Naturalisation as a family

We prepare your family's naturalisation together while assessing the requirements for each family member separately. Legally, however, naturalisation remains an individual decision for each person. Residence periods, nationalities, ages and powers of representation may differ within the same family. Good planning therefore combines the shared wish with a separate assessment of the requirements.

Before preparing joint applications, we establish who in your family actually needs naturalisation. A child with a German parent may already be German by birth. Even where both parents are foreign nationals, acquisition by birth in Germany is possible under the conditions of § 4 paragraph 3 StAG. What matters is the law in force on the date of birth and the circumstances of one parent at that time. A parent's later naturalisation, by contrast, does not automatically make an already-born child German retrospectively.

A German birth certificate records the birth and the civil-status details it contains; it is not in every situation also conclusive proof of German citizenship. For unresolved acquisition questions, we examine birth records, parental residence documents and existing German identity documents together. The article on acquisition by birth helps avoid unnecessary naturalisation applications.

For family members who are indeed foreign nationals, three main routes are relevant: an independent entitlement under § 10 paragraph 1 StAG, naturalisation together with a family member under § 10 paragraph 2 StAG, and facilitated naturalisation of spouses or registered civil partners of German citizens under § 9 StAG. In particular circumstances, § 8 StAG must also be assessed. The routes differ in their requirements and in the scope of the authority's discretion.

For spouses of German citizens, § 9 StAG generally requires three years of lawful habitual residence and two years of an existing marriage. A comparable rule applies to registered civil partners. The marriage must be legally valid; the couple's actual shared marital life is also relevant to the preferential treatment. A couple who merely live together are not, for that reason alone, in a registered civil partnership in the legal sense.

The special three-year rule was not removed by the abolition of the former reduction for special integration achievements. It has its own statutory basis. At the same time, it remains subject to the other requirements of § 10 StAG. A German spouse cannot replace either the establishment of the other person's identity or their individual evidence of language skills. The detailed article on spouses and civil partners of German citizens explains residence periods, length of marriage and evidence in depth.

If one spouse becomes German only during joint planning, the other relatives do not automatically move into a new privileged position. In particular, a long marriage between two foreign nationals must not be treated, without examination, like an equally long marriage to a German citizen. Before separate decisions, we assess the relevant periods and continuation of the requested joint naturalisation.

For each child, we record the date and place of birth, nationality, start of residence, current residence status and parental responsibility arrangements. These details determine different questions. Where a child lives does not automatically establish who has custody. Age alone does not determine the period of residence. And one sibling's German citizenship does not allow any certain conclusion about the status of the other children.

For children under 16, age-appropriate development in German is sufficient for the language requirement. The standard for a toddler is therefore different from that for a schoolchild. A B1 certificate is not the general form of evidence for all children. Young people aged 16 and over generally face more extensive requirements; at the same time, they can normally conduct the procedure themselves. At 18, the possibility of being included as a minor child under § 10 paragraph 2 ends.

We set out the relevant dates in a timeline so that age thresholds remain in view during longer proceedings. We record the residence period and the sixth, sixteenth and eighteenth birthdays. An application made before a birthday does not generally preserve the previous age-related rules. The consequences are covered in the article “Children: joint naturalisation or an independent application” and its associated detailed articles.

It would be wrong to require every person to have their own employment contract. One parent may support the family through earned income while the other looks after the children. A child does not normally have to earn the money to meet their own needs. However, it must be assessed whether the available resources actually cover the relevant living costs and maintenance obligations and are likely to be sustainable.

Alongside income, this includes housing costs, health insurance, household size and maintenance obligations. The birth of another child or the parents' separation can change the calculation. Maintenance for a child outside the shared household must not be overlooked merely because that child is not applying for naturalisation. Equally, a high bank balance at one point does not automatically replace an assessment of future funding.

Under § 10 paragraph 1 sentence 1 number 3 StAG, benefits under SGB II or SGB XII are generally particularly relevant. Since July 2026, the SGB II benefit under § 19 paragraph 1 has been called “Grundsicherungsgeld”; authorities may continue using the former term “Bürgergeld” during the transitional period until the end of the year. For the naturalisation assessment, the statutory type of benefit remains decisive. The change is documented in the Federal Employment Agency's collection of SGB II legislation.

Many documents may be relevant to several procedures: a tenancy agreement, marriage certificate or income documents often concern the whole household. Identity documents, language skills, school certificates and declarations, by contrast, must be assigned to a particular person. A structured family overview makes this distinction easier and reveals missing evidence.

Foreign certificates may require translations or additional evidence of authenticity. The required form depends on the country of origin and the type of certificate. A translation does not resolve inconsistencies in the original either. We explain spelling differences before they recur across connected applications. The relevant authority must be able to recognise that the documents concern the same people and family relationships.

Joint naturalisation does not require both parents to become German citizens at the same time. Subject to the applicable requirements, children may also be naturalised together with only one parent. This is separate from the question of who can validly submit the application for a child under 16. Where custody is shared, the parents generally represent the child jointly. Separation does not automatically end joint custody.

Nor does a parent's new spouse automatically become the child's legal representative through marriage. Being a stepchild, legal parentage and adoption have different consequences. The assessment therefore depends on legally effective family relationships, not only on everyday family life. Where custody is shared and agreement cannot be reached, a family court decision on the specific matter may be necessary.

These questions are particularly important if the other parent lives abroad or is difficult to reach. Being unable to contact someone is not evidence of sole custody. We clarify representation and evidence early so that these issues do not block substantive assessment near an age threshold. Further details are explained in the article on custody, separated parents and legal representation.

Within a family, one application may be ready for a decision while another still lacks a document. It is then necessary to distinguish whether both people have independent entitlements or one depends on the connection provided by joint naturalisation. In the first case, separate decisions may make sense. In the second, they may affect the legal basis of the procedure that remains open.

We assess joint or separate completion by its legal consequences for each family member, rather than by a preferred date alone. The status of each application, the intended legal basis and the effects of handing over certificates separately must be clarified. Fees may also differ. Under § 38 StAG, the naturalisation fee is generally 255 euros. For minor children naturalised together with a family member who have no income of their own within the meaning of income tax law, it is 51 euros. For independent naturalisation without inclusion in a family member's naturalisation, this reduction does not apply merely because the applicant is a minor. Conversely, a separate form for the child does not rule out the reduction; the legal classification of the acquisition is decisive.

We first establish who is already German, who has an independent entitlement and who needs a family-related concession. Individual evidence and shared household documents are then assembled. Only on that basis does it become clear whether parallel independent applications, joint naturalisation or different timings are appropriate.

During processing, we work with you to account for significant changes such as a birth, separation, move, new parental responsibility decisions or changed income. For young people, we clarify in good time which declarations they must make after turning sixteen. Under § 16 StAG, naturalisation takes effect for each person when their naturalisation certificate is handed over; a joint letter indicating a positive prospect is not enough. What to bear in mind is explained in the article on handing over the certificate. This keeps family planning connected to each member's individual rights and requirements.

For families where education, displacement, caring responsibilities or health limitations also play a role, the overview of particular life circumstances offers further guidance. We incorporate these circumstances because they may alter individual requirements.