Fees and other costs

We explain the cost of instructing us and distinguish it from official fees and other foreseeable expenses in your naturalisation proceedings. Translations, examinations, obtaining official documents and, where applicable, legal assistance may involve additional expenses. The costs that actually arise depend above all on which evidence you already have, whether family members are being naturalised together and whether the proceedings can be completed without a legal dispute.

We distinguish confirmed, expected and merely possible expenses. The statutory standard fee can be established early, provided the personal circumstances determining the applicable fee are clear. Whether another official document is needed, by contrast, often becomes apparent only after the existing documents have been reviewed. Court costs arise only if court proceedings are actually brought. A single overall figure covering every conceivable development would therefore be of little practical value.

For each item, record who receives the payment, when it is expected and whether a binding price has already been provided. This shows which part of the budget is fixed and which expenses only make sense after further clarification.

The standard fee is 255 euros per person. For a minor child who is naturalised together with a parent and has no income of their own within the meaning of the Income Tax Act, it is reduced to 51 euros. These amounts are set out directly in § 38 paragraph 2 StAG. The fee is charged per person, rather than as a single flat rate for a family.

For example, if two adults apply together with two minor children who have no income of their own, and the requirements for the reduced child fee are met, the total official fees are 612 euros. This calculation covers only those four naturalisation fees. It does not include translations or examinations. If a child is naturalised without a parent, the reduced child fee must not be assumed to apply solely because of the child's age.

The independent capacity to act in proceedings from the age of 16 does not settle the fee question either. The specific requirements relating to joint naturalisation and the child's own income remain decisive. If adulthood is approaching, we assess the fees expected at completion early. The article on official fees and reductions explains further details.

The greatest uncertainty often concerns documents rather than the statutory fee. One person already has recognised evidence of language proficiency, a suitable school-leaving qualification and all the necessary civil status documents. Another must obtain official documents abroad, explain a difference in spelling and have several documents translated. Both may pay the same naturalisation fee but have very different preparation costs.

Before an order is placed, we clarify which specific requirement the document is intended to meet. A birth certificate may matter for parentage or birth details. A marriage certificate proves different facts. A certified copy generally confirms that it matches the document presented; a translation makes its content accessible in another language. These services are not interchangeable. Having every available document translated and certified several times as a precaution may create avoidable expenses.

Conversely, a cheap but unsuitable translation may mean having to commission the work again. We therefore first clarify which documents are needed and in what form. For this, we need complete legible scans, including reverse sides and notes. The separate article on collecting, translating and certifying documents explains their evidential functions in more detail.

For the naturalisation test, § 2 of the Naturalisation Test Ordinance provides for a flat charge of 25 euros. This expense is separate from the naturalisation fee. A language test, in turn, is charged under the terms of the particular provider. There is no uniform nationwide overall fee covering all forms of language certification.

Not everyone needs to take both examinations again. Existing educational qualifications or examination certificates already obtained may be sufficient, depending on their content and the statutory requirements. Statutory concessions or exemptions may also apply in certain situations. The first cost question is therefore not which provider is cheapest, but whether an additional test is needed at all.

A paid preparation course is also different from the examination itself. Under § 10 paragraph 5 StAG, attending a naturalisation course is not compulsory. Whether a course is useful depends on the person's learning needs. We explain the distinction between course hours, materials, examination booking and possible repeat fees. A low course price does not in itself tell you whether the final examination is included.

Before you instruct us, we explain the specific support covered by your engagement and which procedural stages require a separate agreement. Advice on the right time to apply is a different instruction from reviewing all documents and then handling communication with the authority. A later court action generally constitutes a further stage of proceedings. A price can therefore only be assessed meaningfully once the scope of the work is clear.

Remuneration may be based on statutory fees or permissible fee agreements. A fixed fee can provide certainty for planning if it clearly describes which people, tasks and stages of proceedings it covers. For time billing, we explain the hourly rate, units, expenses and information on time already spent. The article on translations, examinations and lawyers' fees explores these questions in more detail.

Individual invoices usually arrive at different times. Obtaining and translating official documents often has to be paid for before a full assessment of the application. An examination provider may require payment on registration. For the authority's fee, the payment request and local procedural guidance are decisive. The statutory fee amount alone does not establish a uniform payment date for every authority.

A reasonable advance may be requested for legal services; § 9 RVG provides a specific basis for this. An advance is credited in the later billing. We record the advance as a fee payment already made, not an addition to the full fee.

For several family members, we allocate costs to the relevant people and proceedings. This allocation shows whether two examination fees concern two people or the same amount was accidentally budgeted twice. We match payment records to the relevant matters. This simple organisation also makes later enquiries about an advance or a final assessment of costs easier.

A later payment request is not always an additional cost item. It may, for example, concern the balance remaining after an advance. We check the matter identified, the total and payments already credited. In family proceedings, allocating charges to each individual helps because identical amounts may relate to different applications.

Conversely, a single invoice may cover several services. We compare cost items with the order and explain the agreed scope in our billing. Unclear items are best clarified through a specific enquiry. Objections to an official costs decision must be distinguished from a simple request for an explanation of an invoice, since a formal legal remedy may be subject to deadlines.

Under § 38 paragraph 4 StAG, the authority may reduce or waive the fee on grounds of fairness or in the public interest. This is a separate decision about the financial burden. It replaces neither examination of the naturalisation requirements nor any possible assistance with other types of cost.

For a fee-relief request, we clearly present the financial position through income, necessary housing costs, maintenance obligations, assets and particular burdens. Someone who is only temporarily unable to pay may need a different solution from someone whose means are permanently limited to the minimum needed to live on. Payment by instalments spreads an existing debt; a reduction lowers its amount. We keep these two questions separate in our reasoning.

Since 1 July 2026, the benefit under § 19 SGB II has been called Grundsicherungsgeld. Authorities may continue to use the term Bürgergeld until the end of 2026. What matters is the statutory benefit and the period for which it was awarded, not merely the heading of the decision. This follows from §§ 19 and 65a SGB II in the official collection of legislation published by the Federal Employment Agency. Whether receiving the benefit prevents naturalisation or an exception applies must be examined independently of any fee relief.

Naturalisation costs are not all dependent on success. Translations remain services already performed even if the application is later withdrawn. An examination taken does not become free because the planned naturalisation date is postponed. For legal support, billing depends on the instructions, the statutory fee rules and any agreement entered into.

For refusal and withdrawal of an application after substantive processing has begun, § 38 paragraph 2 StAG also provides a separate fee range. For naturalisation ordinarily subject to a fee of 255 euros, this generally ranges from 25 to 255 euros. Withdrawal is therefore not a reliable way to avoid all official costs. Before that decision, we clarify the procedural stage and expected costs.

The substantive reason for withdrawal also deserves attention. If only a document that can be supplied later is missing, the next steps may need to be assessed differently from a case where a requirement is permanently unmet. A new application may incur fresh costs. We consider costs and the legal position together; money already spent does not justify continuing at any price.

If refusal is threatened or processing stalls, we first assess which measure addresses the specific problem and what costs it involves. An enquiry about progress, a response to an opportunity to be heard and a court action are different steps with different cost implications. In particular, an action for failure to act does not replace naturalisation requirements that have not yet been met.

Court proceedings may involve court costs and lawyers' fees. If you cannot afford those costs, we assess eligibility for legal aid for court proceedings. This is neither a general exemption from naturalisation fees nor a promise to cover every conceivable cost of litigation. The details require separate consideration in litigation costs, reimbursement and legal aid.

Some expenses may also remain after successful naturalisation, particularly for an identity card, passport and the necessary photographs. These documents must be applied for separately. For travel plans, we also explain the subsequent cost and time needed for identity documents.

The order in which services are commissioned can affect costs. For foreign certificates, we first clarify the version and authentication required. If further official annotations are added after translation, an additional translation assignment may be necessary. Before booking examinations, check whether an existing educational qualification is sufficient. Both steps avoid premature spending without postponing necessary evidence.

We plan documents with lasting evidential value differently from evidence that must be current when the decision is made. A birth certificate describes a historical event, whereas a payslip concerns a particular month. Income documents obtained far in advance may need to be supplemented during the later examination. This does not, however, establish a general expiry period for all documents. We assess which fact still needs evidence when the decision is made.

It is particularly important to distinguish clearly between amounts already paid, outstanding obligations and money merely set aside. Money reserved for possible litigation is not yet a debt incurred. A translation already commissioned, by contrast, may still have to be paid for even if it is no longer needed later in the proceedings. Keeping these distinctions in mind helps you fund necessary steps and reduce avoidable duplicate orders.