Apply for German citizenship (for foreigners entitled to naturalization)

Applications can be submitted online or in writing:

• First of all, an initial interview is required, among other things to declare your commitment to the free democratic basic order, verify and clarify your identity and check the authenticity of foreign documents.
• The naturalization authority checks the requirements and decides on your application.

The further procedure now depends on whether you are allowed to keep your previous citizenship or whether you have to give it up:

• If you cannot give up your previous nationality or can only do so under particularly difficult conditions, you will be naturalized while accepting multiple nationalities.
• In all other cases, you must give up your previous nationality in order to be naturalized.
• If the previous nationality can be renounced before naturalization, you will receive a so-called naturalization assurance from the naturalization authority. This guarantees naturalization in the event that you can prove that you have renounced your previous citizenship. You must then apply to be released from your previous citizenship.
• If, according to the law of the foreign country, the previous citizenship can only be renounced after naturalization or if this is only possible when you reach a certain age, you will be naturalized subject to certain conditions. You are obliged to give up your foreign nationality as soon as this is possible.
• To apply for renunciation, please contact the competent diplomatic mission in your country of origin.
• Please provide evidence of the loss of your foreign nationality to your naturalization authority.
• If the requirements are still met, you will be issued with a naturalization certificate. You are then a German citizen or German national.
• Before the certificate is issued, you must make the following solemn declaration: "I solemnly declare that I will respect the Basic Law and the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany and will refrain from doing anything that could harm it."

You can find out which authority is responsible for your naturalization from the city or district administration of your place of residence, the foreigners authority or the migration advice service for adult immigrants or the youth migration services.

Persons living abroad permanently can only be naturalized in exceptional cases and under different conditions to those for naturalization in Germany. The Federal Office of Administration in Cologne is responsible for them. The first point of contact here can be the locally responsible German mission abroad (embassy, consulate general or other consular office).

You can find out which authority is responsible for your naturalization from the city or district administration of your place of residence, the foreigners authority or the migration advice service for adult immigrants or the youth migration services.

Persons living abroad permanently can only be naturalized in exceptional cases and under different conditions to those for naturalization in Germany. The Federal Office of Administration in Cologne is responsible for them. The first point of contact here can be the locally responsible German mission abroad (embassy, consulate general or other consular office).

Naturalization pursuant to Section 10 of the Citizenship Act (StAG) requires an application.

• You must have been legally resident in Germany for 8 years.
  • Reduction to 7 years: if you have successfully attended an integration course with written proof
  • Possibility of shortening to 6 years: with special integration achievements
• Your identity and nationality have been clarified.
• You have legal capacity or are legally represented.
  • Anyone who has reached the age of 16 has the capacity to act.
• At the time of naturalization you have
  • an unlimited right of residence
    • e.g. settlement permit; EU citizens entitled to freedom of movement and nationals from Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland and their family members; Turkish employees or their family members who have a right of residence based on the EU's right of association with Turkey
  • or a residence permit that is based on the principle of permanent residence
    • not suitable for naturalization, for example a residence permit for the purpose of studying.
• You are able to support yourself and your dependent family members without receiving certain public benefits,
  • i.e. without benefits from the basic income support for jobseekers or social assistance, unless you are not responsible for claiming social benefits.
• You have not been convicted of a criminal offense.
  • This means that you have neither been sentenced to a penalty nor have you been ordered to undergo a detention order due to incapacity to pay.
  • Not taken into account:
    • Educational measures or correctional measures under the Juvenile Courts Act,
    • Convictions for fines of up to 90 daily rates,
    • Convictions for prison sentences of up to 3 months that have been suspended and remitted after the probation period has expired.
  • These exceptions do not apply if you have been convicted of an unlawful anti-Semitic, racist, xenophobic or other inhuman act and sentenced to imprisonment, a fine or a juvenile sentence and such a motive has been established in the judgment.
  • If an investigation is currently underway on suspicion of a criminal offence, the naturalization procedure must be suspended until the proceedings have been concluded.
• You have sufficient knowledge of the German language (level B1).
  • Exception: This is not the case if you are unable to meet this requirement due to a physical, mental or psychological illness or disability or due to age.
• You have civic knowledge, which must be proven by a naturalization test.
  • Exception: This is not required if you are unable to meet this requirement due to a physical, mental or psychological illness or disability, or due to age.
• You give up or lose your foreign citizenship.
  • Exception: Citizens of member states of the European Union and Switzerland, refugees and persons from countries in which it is not possible to give up foreign citizenship or only under particularly difficult conditions.
• Your integration into the German way of life is guaranteed, which means in particular that you are not married to more than one spouse at the same time.
• You are committed to the free democratic basic order of the Basic Law and make a declaration of loyalty (from the age of 16).
  • This means that you do not support or have supported any anti-constitutional or extremist activities, unless you have credibly renounced any previous persecution or support.

• Valid national passport or official identity document with photograph
• Valid residence permit
• Civil status documents (birth certificate, marriage certificate, divorce decree or death certificate of the spouse, if applicable), with translation, legalization or apostille, if applicable
• School, vocational, training and/or study qualifications obtained in Germany
• If you are a pupil: current school certificate
• if you are a student: current certificate of study
• if you are employed: Employment contract and proof of income
• if you receive a pension: Pension certificate / pension insurance history (issued by the German Pension Insurance)
• if you are self-employed: Business registration, current income tax assessment and proof of profit (e.g. informal certificate from your tax advisor about net income or business analysis)
• rental agreement
• Proof of health insurance cover
• Proof of pension provision (e.g. property ownership, private life insurance / pension insurance)
• Proof of renunciation or loss of previous citizenship
• Proof of sufficient German language skills (e.g. B1 certificate); for children under the age of 16, age-appropriate language development is sufficient
• Proof of civic knowledge (e.g. certificate "Leben in Deutschland/Einbürgerungstest") from the age of 16
• for minors: Proof of custody (for example, in the case of divorced or unmarried parents through a custody order)
• in the case of joint parental custody: declaration of consent from the other parent with custody rights
• The commitment to the free democratic basic order and the declaration of loyalty must be submitted at the personal interview from the age of 16.

Further documents may be required depending on the individual case. Please note the following information:

• When submitting foreign documents, please refer to the information on the homepage of the Federal Foreign Office (www.auswaertiges-amt.de) under the heading "International document traffic".
• Foreign certificates or documents must be submitted with a translation by an authorized translator. You can find out which translator is authorized on the following website: www.justiz-dolmetscher.de/suche.jsp
• The translation must be firmly attached to a copy of the document and sealed.

• The regular fee is EUR 255.00.
• Bn the case of naturalized children who are minors and have no income of their own within the meaning of the Income Tax Act, the fee is EUR 51.00.

If an assurance of naturalization is given, this is usually limited to 2 years; it can be extended. During this time, the previous citizenship must be revoked.

• § Section 10 (1) of the Citizenship Act (StAG)

02.06.2022