- Start with your local authority: A state-wide average tells you little about your individual application.
- A processing time is not a promise: A published figure describes administrative practice, not a binding date for your decision.
- Keep receipt and completeness separate: Save the receipt for your application and record requests for documents and your replies.
- Three months is not a citizenship deadline: Section 75 VwGO provides for an action for failure to act under certain conditions. It does not mean automatic approval.
And how long will it take in your case?
The range above applies to everyone. The free self-check shows you in three minutes where you stand in the process and which factors shape the timeline in your case. No sign-up.
Free · no sign-up · in 3 minutes
This selection presents official information, not a ranking. Authorities use different reference points, so the figures are not directly comparable. Sources checked on 23 September 2026.
| Responsible authority | Published information | What it covers and where to check |
|---|---|---|
| Hamburg | Usually more than fourteen months | The procedure overview describes an average processing time. Official procedure overview |
| City of Munich | Eighteen months or longer | The service page cites application volumes, document checks and security checks. Official service page |
| Berlin, State Office for Immigration (LEA) | No specific completion forecast for remaining older applications | This statement concerns cases transferred from the districts, not a single duration for all new applications (LEA questions page as of 1 August 2025). LEA waiting-time information |
The city of Munich and the district of Munich have different authorities. Responsibility and waiting times can differ within the same federal state. Local information is also available on our pages for Berlin, Hamburg, Munich and Cologne.
Individual municipal figures cannot establish a reliable state median or a nationwide ranking. A meaningful comparison would need consistent reporting periods, case counts and starting points. Your responsible authority's current information is more useful for planning.
If an authority does not publish a duration, that does not mean the wait is short. Check its service page and the information accompanying your application receipt. Our guide to the stages of naturalisation explains the process; the authority remains the source for current local information.
After submission, the authority checks your information and documents and obtains information from other public bodies. Hamburg lists the registration office, police, central criminal register and domestic intelligence service among these checks. Missing evidence may lead to a request for further documents. Paying the fee is not the end of the procedure: final checks and receipt of the naturalisation certificate are also part of it. Hamburg's procedure overview
A fixed number of weeks for each stage would be misleading. Some checks can run in parallel; document availability and follow-up questions vary between cases. For your own preparation, see how the process works with civitas..
Missing or outdated evidence can lead to further questions. The authority's workload and outstanding information from other bodies also affect processing. Munich specifically identifies document complexity, security checks and high application volumes. These factors do not establish a fixed additional waiting time for your case. Munich's processing-time information
If several family members apply, keep documents and reference numbers clearly assigned to each person. A missing document does not establish a general rule that every family member's procedure must stop.
Use the application channel specified by your authority. Hamburg asks for online applications and notes that other channels may take longer. This does not prove a nationwide saving of a fixed number of months. See online and paper applications compared.
Keep your receipt, reference number and submitted documents together. Record when you receive requests for further evidence and when you answer them. Follow the deadline stated in each letter; there is no single response period that this guide can apply to every procedure.
Report relevant changes, such as a new address, through the authority's specified channel. Before requesting a status update, read its local instructions: Berlin expressly asks applicants not to send processing-status enquiries. More frequent enquiries do not guarantee earlier processing. LEA contact instructions
An action for failure to act may be possible if an application has not been decided within a reasonable time without sufficient reason. Ordinarily, the action cannot be brought before three months have elapsed; special circumstances may justify an earlier action. If there is sufficient reason for the delay, the court suspends the proceedings until a deadline it sets. The three-month threshold does not make every longer processing time unlawful or create an entitlement to citizenship. § 75 VwGO
Whether this route is appropriate requires an individual legal assessment. An additional four-week deadline set by a lawyer is not a requirement stated in section 75 VwGO. Our guide to an action for failure to act explains the procedure in more detail.
The civitas. application tracker helps you keep track of an ongoing procedure. A displayed waiting time is guidance, not binding information about the status of your authority's file. See the tracker page for included features and current terms. The waiting-time display provides local orientation.
How long will my naturalisation actually take?
Your authority's published information is a starting point, not a prediction for your case. Check which applications and which part of the procedure it covers. Older applications may be subject to different information from new ones.
Does the waiting time start on submission or when the documents are complete?
That depends on what a particular statistic means by processing time. Record receipt of the application separately from later document submissions. Do not confuse administrative statistics with the legal requirements of section 75 VwGO.
Is Berlin the slowest authority?
The sources linked here do not establish such a ranking. They use different reference points and do not provide a complete national comparison.
Can complete documents or an online application guarantee a duration?
No. They can reduce avoidable follow-up questions, but they do not determine the authority's processing time. This guide does not promise a fixed time saving.
Will I automatically receive a decision after three months?
No. Section 75 VwGO provides a route to court where its conditions are met. It does not replace assessment of your application or the substantive requirements for naturalisation.
Does a long wait mean my application will be refused?
Waiting time alone does not establish approval or refusal. The communications and decisions in your procedure are what matter.
Keep requests, replies and your next steps in one place. Open the application tracker.
Quellen & Methodik anzeigen
Checked on 23 September 2026. Information published by authorities may change.