Citizenship

Hello everyone,

I would like to know what is the requirement for German citizenship.

How long should one stay in Germany, work and pay taxes.?

Is studying in university also countable for citizenship?

Best regards,

4 Comments

Reply (4)

My Nguyen_Community Managerin

Dear @khanan thank you for reaching out to us. It is great that you already start to prepare to get a German citizenship. You'll be eligible for that, if you live in Germany for at least 8 years and already have a permanent residency or your current permit entitles you to one. Please note the time as a student will count half of your actual time, e.g. you studied 3 years, which means 1.5 year is countable for the 8 years. - Unfortunately, you must secure your livelihood by your own and not receive any benefits from Jobcenter or Social Welfare Office. Other than the application for a permanent residency, you don't have to show you social security contribution history. Your work contract/salary statements of the last months are usually sufficient. - You need to provide a German language certificate of at least a level of B1 (or higher) - Depending on your studies you don't need to provide a certificate about the German legal and social order. If you didn't study in a political field, usually, you need to show that test. There are several online versions to practice. The questions are also available as an app. I can provide you the link, in case you are interested. You can find more information about the process and the additional requirements on our website about naturalisation. Lastly, there is to mention that there is currently a new law on its way but not finalized yet. So, until the new law will take place, the requirements above still apply. Please let me know if you have further questions.

khanan

Thank you so much for your reply. You have really explained it wonderfully. I have one more questions. What activities can reduce the time of naturalization? Thanks and regards,

My Nguyen_Community Managerin

Thanks for getting back, @khanan For now, unfortunately, there is no activity to reduce the time until you can apply for the German citizenship. Indeed, with the new law they discuss to shorten the time to be able to apply for naturalisation. However, this is still not finalized, so 8 years still applies for now. Please don't mix it up with the application for a permanent residency (PR). There are some advantages, e.g. a high language skill. Please let me know if you need more information about the application for a PR or have further questions.

Seoyoung_Community Management Support

Hi @khanan ,

the new law around naturalization has come into force on June 27, 2024. Now one can be eligible for a citizenship earlier than in 5 years in some cases, for example when one is considered as 'particularly well integrated'. You can read more on this here: https://handbookgermany.de/en/citizenship#faq_146

Let us know if you have further questions.

Best wishes

Seoyoung

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