Preparing the application and managing the proceedings

Under the agreed instructions, we prepare and submit your naturalisation application and then assist you through the authority's assessment. If the outcome is positive, German nationality is acquired when the naturalisation certificate is handed over; a refusal or withdrawal of the application can also bring the proceedings to an end. Between these stages come the choice of the appropriate legal route, obtaining suitable evidence and assessment by the competent authority. Keeping these steps distinct helps applicants prepare their application more effectively and respond to changes while it is being processed.

Before completing a form, we establish whether you actually need naturalisation. Some people already hold German nationality by birth or have a special route to acquiring it because of their family history. In those cases, a different procedure may apply. The overview of routes to German nationality helps with this initial assessment. For an ordinary naturalisation application by someone living in Germany, naturalisation by entitlement is particularly relevant.

Its general residence requirement is five years. The former special reduction to three years for exceptional integration achievements no longer exists. Special provisions, such as those for spouses of German nationals or the naturalisation of family members together, must be considered separately. An application that has been under consideration for some time does not automatically preserve every aspect of the former law either. § 40a StAG provides a narrowly limited exception: more favourable earlier livelihood rules remain applicable to applications submitted on or before 23 August 2023. This does not provide general protection for an earlier reduction in the residence period. The statutory requirements are set out in particular in § 10 StAG.

In our initial assessment, we connect your personal history with the legal requirements and first establish when your habitual residence in Germany began. Which residence titles have been issued? Can identity and nationality be reliably established? How are living expenses funded? What evidence of language proficiency and civic knowledge is available? Family circumstances and possible grounds for exclusion also need to be considered. Not every unanswered question is an obstacle, but it does determine what preparation is needed.

There is a significant difference between missing evidence and a requirement that has not yet been met. Someone who has already gained a school qualification but has not yet documented it may need a replacement certificate. Someone who has not yet completed the required period of residence, by contrast, must first meet a time-based requirement. An authority can request further documents, but it does not have to keep every premature application open until an unspecified future date.

Equally, it makes little sense to wait for a supposedly perfect personal history. A fixed-term employment contract, a change of employer or a particular family burden calls for an individual assessment; the label alone does not provide a conclusive answer. What matters is the requirements for naturalisation and any statutory exceptions. We identify established facts and developments that can be reliably evidenced.

For your family, we coordinate the proceedings while assessing each family member separately. Birthdays can change the capacity to act in the proceedings and the requirements for evidence. Nor does a child become German simply because a parent is naturalised. Naturalisation as a family requires an assessment for each family member.

For applicants living in Germany, the federal states determine which bodies handle naturalisation. Depending on the location, this may be a city administration, a district authority or a centralised state authority. The foreigners authority is not automatically also the naturalisation authority. Even where both functions are located in the same building, there may be separate responsibilities, mailboxes and files.

In practice, the search begins on the official website for the place where you actually live. We check whether that body decides applications or merely receives them. Information about authorised electronic channels, required forms and appointments in person also forms part of this preparation. The article on the competent authority and the consequences of moving home explains changes of residence in detail.

An extensive collection is not yet a well-prepared file. What matters is which question a document answers and whether it is consistent with the other information. A passport concerns identity and nationality; an employment contract shows the agreed terms of employment; payslips document income actually accounted for. These documents complement one another, but cannot be used interchangeably.

This classification is a practical aid, not an exhaustive nationwide document checklist. The evidence required depends on the individual case. Foreign-language certificates may need translations; foreign public documents also raise the question of authenticity. A certified copy, a certified translation and an apostille serve different purposes. The article on compiling documents and arranging translations and certification explains these differences.

Where spellings or dates conflict, we clarify the differences using the documents instead of adopting one version without checking. It is better to explain clearly which documents exist and why they differ. Missing documents should be accompanied by an explanation of the difficulty in obtaining them and any available alternatives. This makes it possible to distinguish a genuine inability to provide evidence from a situation where no steps to obtain it have yet been taken.

The Nationality Act requires an application, but does not prescribe a single nationwide form for an ordinary naturalisation application. Local forms are nevertheless useful because they collect the usual information in a structured way. Electronic transmission requires the relevant channel to have been opened for that purpose. The general framework follows from § 3a VwVfG, although the applicable state administrative procedure law must be taken into account for state and municipal authorities.

Before transmission, we save a complete copy of your application and attachments. After transmission, add the confirmation, date and any file reference. In an online procedure, “saved as a draft” does not yet mean “submitted”. Similarly, a payment may have been made even though a technical fault prevented transmission of the application. The official Berlin procedure description illustrates these differences for its local online procedure; the following detailed article covers transmission itself.

We clearly identify later documents as additions to the existing application. A second complete application without explanation can lead to queries about how it should be assigned. Detailed guidance on submission channels and evidence is available under submitting the application and proving receipt.

There is generally no requirement to instruct a lawyer in administrative naturalisation proceedings. People with the capacity to act can submit and manage their own application. Under § 34 StAG, the special capacity to act in nationality matters generally begins at the age of 16. This must be distinguished from reaching adulthood at 18. Legal representatives act for younger children; particular issues relating to court-appointed guardianship may also arise for adults.

A power of attorney allows a lawyer to represent the applicant before the authority, for example when submitting the application, setting out legal arguments and responding to requests for further documents. It does not, however, replace personal knowledge, declarations that must be made by the applicant or necessary appointments in person. Before you instruct us, we explain the scope and distinguish advice, administrative proceedings and any court proceedings.

Family members who help to complete forms do not thereby become authorised to make binding declarations for others. Particularly where family documents are submitted together, it must remain clear who the applicants, legal representatives and contact persons are. These distinctions are explained in acting on your own behalf, legal representation and authorising a lawyer.

Once the application has been received, the authority examines whether the requirements are met. It may obtain register information, involve other bodies and request documents. Its duty to investigate requires it to take favourable circumstances into account as well; applicants nevertheless remain obliged to cooperate. The assessment by the authority is therefore a process requiring contributions from both sides.

When further evidence is requested, we first clarify the period concerned. Is a copy, an original or an explanation required? What is the deadline? If timely procurement is impossible, we explain and evidence this in good time. A reasoned request for an extension is more helpful than silence. We rely on an extension only once confirmed.

Receipt, completeness, readiness for a decision and acquisition describe different stages of the proceedings. Receipt establishes that the application was made. Completeness initially describes the status of the documents requested. Readiness for a decision additionally requires the legally relevant questions to have been resolved; even then, the assessment may be negative. Acquisition follows only once the procedure has been effectively concluded. An enquiry should therefore specify which of these steps is still outstanding. A missing employment contract requires a further submission; a differing assessment by the authority of a contract already provided requires a substantive response instead.

Changes in personal circumstances may be relevant even without a new enquiry. These include, in particular, moving home, a new residence title, changes in employment or marital status, and relevant criminal proceedings. Information that was correct when first provided may be superseded by later events. Your own application copy is therefore a basis for ongoing updates, rather than merely an archived record.

When preparing your financial documents, we record the legal basis of each relevant payment. An earnings replacement benefit, a family benefit and a subsistence benefit are not the same thing. Since 1 July 2026, § 19 SGB II has called the benefit previously known as Bürgergeld “Grundsicherungsgeld”. Authorities may continue to use the former term until the end of 2026. Both names may therefore appear in current documents. This is confirmed by the official SGB II compilation and the promulgated amending Act.

For naturalisation, the statutory reference to benefits under SGB II or SGB XII remains decisive, including whichever exceptions apply. A different name neither removes nor creates an obstacle to naturalisation in itself. Nor should the outcome be inferred too quickly from a single benefit decision. The detailed article on income and livelihood explains the substantive requirements; during the proceedings, the task is to connect them with accurate and up-to-date facts.

In addition to administrative fees, there may be expenses for translations, certificates, certification and examinations. Lawyers' fees are a separate cost item. Not every expense becomes payable immediately, and not every document needs to be obtained in every case. A sensible sequence avoids paying to obtain the same evidence several times as a precaution. Fees and other costs covers the details.

If processing takes longer, we assess whether documents are missing, an external response is outstanding or the case is not progressing despite being ready for a decision. A focused enquiry identifies the application, the latest additional submission and the point requiring clarification. The legal options for delays do not depend solely on the number of months that have elapsed. In particular, the three-month waiting period in § 75 VwGO is not a promise that naturalisation will be completed within that time. Whether a court action is admissible and whether a substantive entitlement to naturalisation exists must be assessed separately. The section on delays and legal remedies introduces these issues.

A favourable response, a request for fees or an appointment does not yet mean that nationality has been acquired. Under § 16 StAG, naturalisation takes effect when the naturalisation certificate is handed over. Until then, relevant changes must continue to be taken into account. Residence titles and other obligations must not be neglected merely because a positive outcome is expected.

If we identify an error, we correct the relevant statement with you and clearly present the accurate version and supporting evidence. Significant inaccuracies may have further legal consequences. The article on incorrect or incomplete information explains the distinctions. Managing the proceedings well therefore means, above all, keeping the actual circumstances clear, answering outstanding questions precisely and avoiding confusion between the different procedural stages.