The naturalization procedure

Who can submit an application?

In principle, any foreigner, i.e. any person who does not have German citizenship, can apply for naturalization. In order to be able to complete the application and other steps in the procedure yourself, you must generally be at least 16 years old and have legal capacity.

General requirements for naturalization

Certain basic conditions must almost always be met for naturalization. These form the basis for every naturalization decision.

Clarified identity and nationality

One of the most important prerequisites is that your identity and previous nationality have been clarified. The authorities need to know who you are. This is usually proven by valid documents such as a national passport and a birth certificate.

If you are unable to provide official documents from your home country because this is impossible or unreasonable for you, there are other ways of proving your identity. This can be done, for example, through other documents or witness statements. In special cases, your own conclusive and credible statements may be sufficient.

Stay in Germany

For naturalization, you must have your legal and habitual residence in Germany.

The habitual residence

Habitual residence means that you are not only living in Germany temporarily, but for an indefinite period of time and that this is the center of your life. This is shown, for example, by family or professional ties.

Legal residence

Your residence must also be legal. This means that you need a valid residence permit. This includes, for example

• a settlement permit
• an EU permanent residence permit
• an EU Blue Card
• a residence permit for specific purposes, for example for family reasons or to pursue qualified employment
• As a citizen of the EU or Switzerland, you enjoy freedom of movement and therefore also meet this requirement.

Periods in which you only had a temporary residence permit during an asylum procedure can only be taken into account if you are later recognized as entitled to protection. A tolerated stay is not sufficient for legal residence.

Securing your livelihood

A key requirement is that you must be able to support yourself and your dependants. This means that you must earn your income from your own resources, for example through your work or your own assets, without being dependent on state benefits such as citizen's allowance or social welfare.

In the case of spouses or registered partners, it is sufficient if you can support yourselves jointly. Certain state benefits such as child benefit, child supplement or housing benefit are not taken into account negatively when calculating your income.

No significant criminal offenses

To be eligible for naturalization, you must not have been convicted of an unlawful act and sentenced to a significant penalty. However, minor convictions do not stand in the way of naturalization. For example, the following are not taken into account

• Educational measures or correctional measures under the Juvenile Courts Act
• Fines of up to 90 daily rates
• Prison sentences of up to three months, suspended on probation and later remitted.

If there are several minor convictions, these are added together. The authority checks the criminal situation on the basis of an extract from the Federal Central Criminal Register.

The naturalization claim: Once the most important hurdles have been cleared

If you meet certain requirements, you are entitled to naturalization. The authorities then no longer have any discretion but must naturalize you, provided there are no grounds for exclusion.

Duration of stay

To be eligible for naturalization, you must have been legally and habitually resident in Germany for five years.

Shortening the length of stay

This period can be shortened to up to three years in the case of special integration achievements. Special integration achievements include, for example

• particularly good academic or professional performance
• Civic engagement
• fulfillment of the requirements of a language test at level C1.

Commitment to the free democratic basic order

You must declare your commitment to the free democratic basic order of the Basic Law. In doing so, you declare your loyalty to the German constitution. In addition, you acknowledge Germany's special historical responsibility, in particular for the protection of Jewish life.

Sufficient knowledge of German

You must have sufficient knowledge of the German language. This is usually demonstrated by successfully passing a language test at level B1.

However, proof can also be provided in other ways, for example by:

• a German school-leaving certificate
• successful completion of German vocational training or a German-language course of study
• four years of attendance at a German school with sufficient performance in German.

Facilitation of language skills

If you are unable to acquire the necessary language skills due to a physical, mental or psychological illness, a disability or due to your age, this requirement is waived. In cases of particular hardship, it may be sufficient if you can communicate orally in everyday life without any significant problems.

Knowledge about Germany (naturalization test)

As a rule, you must also demonstrate knowledge of the legal and social order and living conditions in Germany. This is done by passing the so-called naturalization test.

This requirement is also waived if you are unable to meet it due to illness, disability or age.

Special regulations and facilitations for certain groups of people

There are easier conditions for naturalization for certain groups of people.

For spouses and registered partners of Germans

If you are married to a German citizen or living in a registered civil partnership, you can often be naturalized earlier. The following special requirements apply here:

• You must have been legally resident in Germany for three years.
• You must have been married or in a civil partnership for two years.

The other requirements for naturalization, such as language skills and the naturalization test, must also be met. As a rule, your underage children can be naturalized together with you, even if they have not yet lived in Germany for three years.

What happens if a partner separates or dies?

The possibility of simplified naturalization may still exist even if your German partner has died or the marriage or civil partnership has legally ended. The prerequisite is that you submit the application within one year and that you live in a family relationship with a joint minor child who already has German citizenship and is entitled to custody.

For former Germans and their children

If you used to have German citizenship but have lost it and now live abroad, you can be naturalized again under simplified conditions. The same applies to your underage children. All you need to do is clarify your identity and you must not have a serious criminal record.

For persons abroad with special ties to Germany

Even if you have never been German and live abroad, naturalization may be possible in exceptional cases. To do so, you must prove that you have special ties to Germany that justify naturalization. Such ties can be, for example

• Longer stays in Germany in the past
• Relationships with Germans
• Ownership of real estate or pension entitlements in Germany.

The procedure: from the application to the certificate

The naturalization process follows a clear procedure.

The application

Naturalization always begins with an application to the relevant citizenship authority. Although the application can theoretically be made informally, it is highly recommended to use the official application forms from the authority. This ensures that all the necessary information is available from the outset.

The audit by the authority

After you have submitted your application, the authorities will check whether all the requirements for naturalization have been met. It is obliged to check all possible legal bases for naturalization, not just the ones you may have had in mind. The procedure also includes an inquiry with the constitutional protection authorities to ensure that there are no grounds for exclusion.

The final steps: Confession and certificate

Once all the requirements have been met, the procedure is ceremoniously concluded. Before you receive your naturalization certificate, you must make a solemn declaration. You declare that you will respect the Basic Law and the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Naturalization only becomes effective when the naturalization certificate is handed over. This handover often takes place as part of a public naturalization ceremony to underline the special significance of this moment.

The costs of the proceedings

A fee is charged for naturalization.

• The standard fee for naturalization is 255 euros.
• If a minor child is naturalized with his/her parents, the fee for the child is 51 euros.
• In certain cases, for example for reasons of equity in the case of very low income, the fee can be reduced or even waived completely.

What can rule out naturalization

There are certain reasons that make naturalization impossible, even if all other requirements are met. These include

• Pursuing or supporting activities that are directed against the free democratic basic order, the existence or security of Germany. However, if you have credibly renounced previous such activities, this no longer stands in the way of naturalization.
• A particularly serious interest in deportation, for example because of support for terrorism.
• Conducting a polygamous marriage or behavior that shows that you disregard the equal rights of men and women enshrined in the Basic Law.