I was not, when I applied, prompted to have any requirement to prove German citizenship beyond my most recent German ancestor, and I could easily have included older generations in my original declaration had this been listed.

It is not unreasonable to expect any country, but particularly one amongst the world's most developed and wealthy, to have a certain standard of communication - why, for instance, when they sent a request for extra documents, did they not provide a full list if they required more? Why do they need to be prompted to provide a reference number, and not provide it upon receiving?

My partner is currently in the same process with French citizenship and the gulf in communication and procedural quality is vast - and surprising given how maligned French bureaucracy is. My issue is not with those who work for the BVA at all, clearly they are doing the best they can with limited resources - rather the framework is poor. Gender discriminatory laws have already prevented my family and I from receiving the German citizenship we are legally entitled to; now it is inefficiency.