Can I Become a German Citizen? Requirements and Pathways

You can become a German citizen through one of four routes: naturalization after living legally in Germany for five years, citizenship by descent from a German parent or ancestor, restoration of citizenship lost to Nazi persecution, or birth in Germany to a foreign parent with long-term legal residence. Since the Act to Modernize Nationality Law took effect on June 27, 2024, you no longer have to give up your existing citizenship to naturalize as a German, and the standard residency requirement dropped from eight years to five.¹

Which route fits you depends on your history in Germany and your family tree. The requirements, paperwork, and processing offices differ across the four pathways, so it is worth identifying yours before you start gathering documents.

Naturalization After Five Years of Residence

Naturalization under Section 10 of the Nationality Act is the standard route for foreign residents who have built a life in Germany. You need five years of legal, ordinary residence and a qualifying residence title at the time you apply, such as a permanent residence permit or an EU Blue Card.²

If you can demonstrate outstanding integration, the residency drops to three years. The Federal Ministry of the Interior describes this as applying to people who show exceptional achievement at work, are active in volunteer service, and can speak German well enough to match their integration level.³ In practice this usually means B2-level German or higher combined with civic engagement, though the naturalization authority has discretion in weighing what counts.

Language Skills

You need at least B1-level German under the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. This is an intermediate level: you can handle everyday conversations, describe experiences, and explain your opinions on familiar topics. The most common way to prove it is by passing the German Test for Immigrants (DTZ) at B1 level as part of the integration course final examination.⁴ Other recognized B1 certificates also count.

Two exceptions apply. If you have made serious, sustained efforts to learn German but still cannot reach B1, a lower level may be accepted under a hardship provision. You would need to show that you attended courses, genuinely tried, and can at least manage simple everyday conversations. And if a physical or mental illness, a disability, or advanced age prevents you from learning the language, the requirement is waived entirely.

The Naturalization Test

You must also demonstrate knowledge of Germany’s legal system, society, and history by passing the naturalization test. It consists of 33 multiple-choice questions, and you need at least 17 correct answers to pass. You get 60 minutes, and the test costs €25 each time you sit for it.⁵ Roughly 90 percent of candidates pass on the first attempt. The question pool is publicly available, so studying in advance is straightforward.

Since the 2024 reform, the test includes questions about antisemitism and other forms of hatred motivated by contempt for human dignity.³ If you complete an integration course and pass both the DTZ language test at B1 level and the “Life in Germany” test, the resulting integration course certificate satisfies both the language and knowledge requirements at once.

Supporting Yourself Financially

You must be able to support yourself and any dependents without receiving social welfare benefits under Book Two (basic income support for jobseekers) or Book Twelve (social assistance) of the Social Code. Other government benefits, like child benefits or housing subsidies, do not count against you. The law also carves out exceptions for former guest workers and for applicants who have worked full-time for at least 20 of the past 24 months.²

Criminal Record and Commitment to Democratic Values

A criminal conviction can block naturalization, though not every offense counts. Minor convictions—specifically fines of 90 daily rates or less, and suspended prison sentences of up to three months that were remitted after probation—are generally disregarded. Multiple minor convictions get added together, however, and once the combined total exceeds those thresholds, naturalization is off the table.

There is zero tolerance in one area: any conviction motivated by antisemitism, racism, xenophobia, or other contempt for human dignity disqualifies you regardless of how small the sentence was. This aligns with the 2024 reform’s requirement that applicants declare their commitment to human dignity, the protection of Jewish life, and peaceful coexistence among peoples.² The naturalization authority will also check with domestic intelligence services for any record of extremist activity.

Fees and Processing Times

The naturalization fee is €255 per applicant. Minor children naturalizing alongside a parent pay a reduced fee of €51.⁶ Minors applying on their own pay the full €255.⁷ The naturalization test costs an additional €25 each attempt.

Processing times vary enormously depending on where you live. Some cities process applications in under a year; others take two years or more. The 2024 reform increased the volume of eligible applicants, and many local offices are working through significant backlogs. Budget at least 18 months from submission to decision, and expect longer in major cities like Frankfurt or Munich.

Citizenship by Descent

German citizenship law follows the principle of jus sanguinis: citizenship passes through bloodline rather than birthplace. A child born to a German parent generally acquires German citizenship at birth, regardless of where the birth occurs.² The chain can extend through multiple generations, though the rules get more complicated the further back the German ancestor is.

The transmission rules changed over the decades and sometimes depended on marital status and the gender of the German parent. For children born in wedlock before January 1, 1975, only the father could transmit citizenship. For children born out of wedlock before July 1, 1993, only the mother could. These gender-discriminatory rules left many people without the citizenship they would have received under equal treatment.

Declaration for Gender Discrimination Cases

A 2021 amendment added Section 5 of the Nationality Act, giving affected individuals a straightforward path: you can acquire German citizenship simply by filing a declaration with the competent authority.⁸ This applies to children born after May 23, 1949, who were excluded from citizenship at birth because of the old gender-based rules, along with their descendants.⁹

The declaration window runs for ten years and closes on August 19, 2031. That is a hard deadline. Your declaration must be received by the authority by that date; mailing it beforehand is not enough if it arrives late. If this pathway applies to you, start the process well before the deadline.

Restoration After Nazi Persecution

Article 116 of the Basic Law (Germany’s constitution) gives former German citizens who were stripped of their citizenship between January 30, 1933, and May 8, 1945, on political, racial, or religious grounds the right to have their citizenship restored on application. This right extends to their descendants.¹⁰ There is no time limit on Article 116 applications.

Section 15 of the Nationality Act, which took effect on August 20, 2021, covers a broader group: people who lost their German citizenship in other ways connected to Nazi persecution, or who were never able to acquire it because of persecution. This includes people who fled Germany and automatically lost citizenship by acquiring a foreign nationality, or who married a foreign spouse under laws that stripped their citizenship.¹⁰ Descendants of those individuals also qualify. Neither Article 116 nor Section 15 requires giving up another citizenship.

Birthright Citizenship for Children Born in Germany

Germany grants citizenship at birth to children born on German soil to foreign parents, provided at least one parent has been legally resident in Germany for five years and holds a permanent residence permit or equivalent status.¹¹ Before the 2024 reform, the parent needed eight years of residence.²

Under previous law, these children faced an “option obligation,” requiring them to choose between German citizenship and their parents’ nationality by age 23. The 2024 reform eliminated that requirement entirely. Children who acquire both German citizenship and their parents’ citizenship at birth now keep both indefinitely.¹

Keeping Your Original Citizenship

Since June 27, 2024, dual citizenship is fully accepted in both directions. Foreigners naturalizing as German citizens keep their existing nationality without any application or special permission. Germans who acquire a foreign citizenship keep their German nationality automatically.¹ Retention permits (Beibehaltungsgenehmigung) are no longer part of the system.

One boundary matters here: the new rules are not retroactive. If you lost German citizenship before June 27, 2024, by acquiring a foreign nationality without a retention permit, you remain a former German citizen. The reform does not undo that loss automatically. Re-naturalization under Section 13 of the Nationality Act is possible but requires a separate application.¹²

Where to File Your Application

If you live in Germany, you file your naturalization application with the local nationality authority (Staatsangehörigkeitsbehörde). If you are not sure which office handles your case, your town or city administration, the local foreigners authority, or a migration advice center can point you in the right direction.¹³

If you live outside Germany, the Federal Office of Administration (Bundesverwaltungsamt) is the competent authority for citizenship matters.¹⁴ You generally start by contacting the German embassy or consulate in your country, which serves as your point of contact and forwards your application to the BVA.¹⁵

Gather your documents early. You will typically need identity documents, birth and marriage certificates, proof of residence, evidence of income or employment, your language certificate, and proof of passing the naturalization test. For descent-based claims, you will also need documents establishing the chain of German ancestry. Certified translations of foreign-language documents into German are almost always required. Missing or incomplete paperwork is the single most common reason applications stall, and replacing documents from abroad can take months.

1
German Missions in the United States. Germany’s Nationality Law – Significant Changes
2
Gesetze im Internet. Nationality Act
3
Federal Ministry of the Interior. New Law on Nationality Takes Effect
4
Federal Office for Migration and Refugees. The Final Examination and the Certificate
5
Federal Office for Migration and Refugees. Naturalisation in Germany
6
Federal Office for Migration and Refugees. Naturalisation in Germany
7
Federal Ministry of the Interior. New Fees
8
Federal Foreign Office. Acquisition of German Citizenship by Declaration Pursuant to Section 5 of the Nationality Act
9
Federal Office of Administration. Information Sheet – Acquisition of German Citizenship by Declaration
10
Federal Office of Administration. Naturalization on Grounds of Restoration or Restitution of German Citizenship
11
Federal Ministry of the Interior. Nationality Law
12
Federal Foreign Office. The New Nationality Law as of 27 June 2024
13
Federal Government Commissioner for Migration, Refugees and Integration. My Path to a German Passport – Key Facts on Naturalisation
14
Federal Office of Administration. Citizenship
15
Federal Foreign Office. Certificate of Citizenship