Questions and answers

Here you will find some frequently asked questions (FAQ) and answers from the GRC Tracing Service on the subject of the search for (late) ethnic German repatriates and GDR migrants.

I am looking for my father, sister, uncle, cousin etc. Can you help me?

If your case is related to a resettlement from Eastern or Southeastern Europe or the successor states of the former Soviet Union, the GRC Tracing Service is usually able to help. Information on the whereabouts of German nationals and their non-German relatives from Eastern and Southeastern Europe (including the former GDR) and the successor states of the former Soviet Union, who entered the Federal Republic of Germany after the end of the Second World War or who had/have the intention to do so, can be obtained for you on the basis of many years of experience and thanks to our extensive records.

To check your request with regard to our various offers of assistance, we need detailed information about the persons you are looking for, e.g. last names, first names, dates of birth, last known addresses etc. You can provide this information in your tracing request. 

We are looking for records on our parents?

If these documents pertain to war-related naturalisations or earlier acceptance permits for entry into the Federal Republic of Germany, we can help you on the basis of the documents and data available at the GRC Tracing Service. For other matters relating to events of the Second World War or the division of Germany, we must check in each individual case whether we have information for you.

Can you help me reconstruct my family tree?

Unfortunately, no. The GRC Tracing Service operates under the humanitarian mandate of the Red Cross and its tasks result thereof: To trace, connect and reunite people who have lost contact with their relatives due to armed conflict, disaster, flight, displacement or migration. If you want to do genealogical research, it is best to contact a genealogical society.

My uncle came to Germany from Russia in the 1950s. My father also lives in Germany now. He would very much like to see his brother again. Can you help?

Yes, we can check our data and then try to find out your relative's current address based on the information we have.

My son moved from Jena to West Germany in 1990. Can you help me find him?

No, after the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989, resettlement from the GDR was no longer regulated, so that no relevant data can be found in our records. Upon request, we are happy to give you tips on how to conduct a private research.

I have a tracing request, but I am not sure whether the GRC Tracing Service is competent in this matter?

You are welcome to contact us; please describe your tracing request as precisely as possible. If your request is not covered by our humanitarian mandate, we will still provide you advice on how to proceed.