Basic responsibility in Germany
If you live in Germany and would like to apply for German citizenship, the right place to go depends on the federal state in which you live. The responsibility for naturalization in Germany is a matter for the federal states. This means that each federal state decides for itself which authority processes the applications. In most cases, these are the authorities at district and independent city level.
The Federal Office of Administration for residents abroad
There is a central point of contact for former Germans or people who can prove a special connection to Germany and live abroad. In these cases, the Federal Office of Administration (BVA) in Cologne is the competent authority. However, you can easily submit your application to the German embassy or consulate responsible for you. They will then forward the application to the Federal Office of Administration.
The responsible authorities in the individual federal states
Here you will find an overview of which authorities in the respective federal states are responsible for your naturalization procedure.
Baden-Württemberg
In Baden-Württemberg, the district offices are the responsible authorities. If you live in an urban district, i.e. a large city that does not belong to a district, contact the city administration directly.
Bavaria
In Bavaria, it depends on the type of naturalization in question. As a rule, the district administrative authorities (i.e. the district administration offices and the administrations of the independent cities) are responsible. However, for certain naturalizations, for example for former Germans or in the case of retention permits, the higher-level governments of the administrative districts are responsible.
Berlin
In Berlin, contact the State Office for Immigration (LEA).
Brandenburg
In Brandenburg, the districts and independent cities are responsible for your application.
Bremen
There are two competent authorities in the state of Bremen: For the municipality of Bremen it is the Migration Office and for the municipality of Bremerhaven it is the Magistrate.
Hamburg
In the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, the Ministry of the Interior and Sport is the central point of contact for all citizenship matters.
Hesse
In Hesse, the regional councils are responsible for deciding on naturalizations. However, an initial consultation and acceptance of your application is usually carried out by the towns and municipalities with at least 7,500 inhabitants or by the district committees.
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
The districts and independent cities are also the right contacts for your naturalization application.
Lower Saxony
In Lower Saxony, the administrative districts, the independent cities and the large independent cities are responsible for naturalizations.
North Rhine-Westphalia
Responsibility in North Rhine-Westphalia is divided. Most naturalization applications are processed by the district authorities (usually the district councils), the independent cities and the large cities belonging to the district. The district governments are responsible for special cases, such as citizenship revocations or retention permits.
Rhineland-Palatinate
The district administrations and the administrations of the independent cities are the responsible authorities here. For certain decisions, such as approval to retain German citizenship, the Supervisory and Service Directorate (ADD) must give its consent.
Saarland
In Saarland, the Ministry of the Interior, Building and Sport is generally responsible. However, the administrative districts, the Regional Association of Saarbrücken or the state capital of Saarbrücken can also provide advice and accept applications and determine German citizenship.
Saxony
In Saxony, please contact the districts and independent cities.
Saxony-Anhalt
In Saxony-Anhalt, too, the administrative districts and independent cities are the authorities responsible for your application.
Schleswig-Holstein
In Schleswig-Holstein, the districts and independent cities are responsible for naturalization. There is a special feature when it comes to issuing citizenship cards: Here, the cities with over 20,000 inhabitants and otherwise the districts are responsible.
Thuringia
In Thuringia, different authorities are responsible depending on the issue. As a rule, these are the districts and independent cities. For certain naturalizations, for example for former Germans or for retention permits, the State Administration Office is the right authority.
What happens if I move during the procedure?
If you move to the jurisdiction of another authority during your naturalization procedure, this is not a problem. In principle, the authority at your new place of residence will be responsible for your application. However, in order to simplify and speed up the procedure, the authority originally responsible can also continue to process your case if you and the new authority agree.