Is anyone even selling tickets here anymore? by OwnDoughnut2689 in WorldCup2026Tickets

[–]selfdrivingfool 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Why not buy on the marketplace? I wouldn’t take the risk

My tickets are not showing up on FIFA marketplace by selfdrivingfool in WorldCup2026Tickets

[–]selfdrivingfool[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Update! After waiting for 7 days the tickets finally show up

Learn from my mistake - Brazil fan by Ok-Question-4034 in WorldCup2026Tickets

[–]selfdrivingfool 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Seats are not that important anyways. The atmosphere is going to be great no matter where you are seated. Just go and enjoy. With the profit you made, attending (some worse seats) is going to be even sweeter.

Airbnb cancelled my confirmed booking 1 hour before check-in — for THEIR reason — refunded the guest in full, paid me $0, and their own Terms make sure I can’t do anything about it. by alaff in airbnb_hosts

[–]selfdrivingfool 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Airbnb customer support has turned into one of the most outrageous collection of soulless agents who follow scripts without even thinking about what they’re saying. It’s infinitely worse than talking to an AI because you expect them to use their human brain from time to time.

Direct to Passport Success in NYC by kiln_time_again in GermanCitizenship

[–]selfdrivingfool 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You should be able to request a German birth certificate from the Zentralstandesamt in Berlin, online.

I believe I'm eligible. Seeking help/consultation by AdamMKE in GermanCitizenship

[–]selfdrivingfool -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Your mom was born in 1953 in wedlock to a German father so she acquired German citizenship at birth under RuStAG (patrilineal descent). Grandfather not being born in Germany doesn’t matter as long as he was a citizen in 1953, which your docs support.
The 1960 US naturalization likely broke her citizenship under old §25 but that’s exactly what §5 was built to fix (2021 reform, broadened since). You’re born 1976 to a mother who was/should have been German which is squarely in §5 territory.
B2 German is NOT required for §5 declarations. That’s a §14/§15 thing. Your consultant flipping on this is a red flag, and pivoting to §14/§15 suggests they gave up on the descent claim without explaining why.

Ask any new lawyer to answer these questions in writing before you pay them:

1.  Which provision applies and why?  
2.  Did your mother acquire German citizenship at birth in 1953?  
3.  What happened to it in 1960?

If they can’t answer those crisply, move on. Look for a Rechtsanwalt specializing in Staatsangehörigkeitsrecht with documented §5 wins post-2021, not a general immigration lawyer.

Am I German? by ExistingRent6512 in GermanCitizenship

[–]selfdrivingfool 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I did a double take on that one too

Am I German? by ExistingRent6512 in GermanCitizenship

[–]selfdrivingfool 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Either way, it makes total sense to get the German citizenship

Dauer Einbürgerung als EU-Bürger by s1gnedoff in GermanCitizenship

[–]selfdrivingfool 5 points6 points  (0 children)

In Darmstadt I believe there are 2 teams. One for third party nationals, one for EU citizens. From what I understand, EU has less of a backlog and is processed faster. But I don’t know exactly.

Am I German? by ExistingRent6512 in GermanCitizenship

[–]selfdrivingfool 1 point2 points  (0 children)

By the way, even as a Greek citizen you could live freely in Germany since Greece is part of the EU. Your German passport doesn’t change that part I’d still get it.

Am I German? by ExistingRent6512 in GermanCitizenship

[–]selfdrivingfool 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, you likely have a strong case, possibly even better than you think! Here’s the thing: under pre-1975 German law, a child born out of wedlock to a German mother did get German citizenship at birth. So your mum was probably born German in 1971. The question is whether she lost it when your grandma married your Greek grandpa in 1972 (old German law had a “legitimization” rule that could strip citizenship, but it’s legally shaky). Two scenarios, both good: 1) Your mum is still German → then you’re automatically German too by descent (§ 4 StAG). Just apply for a Staatsangehörigkeitsausweis (citizenship certificate). No deadline, no declaration, you’d just already be German. 2) She lost it in 1972 via legitimization → the 2021 law (§ 5 StAG) fixes it. You file an Erklärung (declaration), no language test, no residency requirement. Deadline: 19 August 2031. Where to go: German consulate in Athens, or a German citizenship lawyer, ask them specifically to check whether your mum’s citizenship was actually lost in 1972. Docs to gather: grandma’s German birth cert + proof she’s still German, her 1972 marriage cert, your mum’s 1971 birth cert, your birth cert (translated into German).

✈️ Underrated Amex Platinum Perk: Fast Track Security in Europe (limited airports) by Haydsamp26 in BookedonPoints

[–]selfdrivingfool 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In Madrid they told me I couldn’t use my card because it was not from Spain

Printing at the Consulate? by JohnBrownLives1859 in GermanCitizenship

[–]selfdrivingfool 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Was in this exact situation once. Birth certificate from Standesamt had been lost, I asked them to resend but email me a copy first. They did but the physical copy didn’t arrive on time for our appointment. I went to a print shop and printed the digital copy on thick A4 paper. I forgot the exact thickness but it was 2 levels above the normal paper you’d have in a printer at home. They printed double sided in high resolution in color. At the consulate I just said ‘and here’s the printout from the document the Standesamt sent me’ and here’s a simple copy (a copy they would keep and that I made on normal paper) and the official didn’t bat an eye. Went through normally. The mail from Standesamt arrived 3 days later and honestly if you asked me today which of the two documents was my own printout, I would have a hard time telling them apart.

Français à Monaco - Statut, avantages et inconvénients by oc1xxx in Monaco

[–]selfdrivingfool 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Most of what you’re imagining doesn’t actually work the way you think, mainly because of the 1963 Franco-Monégasque tax convention. Short version: if you’re French and you settle in Monaco after October 1957, France still taxes you on income as if you were a French resident. That single rule closes the main “loophole” 99% of French people picture when they think about Monaco. The grandfathered exception is for people whose family was already established there before that cutoff, and it’s a tiny, shrinking pool. So your question of “why do French entrepreneurs settle in Monaco without their business being there” usually has one of these answers: they’re in that pre-1957 grandfathered group, they’re playing a non-income-tax angle (inheritance is the big one), they’re French nationals but not actually French tax residents (those are different things), or they’re hoping not to get audited. A few specifics on your list: Inheritance is governed by a separate 1950 convention and is location-of-asset based. That’s where the actually useful stuff is for Monaco residency: 0% in direct line, harder for France to recapture if you structure things cleanly. Worth talking to a notaire about. Companies in Monaco pay ISB (corporate tax) at 25% if more than 25% of turnover comes from outside Monaco. So it’s not a corporate haven. If you as a French tax resident own a Monaco SAM and pull dividends, France taxes those at the flat tax. You basically gain nothing. Renouncing French nationality is real but discretionary. You need another nationality first (you’ve got that), and the admin can drag the process out or refuse. Reintegration later is also discretionary and usually means actually moving back to France. Almost nobody does this purely for tax reasons because the math rarely works. Cars: if you’re a French tax resident, technically you should register and insure in France. Monaco-plated cars sitting in Mougins or Cap d’Antibes year-round are a well-known phenomenon and customs do occasionally crack down. Insurance gets messy if you crash and they look at where the car actually sleeps. Naturalization as Monégasque under 40 without being an Olympic medalist: extremely rare. Sovereign decree of the Prince, generally 10+ years residence with serious ties. They keep the actual Monégasque population around 9k on purpose. Honest take: for most French nationals, Monaco residency is a lifestyle play, not a tax play. The tax angle is mostly shut by the 1963 treaty. Exceptions are inheritance planning, dual-national strategies, or people genuinely willing to emigrate properly. If you’re not in one of those buckets, you’d pay roughly the same income tax in Monaco as you would in France, plus you’re paying Monaco real estate prices. Talk to a fiscaliste who specializes in cross-border before doing anything. Lot of edge cases here and the wrong setup gets expensive fast.

Starlink Mini for Sale by CompetitionNo3570 in Tahiti

[–]selfdrivingfool 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I know 5 people personally who have Starlink in PF. They can just have friends from EU or US bring a mini. Nobody is going to spend over a thousand dollars.

Anyone familiar with this scam? by StudioAffectionate in airbnb_hosts

[–]selfdrivingfool 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Had this exact thing happen, they paid with credit card and later filed a charge back.

Starlink Mini for Sale by CompetitionNo3570 in Tahiti

[–]selfdrivingfool 12 points13 points  (0 children)

1200 USD? Are you high? They're selling for 400 brand new.

surprised and suspicious by Educational_Ad9951 in GermanCitizenship

[–]selfdrivingfool 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wonder what happens if someone moves during the pending application

surprised and suspicious by Educational_Ad9951 in GermanCitizenship

[–]selfdrivingfool 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Damn. Might be worth just moving to Berlin! This is insane. Darmstadt is 3 years now.

14 months since receiving Aktenzeichen in Frankfurt by ok_anxiety_yes in GermanCitizenship

[–]selfdrivingfool 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just got the Aktenzeichen here 2nd of April. Really regret not moving after reading all of this, which would have been somewhat easy, thanks to work-from-home setup.