German Citizenship 2026: Requirements & Application

Naturalisation by entitlement under section 10 of the Nationality Act (Staatsangehörigkeitsgesetz, StAG) has required a uniform five years of lawful habitual residence since 30 October 2025. The shortened three-year track for exceptional integration achievements, introduced by the 2024 reform, was repealed without replacement by the Sixth Act Amending the Nationality Act (BGBl. 2025 I No. 256). Dual citizenship, the B1 language level and the declaration of loyalty introduced in 2024 all remain in force. Anyone who holds a secure residence title, supports themselves without state welfare, proves German at level B1, passes the citizenship test and has no relevant criminal record may have a legal entitlement to naturalisation under section 10 StAG. Processing currently takes between a few months and more than two years, depending on the authority.

Naturalisation (Einbürgerung) is the formal administrative act by which a foreign national acquires German citizenship. The legal basis is the Nationality Act (StAG) in the version in force since 30 October 2025 — shaped by the major reform of 27 June 2024 (dual citizenship, the five-year period, the declaration of loyalty) and the follow-up amendment of 30 October 2025 (repeal of the three-year track by the Sixth Amendment Act). When the naturalisation certificate (Einbürgerungsurkunde) is handed over, all the rights and duties that the Basic Law attaches to German citizenship come into being — from the right to vote and stand for election, through freedom of movement within the EU, to consular protection abroad.

German nationality law traditionally follows the principle of descent (ius sanguinis): a person with a German parent is generally German from birth. Since 2000, a limited principle of place of birth (ius soli) supplements the system: children of foreign parents acquire German citizenship if one parent has lived lawfully in Germany for at least five years and holds a permanent right of residence (section 4(3) StAG).

Naturalisation is different. It is a subsequent acquisition that requires an application. The StAG provides several routes:

• Naturalisation by entitlement (section 10 StAG) — the standard route for people with longer lawful residence;
• Naturalisation of spouses and partners (section 9 StAG) — for spouses or registered partners of German citizens;
• Discretionary naturalisation (section 8 StAG) — the fallback provision where section 10 does not apply;
• Re-naturalisation (section 13 StAG) — for former German citizens and their descendants;
• Naturalisation of ethnic German repatriates (section 7 StAG together with the Federal Expellees Act, BVFG) — as a consequence of recognised status.

In the procedure, the competent naturalisation authority — depending on the federal state, a city, a district administration (Landratsamt), a regional council (Regierungspräsidium) or a state authority — examines whether all requirements are met. For naturalisation by entitlement under section 10 StAG the rule is: if the requirements are met, the authority must naturalise. There is a legally enforceable entitlement.

A note on terms. "Naturalisation", "applying for German citizenship" and "applying for a German passport" are used interchangeably in everyday speech. The legally correct term is "acquisition of German citizenship by naturalisation". The passport itself is only issued by the passport or identity-card office after the naturalisation certificate has been handed over.

Historical frame — from 1913 to 2024

German nationality law is at its core still shaped by the Reich and Citizenship Act (RuStAG) of 1913 — continued today as the StAG. Until 1999 the pure principle of descent applied; ius soli was first introduced into German law by the Nationality Act of 15 July 1999, with effect from 1 January 2000. Until then naturalisation was generally tied to 15 years of residence. The Immigration Act of 2005 shortened the period to eight years. The 2024 reform lowered it to five years, opened a narrowly tailored three-year track for exceptional integration achievements and made dual citizenship the rule — a conceptual shift that aligns Germany with the practice of most Western European countries of immigration. The Sixth Act Amending the Nationality Act of 27 October 2025 (BGBl. 2025 I No. 256, in force 30 October 2025) repealed the three-year track without replacement; the remaining points of the 2024 reform stay in force.

Statistics: naturalisations in 2023 and 2024

The official naturalisation statistics of the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) have shown a marked increase since 2022. In 2023 more naturalisations were granted nationwide than in any year since 2002; in recent years the largest groups by country of origin have consistently been people of Syrian, Turkish and Ukrainian nationality. With the reform taking effect on 27 June 2024, the volume of applications rose sharply again in many large-city authorities — the German Economic Institute (IW) and municipal associations have reported since 2024 a backlog that will take years to clear. Destatis publishes current figures each spring in a dedicated press release on the naturalisation statistics.

The most common basis for entitlement is section 10 StAG. Simplified, the provision lists nine central requirements that must be met cumulatively. They are discussed in detail in the cluster articles — see the documents checklist and the livelihood guidance. Here they are in overview:

1. Lawful habitual residence in Germany for at least five years (section 10(1) StAG). A shortened three-year period existed between 27 June 2024 and 30 October 2025; it was repealed again by the Sixth Amendment Act.
2. A residence title with a settlement perspective — typically a settlement permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis), an EU long-term residence permit, an EU Blue Card, or a residence permit under section 23(2), section 25(1)/(2) or section 28 of the Residence Act (AufenthG).
3. Independent securing of one's livelihood for oneself and dependent family members — without recourse to citizen's benefit (Bürgergeld, SGB II) or social assistance (SGB XII), subject to statutory exceptions.
4. Language skills at level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference — evidenced for example by a Goethe, telc or ÖSD certificate, or by a German school or vocational qualification.
5. A passed citizenship test ("Living in Germany") — 33 multiple-choice questions, of which at least 17 must be answered correctly (with exemptions for certain school qualifications).
6. A commitment to the free democratic basic order of the Basic Law.
7. A declaration of loyalty in the version in force since 2024, with an explicit reference to Germany's responsibility arising from National Socialist tyranny, in particular for the protection of Jewish life, and to the rejection of antisemitic and racist endeavours.
8. No relevant conviction to custodial, monetary or correctional penalties above the minor thresholds of section 12a StAG.
9. Clarification of identity and nationality through suitable documents.

The former requirement of "giving up or losing the previous nationality" was abolished by the 2024 reform. Dual citizenship has been generally permitted since then.

Which basis an application follows determines the standard of review the authority applies. The following routes are the practically relevant ones.

Section 10 StAG — naturalisation by entitlement (the standard case)

By far the most common route. Anyone who meets the requirements listed above has a legal entitlement to naturalisation. The authority has no discretion over whether to naturalise; it only examines whether the statutory elements are met. Contested points can be clarified before the administrative courts — for example the question of when livelihood is "secured" within the meaning of the provision (on which there is settled case law of the Federal Administrative Court, Bundesverwaltungsgericht).

Section 9 StAG — naturalisation of spouses and partners

Spouses and registered partners of German citizens can be naturalised on facilitated terms if they

• have lived lawfully in Germany for at least three years,
• have been married or in the partnership for at least two years,
• meet the remaining section 10 requirements (in particular livelihood, B1, the test and the commitment to the free democratic basic order).

Since the 2024 reform, section 9 is a discretionary provision with a "should" clause: where the requirements are met, naturalisation should be granted, which in practice means a binding effect in the normal case.

Section 8 StAG — discretionary naturalisation

Section 8 is the fallback where the stricter entitlement requirements of section 10 are not met. Besides clarification of identity and legal capacity, the provision requires four elements:

• lawful habitual residence in Germany,
• a secured livelihood,
• no relevant criminal record,
• one's own dwelling or accommodation.

Where these are present, the authority may naturalise. It examines, in the proper exercise of discretion, whether there is a "public interest" in naturalisation. In practice, section 8 is used above all where the minimum residence period of section 10 (five years) has not yet been reached but a statutory facilitating circumstance applies — for example long-term qualified employment in the public interest.

Which authority is responsible?

Responsibility for naturalisation lies with the federal states under section 1 StAG and is organised differently within the federal system. In practice, applicants encounter four models:

• Municipal city or district administrations (e.g. North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony, Bavaria for many districts) — the application is filed directly with the citizens', public-order or migration office of the place of residence.
• District administrations (Landratsämter; Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, Saxony) — collective responsibility for several municipalities.
• Regional councils / state administrative offices (Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland centralised; Saxony-Anhalt) — processing bundled at state or intermediate level.
• State naturalisation authorities as specialist bodies (Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, Berlin: the State Office for Immigration, LEA) — one central authority for the whole federal state.

For applicants living abroad, the Federal Office of Administration (Bundesverwaltungsamt, BVA) in Cologne is responsible (sections 13, 14 and 15 StAG). Choosing the right addressee matters: local jurisdiction is tied to the habitual residence, and accidentally filing with the wrong authority regularly causes delays, because files have to be forwarded through administrative channels.

Section 13 StAG — naturalisation of former German citizens

Section 13 allows the naturalisation of people who were formerly German or who descend from such persons, even if they reside abroad. The provision is practically relevant for the descendants of victims of National Socialist persecution whose ancestors lost German citizenship on racial, political or religious grounds. Here Article 116(2) of the Basic Law and section 15 StAG apply in addition.

Further provisions

• Section 7 StAG — ethnic German repatriates acquire citizenship through admission under the BVFG (no separate application).
• Section 11 StAG — grounds for exclusion (in particular indications of anti-constitutional or extremist endeavours).
• Section 14 StAG — naturalisation of people living abroad without a section 13 connection where there are special ties to Germany.

German nationality law saw two far-reaching changes between 2024 and 2025: the Act to Modernise Nationality Law of 22 March 2024 (BGBl. 2024 I No. 104, in force 27 June 2024) and the Sixth Act Amending the Nationality Act of 27 October 2025 (BGBl. 2025 I No. 256, in force 30 October 2025). The 2024 reform was the largest modernisation in 25 years; the Sixth Amendment Act reversed one part of it — the three-year track — one year after it took effect, while the other points remain unchanged.

1. Dual citizenship as the rule (2024 reform, still in force)

The old duty to give up one's previous nationality (the former no. 4 of section 10(1)) has been removed. Multiple nationality has since been possible without special permission. Citizens of states that do not release their nationals, or only on unreasonable conditions — such as Iran, Afghanistan, Syria or Morocco — no longer have to fight their way through a lengthy release procedure. For depth, see the article on dual citizenship after the reform.

2. Residence period cut to five years (2024 reform, still in force)

The minimum residence period under section 10 StAG was cut from eight to five years. This period has applied unchanged since 27 June 2024.

3. The new declaration of loyalty

Since the reform, applicants must declare in writing that they

• recognise the free democratic basic order,
• acknowledge Germany's special historical responsibility arising from National Socialist tyranny and its consequences, in particular for the protection of Jewish life,
• reject antisemitic, racist and other inhuman acts.

A person who lives in a polygamous marriage, or who in practice denies women equal rights, is not to be naturalised under section 10(1) no. 2 StAG.

4. Livelihood: fewer exceptions, a stricter standard

The reform also tightened the requirement of an independently secured livelihood. Receipt of citizen's benefit or social assistance generally excludes naturalisation by entitlement in future, where the person is responsible for their own need for support. The earlier exceptions for people dependent on welfare through no fault of their own are more narrowly framed — facilitations apply, for example, to the "guest-worker" generations and their spouses who immigrated before 1974, and to contract workers of the former GDR.

5. Transitional rules for applications pending at the 2024 reform

Anyone who had already filed a naturalisation application before 27 June 2024 that had not yet been decided is generally assessed under the new law, where the new law is more favourable (the so-called principle of the more favourable rule). In practice this means: a retention permit that had originally been requested is moot, because giving up the previous nationality is no longer required. Anyone who had not reached the eight-year residence period before the reform, and was therefore deferred, benefits from the shortened standard. In the first months after the reform took effect, the competent authorities re-assessed many old files under the new requirements — state authorities issued internal implementation guidance, not all of which was published.

6. The 2025 follow-up — repeal of the three-year track

With the Sixth Act Amending the Nationality Act of 27 October 2025, the Bundestag repealed without replacement the three-year track (section 10(3) StAG, old version — the shortened period for "exceptional integration achievements") that had applied between 27 June 2024 and 30 October 2025. The Bundestag vote was on 8 October 2025 (450 to 134, with 2 abstentions); the Bundesrat raised no objection on 17 October 2025; entry into force on 30 October 2025.

The practical consequence. Since 30 October 2025, naturalisation by entitlement under section 10 StAG requires a uniform minimum residence period of five years, with no option to shorten it under section 10. Dual citizenship, the B1 language level and the declaration of loyalty from the 2024 reform are unaffected.

Transition. No statutory transitional rule was introduced. Applications that had been directed under the old law at the three-year track are, under current administrative practice, handled via section 8 StAG (discretionary naturalisation) — so the protection of legitimate expectations operates at the level of discretion, not as a binding basis for entitlement. The Federal Constitutional Court rejected the constitutional complaint against the repeal by order of 19 December 2025, 2 BvR 1792/25.

Regional differences in administrative practice

Even after a federal reform, processing remains a matter for the states. In practice this means noticeable differences.

• Berlin centralises naturalisation in the State Office for Immigration (LEA). Since 1 January 2024 applications can only be filed digitally; processing is paper-free in a central workflow system.
• Bavaria uses the BayernPortal with BayernID login for online filing in many districts; the substantive examination remains with the district or city administrations.
• Hamburg has created its own portal for naturalisations within the Hamburg Service, integrating appointments, status queries and follow-up submissions.
• North Rhine-Westphalia is gradually rolling out the EfA portal ("one-for-all", a federal-state standard) that allows a uniform online application for participating municipalities.
• Smaller area states (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saarland, Bremen) work largely on paper or are only partly digitised.

The consequence for applicants: requirements as to form, the number of copies to submit, whether documents can be filed online, and processing time, differ considerably. The federal requirements for digital administrative procedures (the successor to the Online Access Act, OZG) that have been mandatory since 2024 are expected to take full effect nationwide only by 2027.

The procedure is essentially the same nationwide, but differs in detail from state to state and authority to authority. The most important stages:

1. Self-assessment — clarify the requirements, draw up a list of documents.
2. Application form — obtain from the competent naturalisation authority or download it online. Some federal states (e.g. Bavaria, Hamburg, Berlin) offer online applications through state portals; others still work on paper.
3. Collect documents — proof of identity, residence title, curriculum vitae, proof of income, tenancy agreement, language certificate, test certificate, birth and, where applicable, marriage certificate, a certificate of good conduct or an extract from the Federal Central Register, and further documents depending on the circumstances.
4. Filing the application — in due form (often with a handwritten signature) at the competent authority, regularly combined with payment of the processing fee of 255 € per person (adults) or 51 € per co-naturalised child without their own income.
5. Authority review — clarification of identity, security checks (with the BAMF, the constitutional protection office and the federal police), and a plausibility check of the income evidence. Follow-up requests are frequently sent in this phase.
6. Commitment and declaration of loyalty — in writing and sometimes additionally orally at the handover.
7. An assurance of naturalisation (Einbürgerungszusicherung) — issued in exceptional cases where giving up the previous nationality is still necessary (for example for people whose state of origin requires this independently).
8. Handover of the naturalisation certificate — sometimes at a naturalisation ceremony; on handover the person becomes German.
9. Application for a passport / identity card — at the local passport or citizens' office.

During the authority review (step 5) there are essentially three security checks: a query to the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution to check for extremist findings (section 11 StAG), a Federal Central Register query on previous convictions, and a query to the Central Register of Foreigners (AZR) to verify residence periods. For people who have lived in several EU states, a query through the ECRIS system is added. These checks are the most frequent cause of queries and follow-up requests: if a query reveals a discrepancy with the information given in the application, the authority asks for a statement before deciding. A complete, honest disclosure in the application — including long-past matters — noticeably shortens processing in practice.

After the naturalisation certificate has been handed over, applicants should apply without delay for a German passport and identity card (citizens' or district office; processing usually takes two to six weeks, with a faster express passport for an extra fee). Anyone who does not surrender their previous passport should clarify with the consular mission of their state of origin whether the old nationality continues to exist — the German authority no longer carries out its own examination of this since the 2024 reform.

Detailed analyses are in the dedicated articles on the costs of naturalisation and current processing times. In overview:

A blanket statement on duration is not possible. Processing times vary greatly — Berlin, Munich and Frankfurt are working through waiting lists that in part began before the 2024 reform, while smaller districts in southern and northern Germany decide much faster.

The following three points are, according to the experience of the naturalisation authorities and the statistics published by Destatis, the most frequent stumbling blocks.

Livelihood

The "independently secured livelihood" is the most common ground for refusal. What matters is not current income alone, but a forecast decision: is the income likely to cover, in future too, the needs of the applicant and their dependent family members without public assistance? In the case of fixed-term employment, low hourly wages or irregular self-employed earnings, the authority examines particularly closely. The standard rate of citizen's benefit under SGB II serves as the comparison benchmark; current figures are updated annually by the federal government.

Important: the receipt of housing benefit, child benefit, parental allowance or student finance (BAföG) does generally not count as a welfare benefit within the meaning of section 10 StAG. Even top-up benefits from citizen's benefit are not always harmful, where they are based on circumstances that the person is not responsible for (e.g. caring for relatives, severe disability, maternity-protection periods).

The Federal Administrative Court has interpreted the standard in several leading decisions:

• Federal Administrative Court, judgment of 19 February 2009 — 5 C 22.08: the purpose of the provision is economic integration as a precondition of naturalisation; where life is only partly reliant on welfare, the share of fault must also be weighed quantitatively.
• Federal Administrative Court, judgment of 28 May 2015 — 1 C 23.14: the forecast must be based on the individual life situation of the applicant. In considering future dependent family members, only relatives living in Germany are generally to be included; further relatives who could move under facilitated family reunification flow into the forecast only where there are concrete indications of an intention to relocate.

For the self-employed the forecast is particularly demanding. The authority regularly requires the tax assessments of the last two to three years, business analyses, an overview of ongoing business relationships and, where applicable, confirmations from a tax adviser. Not every fluctuating year is harmful; what matters is the average over the forecast period. Before applying, people in "solo self-employment" with few orders should carefully document that their current revenue covers their needs — the burden of proof lies with the applicant.

Language

B1 language skills must be proven in a recognised form. Recognised in particular are:

• Goethe Certificate B1, telc Deutsch B1, ÖSD Certificate B1,
• a DTZ certificate (German Test for Immigrants) at B1,
• a German lower-secondary school qualification (Hauptschulabschluss) or higher,
• four years of successful attendance at a German school with promotion to the next class level,
• a German-language vocational or higher-education qualification.

Tests taken at the Goethe-Institut, telc or ÖSD are recognised nationwide. Unofficial language-course certificates are not sufficient — even if they certify a B1 level — unless they were taken according to the standards of the Common European Framework of Reference and administered by an examination centre recognised by the BAMF. See also the guidance on the B1 certificate.

The citizenship test

The citizenship test "Living in Germany" consists of 33 multiple-choice items drawn at random from a public catalogue of 310 questions, three of them with a state-specific reference. A pass requires at least 17 correct answers. The cost is 25 €. Providers are the municipal adult-education centres and other test centres approved by the BAMF. The full question catalogue is publicly available through the Federal Agency for Civic Education; in practice, preparatory study of the catalogue has proven sufficient.

Exempt from the test are, among others, people with a German school qualification (at least lower secondary), a German degree in political or social science, and people who cannot take the test because of illness or disability. The precise list of exemptions is set out in section 10(6) StAG.

Residence period — special cases

The "lawful habitual residence" under section 10(1) StAG is interrupted by stays abroad. The relevant provision is section 12b StAG. Rules of thumb from administrative practice:

• Stays abroad of up to six months are generally harmless.
• Stays of six to twelve months do no harm if, before departure, an application was made to retain the residence and re-entry occurred within the permitted period.
• Stays of more than twelve months generally interrupt habitual residence; the period starts again after return, unless significant grounds existed.
• Study, work or care stays abroad are taken into account on a case-by-case basis where the residence in Germany was demonstrably retained (dwelling, family, personal ties).

Further practically relevant special cases: time spent as a child does not count twice if the parents are naturalised later. A residence permission (Aufenthaltsgestattung) during the asylum procedure generally does not count, while a residence permit on humanitarian grounds (section 25 AufenthG) may, depending on its form. For recognised refugees and persons entitled to asylum, the residence period is counted from the day the recognition becomes final.

Clarification of identity

The 2024 reform also tightened the standard for clarifying identity. Anyone who cannot prove their identity by passport and birth certificate must make all "reasonable efforts" to obtain substitute documents. The authority assesses the scope of this duty according to the conditions of the state of origin. For certain states — such as Eritrea, Somalia or Afghanistan — defined facilitations have long been provided for.

Many applications are straightforward and can be prepared independently. Things typically become more complex in the following situations:

• borderline livelihood — top-up benefits, micro self-employment, past phases on citizen's benefit;
• difficult identity clarification — states of origin without a functioning system of civil records;
• earlier convictions — minor thresholds must be subsumed cleanly;
• long periods abroad during residence — the question of an interruption of habitual residence;
• reform-related special questions — e.g. crediting of earlier residence periods, transitional rules.

In such cases, a structured pre-check by a digital service such as civitas. can help to spot gaps in the documents early, so that avoidable follow-up requests are less likely. civitas. does not replace legal advice — the individual legal assessment of a specific case remains reserved for fully qualified lawyers with a licence to practise. Where such advice is required, civitas. refers to its own partner network of lawyers.

If the authority refuses — remedies in overview

If the naturalisation authority refuses, it must give reasons for its decision and include information on legal remedies. The standard route, depending on the federal state, is either a direct action before the administrative court (in most states, where the objection procedure has been abolished) or first an objection (Widerspruch) against the decision (e.g. in Bavaria or Rhineland-Palatinate, on a limited basis). The deadline for an action or objection is generally one month from notification of the decision and is a mandatory time limit — if it is missed, the decision becomes final. An action for failure to act under section 75 of the Code of Administrative Court Procedure (VwGO) is possible once the authority has, without sufficient reason, failed to decide for more than three months. Administrative court proceedings in naturalisation matters take varying lengths of time at first instance nationwide; in heavily burdened courts it can take several years until a decision, in smaller court districts often less than a year. In legally complex situations, representation by a specialised lawyer is regularly advisable. See also the article on the action for failure to act.

When the requirements are met, naturalisation is not a legal heavyweight — it is above all an administrative procedure with many forms, deadlines and follow-up requests. civitas. makes the preparation digital, checks your documents before they are submitted and accompanies the procedure up to the handover of the certificate. Start your application with civitas. — the terms are transparent at civitas. pricing.