certificate, for Mischlinge (people of mixed origin)
• Ahnenpass one form of it.
• Aryan clause

References

Eric Ehrenreich. The Nazi Ancestral Proof: Genealogy, Racial Science, and the Final Solution. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2007. ISBN 978-0-253-34945-3