Naturalisation

You must meet the following requirements to be eligible for German citizenship ("Anspruchseinbürgerung").

• You must have a permanent residence permit ("Niederlassungserlaubnis") or a residence permit which entitles you to a permanent residence permit.
• You have been living legally in Germany for at least 5 years.
• You are not entitled to or receive any benefits from the Jobcenter or the Social Welfare Office.
• You speak German at level B1 or higher.
• You have passed the naturalisation test covering the German legal and social order or have a German school-leaving certificate.
• You have not been convicted of any serious crimes.
• You declare in writing and orally to the naturalisation authority your commitment to the German Basic Law and the free and democratic basic order. 
• You also acknowledge Germany's responsibility for the Holocaust, in particular for the protection of Jewish life (Section 10 (1) sentence 1 no. 1a Naturalisation Act).
• You have only one spouse.
• You have a passport or other documents (driving licence, birth certificate and such) which verify your identity–or you can prove that your home country is refusing to issue you any papers.

Please note: The following groups of people do not have to prove they can independently secure their livelihood thanks to the new "hardship regulation" (“Härtefallregelung”) for naturalisation:

• Former guest workers who came to the FRG before June 1974 and contract workers who came to the GDR before June 1990 can, under certain conditions, be naturalised without having to secure their own livelihood. This also applies to their spouses who came to Germany during the same period. 
• People in full-time employment also do not have to secure their own livelihood if they have worked full-time for at least 20 months in the last 24 months.
• The regulation also favours spouses of full-time employees—if you live with your spouse or registered partner (who works full-time) and a child, you do not have to prove you can support yourself.

Please note: The new Naturalisation Act revokes other exceptions to the requirement to secure a livelihood that existed before.

Please note: Unemployment benefits I, housing allowance ("Wohngeld"), Child Benefits (“Kindergeld”), BAföG, or similar are generally not an obstacle to naturalisation.

Good to know: You do not have to give up your previous nationality. You can find out more about this in the section "Can I have more than one nationality?".

Under certain conditions, you can obtain German citizenship after less than 5 years:

• If you are ‘particularly well integrated’, for instance, speak German very well (C1) and have been involved in voluntary work for several years, you can apply for naturalisation after 3 years.

• You can also become naturalised earlier if you are married to a German citizen. You can read more in this regard in the section "I have a German spouse. Are there special rules which apply to me? "

• If you apply for naturalisation at the same time as your family (spouse and, if applicable, children), you will have a shorter wait. 

Please note: Successful completion of an integration course no longer shortens the period of residence. If you fulfil all other requirements, you can submit your application for naturalisation after 5 years.

The months or years of your asylum procedure will be included in the 5 (or 3) years minimum stay if you have been recognised as a refugee or person entitled to asylum. The same applies to people with subsidiary protection. 

In principle, half the years you have spent in Germany with a student visa are also counted.

If you do not have a German language certificate, you can also verify your language skills by proving that you have successfully attended a German school or by presenting a degree you have obtained in Germany. To do so, hand in a document which proves one of the following:

• You have attended a German school for at least four years.
• You have a "Hauptschulabschluss", a "Realschulabschluss" or an "Abitur" from a German school.
• You are currently attending (at least) the 10th Class of a secondary German-language school.
• You have completed a vocational training programme in German.
• You have obtained a university degree in the German language.

If you do not have any of the documents mentioned above, you will usually have to pass a language test and submit the certificate. You can do the test at any language school.

Please note: If you do not speak German well enough due to a chronic illness, disability or old age, the naturalisation authorities may approve your request without proof of language proficiency. If this is the case, you must provide medical records as proof.

New regulation: Former guest workers and contract workers who have been living in Germany for decades do not have to provide written proof of their German skills. It should be sufficient for them to be able to communicate orally in everyday life without major problems. It’s worth remembering that when they came to Germany, there were no language courses available, and most of them had a difficult start as migrant workers.

Since the new naturalisation law has come into effect on 27 June 2024, you do not have to give up your other nationality to become a German citizen. However, please consider the nationality laws of the other country of which you count as a citizen to make sure they allow the holding of 2 or more nationalities. 

Good to know: With the new Naturalisation Act, you can also get your former citizenship back if you had to give it up for German citizenship. You can then have dual citizenship or multiple citizenship. Please note: The state whose citizenship you have given up must allow this. In order to get your former nationality back, you need the permission of the other state(s).

Please note: If you would like to renounce your nationality, keep in mind that there are also countries where that is not possible. According to the current legal situation, people from these countries cannot give back their nationality (according to the laws in the said countries): Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Eritrea, Guatemala, Honduras, Iran, Lebanon, Maldives, Morocco, Mexico, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Panama, Syria, Thailand, Tunisia, Uruguay.

After the Naturalisation Office confirms that you meet the requirements, you will receive a so-called "naturalisation assurance" ("Einbürgerungszusicherung"). With this document, you must apply (to the relevant authorities of your country of origin) to be released from the citizenship of your home country. Once accepted, you will receive a confirmation, which you must submit to the Naturalisation Office ("Einbürgerungsbehörde"). Then you will be naturalised.

If your home country refuses to release you from your citizenship, you can contact your local Naturalisation Office in Germany.

Please note: In some countries, you automatically lose your old citizenship when you acquire a new nationality. In this case, you do not have to apply for renunciation of your previous citizenship separately.

There are also countries where it is not possible to give up citizenship. According to the current legal situation, people from these countries cannot give back their citizenship: Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Eritrea, Guatemala, Honduras, Iran, Cuba, Lebanon, Maldives, Morocco, Mexico, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Panama, Syria, Thailand, Tunisia, Uruguay (as of June 2024).

With the entry into force of the new Naturalisation Act, dual nationality or multiple nationality will be generally permitted in Germany. If the country of which you currently are a citizen also allows it, you do not have to renounce your former nationality.

Good to know: With the new Naturalisation Act, you can also take back your former citizenship if you had to give it up for German citizenship. You can then have dual nationality or multiple nationality. Please note: The state whose citizenship you have given up must allow you to become a citizen again, as you need the former state’s approval for it.

If you have been convicted of a serious crime, you will not have a chance of naturalisation. After a certain period, however, such offences are usually deleted from the criminal record. After deletion, you can be naturalised if you meet all other requirements.

If you have been convicted of a small offence, however, you can still be naturalised. If you have received one of the following penalties, you can still apply for German citizenship immediately, i.e. you do not need to wait for the deletion of the records:

• Monetary fine up to 90 days of your personal income.
• Imprisonment up to three months, but only in case the sentence was on probation and has been waivered after the probation period so that you actually have not been imprisoned.
• Disciplinary measures for juvenile delinquents (e.g., anti-aggression training) or means of correction (e.g., a warning or detention of juvenile delinquents) under the Juvenile Court Act.

You do not have to take the naturalisation test if you: 

• passed the exam at the end of the orientation course/integration course, 
• have a German school-leaving qualification or 
• have successfully completed a course of study in law, social sciences, political sciences, or administrative sciences at a German university. 

Tip: The integration course consists of an orientation course and a language course. The test at the end of the orientation course is called ‘Leben in Deutschland’. You can prepare for the test with the VHS orientation course test trainer.

For everyone else, passing the naturalisation test is a prerequisite for naturalisation. Exceptions are made only for people with a severe illness or disability or for the elderly. In these cases, you must present a medical certificate as proof.

If you need to pass the naturalisation test, you can either attend a naturalisation course or prepare yourself for the test personally. The test contains 33 questions. You must answer at least 17 of the 33 questions correctly to pass the test. 30 questions relate to general topics such as history, politics, society and culture in Germany. The other 3 questions have to do with the federal state in which you live. On the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees's (BAMF) online test centre, you can prepare for the naturalisation test and also complete a sample test.

You can contact your local Naturalisation Office ("Einbürgerungsbehörde") to learn where and when the test takes place. In addition, you will find a list of all the test centres which give the test in your state on bamf.de. If you would like to take a course, the Migration Counselling Office or a Youth Migration Service can suggest some schools nearby.

New Law: With the revision of the Naturalisation Act, certain naturalisation applicants will be exempt from passing the naturalisation test; that is, the so-called “guest worker generation”, who have lived in Germany for many decades. In recognition of their contributions, the naturalisation test will no longer be held for them in future, and only an oral language test will be conducted.

If you do not meet the "eligibility requirements" ("Anspruchseinbürgerung") mentioned above, you can apply for a "naturalisation by approval of the authorities" ("Ermessenseinbürgerung"), but whether one becomes a German citizen as a result is a case by case decision made by the authorities. In the case of an "Ermessenseinbürgerung", the Naturalisation Office can give you German citizenship, but they do not have to. A favourable decision is usually made when there is a public interest in your naturalisation. However, certain conditions must be met for "Ermessenseinbürgerung":

• You must not have been convicted of a serious offence.
• You must be legally residing in Germany.
• You have a flat or some other form of accommodation.
• You can earn a living or own assets and can provide for yourself (and your family).
• You have only one spouse.
• You have a passport or other documents (driving licence, birth certificate or alike) which verify your identity, or you can prove that your home country is refusing to issue you any papers.

If you do not meet these requirements, naturalisation is only possible in exceptional cases, for instance, when you have a severe disease or disability or are unable to work because of old age. In such cases, talk to the staff of your local Naturalisation Office. You can read more in this regard in the section "Where and how can I apply for naturalisation?".

Individuals who are married to a German citizen can be naturalised sooner than other foreign citizens. For such early naturalisation, you must meet the following requirements:

• You must have been legally residing in Germany for at least 3 years.
• You must have been married to a German citizen for at least 2 years.
• You are not separated or divorced from your spouse.
• You must have a valid passport or passport substitute.
• You must have accommodation.
• You must not be entitled to or receive any benefits from the Jobcentre or Social Welfare Office.
• You must speak German at level B1 or higher.
• You must have passed the naturalisation test covering the German legal and social order or have a German school-leaving certificate.
• You must not have been convicted of a serious crime.
• You declare your commitment to the free democratic basic order of the Federal Republic of Germany orally and in writing before the naturalisation authority. 
• You also acknowledge Germany's responsibility for the Holocaust, in particular for the protection of Jewish life (Section 10 (1) sentence 1 no. 1a Nationality Act).

Please note: If your spouse is a national of another EU country, such regulation does not apply to you.

The office responsible for naturalisation varies from state to state. To find the appropriate authority, seek advice from the District Office ("Bezirksamt"), the city administration or the Immigration Office. You can also ask the Migration Counselling Office or Youth Migration Service in your city for the correct address. You can even use Google to find the appropriate office by searching for the name of your town and the term "Einbürgerung".

You will find an application form for naturalisation at the competent Naturalisation Office. This form can be obtained either on-site or online at the Naturalisation Office's website. Before you submit your application, you should seek advice from the staff at the Naturalisation Office. The staff can tell you exactly what documents you need to submit along with the application.

Please note: You are only allowed to apply if you are older than 16. If you are under the age of 16, a parent or guardian must apply on your behalf.

Good to know: Some federal states have digitised the application process for naturalisation. This means that you can/should fill out an online application form and submit your documents digitally. Payment of the application fees is also carried out digitally. 

When applying, you have to pay €255. If you are also applying for your children, currently you have to pay €51 per child. In exceptional cases, this fee can be reduced. That may be the case, for instance, for a family with several children or those who do not earn much.

In principle, your German citizenship can only be revoked (against your will) if its loss does not result in you becoming stateless. You can lose German citizenship if one of the following scenarios apply to you:

• You renounce your German citizenship.

• You are also a citizen of another state and join the armed forces of (or a militant organisation controlled by) that state voluntarily and without the consent of the German authorities. 

Please note: If you have lost your German citizenship and do not have any other European citizenship, you will need a residence permit to stay in Germany.