Apply for naturalization

Source: Serviceportal Rheinland-Pfalz

Foreign nationals can acquire German citizenship on application under certain conditions. As a rule, the following requirements must be met

five years of legal residence in Germany
unlimited right of residence or a permanent residence permit
clarified identity and nationality
commitment to the free democratic basic order of the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany and to Germany's special historical responsibility for the National Socialist reign of injustice and its consequences, in particular for the protection of Jewish life as well as for the peaceful coexistence of peoples and the prohibition of waging a war of aggression
no conviction for a criminal offense
independent means of subsistence (also for dependent family members) without social assistance and unemployment benefit II. Exceptions apply to persons who have been in full-time employment for at least 20 months in the past 2 years.
Sufficient knowledge of German
Knowledge of the legal and social order and living conditions in Germany (civic knowledge)
No polygamous marriages and no evidence of disregard for equal rights for men and women

You also no longer have to give up your previous nationality. Multiple citizenship is now permitted with the entry into force of the new Citizenship Act on June 27, 2024.

You can find detailed information on the requirements at

Naturalization

Special information for District-free City Mainz

To apply for naturalization, you can either submit the application online or send us the quick check, which precedes the online application, by email with the keyword "Application", stating your personal details and telephone number to: einbuergerung@stadt.mainz.de.

For advice on naturalization, you can also contact the naturalization guides from the federal project passt[t]genau(www.passtgenau-bzi.de/). Simply send an email to: team-rlp@passtgenau-bzi.de.

Telephone consultation hours of the naturalization clerks are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12 noon to 1 pm.

The authorities responsible for naturalizations are the district administrations and municipal administrations of the independent cities - in rural districts, the application can also be submitted to the municipal administrations of the independent municipalities, the association municipal administrations and the municipal administrations of the large cities belonging to the district.

The naturalization authorities provide free and non-binding advice. Advice is available regardless of whether an application has been submitted.

Special information for District-free City Mainz

Naturalization application
We will send you the naturalization application. Please bring the completed but unsigned application with you when you submit your application.
Passport photo/photo
Curriculum vitae
You can write your curriculum vitae by hand or create it on a PC. It should include a complete educational and professional background. If you are a volunteer in a club or organization, please include this if you wish to claim special integration achievements.
National passport or passport and, if applicable, valid residence permit
Birth certificate / extract from the birth register
If you were born in Germany, we require a current copy of the birth register (not older than 6 months). To obtain this, you can use the online service of the registry office.
If you were born in another German city, please obtain the birth register extract from the competent authority there.
If you were born abroad and therefore do not have a German birth certificate, you must present one of the following proofs of identity:
International birth certificate or
Original certificate of the home country with a certified translation by a recognized and sworn translator:in
Further documents
If you are married, divorced or widowed, you must provide further proof. The same applies if you have children. These documents include, for example, marriage certificates or birth certificates of the children. You can find out exactly which documents we require for processing during a personal or telephone consultation before submitting your application.
Proof of German language skills
You can prove your German language skills either by graduating from a general German school (Hauptschule, Realschule plus, Gymnasium or Gesamtschule) or by submitting a German certificate with at least level B1. The German certificate must have been issued by a recognized Telc (The European Language Certificates) provider, for example the Volkshochschule Mainz.
Proof of civic knowledge
You must provide proof of your civic knowledge either by graduating from a general German school (Hauptschule, Realschule plus, Gymnasium or Gesamtschule) or by successfully completing a German course of study in law, administrative sciences, political sciences or teaching.
If you do not have any of these certificates, you must take a naturalization test and provide us with a certificate confirming that you have passed the test.

Apply for naturalization

Your responsible office:

Einbürgerung, Staatsangehörigkeits- und Namensrecht

Address

Postal address

Contact

Fax

Email

Opening hours

Contact person

Responsible for:

Responsible for:

Responsible for:

Responsible for:

Apply for naturalization

Who should I contact?

Which documents are required?

What are the fees?

What deadlines do I have to pay attention to?

Processing duration

Legal basis

Appeal

Weiterführende Informationen

Your responsible office:

Einbürgerung, Staatsangehörigkeits- und Namensrecht

Einbürgerung, Staatsangehörigkeits- und Namensrecht

Address

Postal address

Contact

Fax

Email

Opening hours

Contact person

Frau Agadad

Frau Besli

Frau Lapenta

Frau Mascia