How to Apply for German Citizenship?

In order to be eligible for German citizenship, it is necessary to have lived legally in Germany for at least 8 years or to have a permanent residence permit in Germany for at least 3 years.

As a person who is not a German citizen but is officially married to a person who has German citizenship, you can apply for German citizenship by residing in Germany for 3 years.

The official institution that a person who wants to acquire German citizenship will contact in Germany is the German Immigration Office in the region where he/she resides. The German Federal Executive Office (Bundesverwaltungsamt) is the authorized official institution that evaluates the citizenship application submitted to the German Immigration Office and decides whether the person will acquire German citizenship.

What are the requirements for applying for German citizenship?

The application requirements that a person who wants to apply for German citizenship must meet are listed below.

A declaration of allegiance to the Constitution and order of the Federal Republic of Germany must be signed.
Having successfully completed the German integration program,
To be able to prove that you will have sufficient financial resources for the duration of your stay in Germany,
It is necessary not to engage in any activity contrary to the constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany and not to have a criminal record.
At least B1 level of German is required.
It is necessary to live in Germany legally and uninterruptedly for at least 8 years.
It is necessary to have basic knowledge about the political, legal, cultural and social order of Germany.
The person must be able to provide monthly subsistence for himself or herself or his family without social assistance or unemployment benefit.
There is a 6-year residence requirement for those whose applications for political asylum are accepted.
There is a 12-year residence requirement for foreigners over 60 years of age.
There is a 6-year residence requirement for foreigners who are under the protection of the German state or who do not have any citizenship.
In cases where the interests of the German state require it, there is a minimum residence requirement of 3 years.
There is a 3-year residence requirement for children adopted by a German.
When applying for citizenship, the person must have a German residence permit (limited or unlimited) or settlement permit.
It is necessary to settle in Germany indefinitely (People who are in Germany for a temporary reason cannot benefit from this right.)
According to German Civil Law, the applicant must be of legal age and his/her personal rights must not have been restricted for any reason.
A person who will become a German citizen must renounce his/her current citizenship. (If the person applying for German citizenship is a citizen of any European Union country, there is no obligation to renounce his/her previous citizenship.)

What are the requirements for applying for German citizenship through marriage?

The requirements for applying for German citizenship through marriage are given below.

A person who will apply for German citizenship through marriage must have been married to a person with German citizenship for at least 2 years, must have lived together, and must have a residence permit in Germany for at least 4 years.
The person applying for German citizenship through marriage must have at least A1 level German.
A person applying for German citizenship through marriage must not be banned from entering the country.
The person applying for German citizenship through marriage and the person with German citizenship to whom they are married must submit an official document to the authorities, assuring that they can support themselves.

What are the requirements for applying for German citizenship through a residence permit?

The application requirements that must be met by those who will apply for German citizenship through a residence permit are explained below.

A person holding a residence permit must have resided legally in Germany for at least 5 years without interruption.
The applicant for German citizenship through a residence permit must have sufficient knowledge of German in written and spoken form according to the Common Reference Language Standards of the Council of Europe.
The person applying for German citizenship through a residence permit must have basic knowledge of the legal and social order of Germany.
The person applying for German citizenship through a residence permit must have no criminal record. (Convictions not exceeding a fine equivalent to a maximum of 180 days or imprisonment sentences not exceeding 6 months, provided that the execution is postponed, do not constitute any obstacle.)
The person applying for German citizenship through a residence permit must be able to support himself/herself without social assistance or unemployment benefits.
A declaration of allegiance to the Constitution and order of the Federal Republic of Germany must be signed and the person must not engage in any activity that is contrary to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany.
The person applying for German citizenship through a residence permit must not have a deportation decision against him/her in accordance with Article 46 of the Aliens Act.
A person who applies for German citizenship through a residence permit must renounce the citizenship of the country he/she is affiliated with by the application date. (If the applicant cannot renounce his/her other citizenship due to reasons not attributable to him/her, the condition of renouncement of his/her own citizenship is not required.)

In order to apply for citizenship, the applicant must have a legally obtained German residence permit for the duration of his/her stay in Germany.

What are the requirements for applying for German citizenship for children?

The application requirements that children of parents must meet when applying for German citizenship are listed below.

If the child applying for German citizenship is over 6 years old, he/she must have resided in Germany for 3 years; if he/she is under 6 years old, he/she must have resided in Germany for half the number of years of his/her age.
A child applying for German citizenship must be able to speak German at a sufficient level. (If the applicant parent has sufficient German language skills but the same is not true for the spouse and child, it must be documented why this is not or cannot be the case.)
If the person applying for German citizenship is over 16 years of age, he/she is considered an adult and is expected to fill out the petitions required for the German citizenship application individually.
If the person applying for German citizenship is over 16 years of age, he/she must swear an oath of allegiance to the constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany.

The German government officially counts all persons under the age of 16 living in Germany as children.

What are the German Citizenship Application Requirements for Those of German Origin?

The application requirements that must be met by persons of German origin who have a blood relation to a German citizen in the past or present are explained below.

The person applying for German citizenship must have at least one of his/her parents as a German citizen.
The parents of an applicant for German citizenship must have registered the person with the German authorities in the country of birth before the person turns 1 year old.
The applicant for German citizenship must renounce the citizenship of his/her non-German parent (unless both are German) after reaching the age of 18 (the person has until the age of 23 to decide).

If another family member, namely a person’s grandparents, is German, a person cannot acquire German citizenship through descent.

What are the requirements for applying for German citizenship with refugee status?

If the person applying for German citizenship has refugee status, the application conditions that he/she must meet are listed below.

A person with refugee status must have resided legally in Germany for at least 8 years.
At the time of applying for German citizenship as a refugee, a residence permit (permanent or limited) or settlement permit is required.
The person applying for German citizenship with refugee status must have sufficient knowledge of German in written and spoken form according to the Common Reference Language Standards of the Council of Europe.
It is necessary to have basic knowledge about the legal and social order of Germany.
The person applying for German citizenship with refugee status must have no criminal record.
The person applying for German citizenship with refugee status must be able to earn his/her living without social assistance or unemployment benefit. (In case of unemployment without his/her own fault, receiving unemployment benefit or social assistance does not constitute an obstacle.
A declaration of allegiance to the Constitution and order of the Federal Republic of Germany must be signed and the person must not engage in any activity that is contrary to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany.
A person applying for German citizenship with refugee status must not have a deportation decision against him/her in accordance with Article 46 of the Aliens Act.
A person applying for German citizenship with refugee status must renounce the citizenship of the country to which he/she is affiliated by the application date. (If the applicant for German citizenship with refugee status cannot renounce his/her other citizenship due to reasons not attributable to him/her, the condition of renouncement of his/her own citizenship is not required.)
The German Government guarantees naturalization for minors. The spouse/husband and minor children of a person applying for German citizenship may be eligible to become German citizens without having to spend 8 years regularly in Germany.

For asylum applications in Germany, the German asylum conditions must be fully met; if not met, the applicant is asked to leave the country within 1 week.

What are the Required Documents for German Citizenship Application?

The documents required for German citizenship application are listed below.

Petition :
- The petition that must be submitted by those who wish to acquire German citizenship must be submitted individually for each individual who is over 16 years of age.
- Before applying for German citizenship, people must go to the official German Immigration Office in their region of residence and personally collect the application form (Antrag auf Einbürgerung) from the German Immigration Office.
- Parents must submit a petition for individuals under the age of 16 who wish to acquire German citizenship.

The German Immigration Office may request additional documents in addition to the petition. The documents that may be requested in addition to the German citizenship application petition are listed below.

Birth certificate,
Earnings documents (Last 3 months’ pay slip)
If the person applying for German citizenship is unemployed, a document and photocopy showing that he/she receives unemployment benefit or assistance,
A photocopy of the passport and the pages containing the record,
Marriage certificate and a photocopy of the pages with the registration on them,
If the person applying for German citizenship has been married and divorced before, a court decision regarding this situation and a German translation of this court decision,
Diploma or school certificate proving sufficient knowledge of German,
If the applicant for German citizenship has children, a copy of their school report cards may be requested.

Declaration of allegiance to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany and German test : The applicant for German citizenship must sign a document declaring his/her allegiance to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany. If the applicant for German citizenship does not have a diploma or equivalent document that he/she can present to the authorities, the authorities of the Federal Republic of Germany will subject the applicant to a German test. In the German test, the officer who handles the applicant’s procedures at the German Immigration Office will conduct an oral interview regarding the applicant’s German citizenship and the information mentioned in the application.
Certificate of Guarantee of German Citizenship (Einbürgerungszusicherungurkunde) : The German Immigration Office completes all other procedures within approximately 10-12 weeks, and if the application for German citizenship is approved, it issues a certificate of guarantee (Einbürgerungszusicherungurkunde) to the applicant for German citizenship, indicating that he/she will be granted German citizenship. The validity of the certificate of guarantee is limited to 2 years.
Permission document to renounce Turkish citizenship : It is a condition set by the German Government that a person applying for German citizenship renounces his/her own citizenship. The documents that a person applying for German citizenship must submit to the authorized consulate in order to renounce Turkish citizenship are listed below.
- Passport
- ID card
- 4 photos
- The original copy of the Guarantee Document and two copies of its Turkish translation
  . It may take 3 to 6 months for the Ministry of Interior to finalize applications for permission to relinquish Turkish citizenship. The person who wants to relinquish Turkish citizenship is first given a “Relinquishment Permit” sent by the Ministry of Interior.
Certificate of German citizenship : The Turkish citizenship renunciation permit must be submitted to the German Immigration Office together with its German translation.
The German Immigration Office evaluates whether there has been a change in the applicant’s conditions in the meantime, together with the exit permit document, and finalizes the German citizenship transfer process and issues the German citizenship certificate (Einbürgerungsurkunde) to the applicant within 6-8 weeks.
Certificate of renunciation of Turkish citizenship : When the original copy of the German citizenship certificate and two Turkish translations are presented to the relevant consulate together with the Turkish passport and identity cards, the Turkish citizenship renunciation process is finalized and the applicant is given a “Certificate of Renunciation”. The applicant for German citizenship must present the certificate of renunciation to the German authorities as the final step.

Where to Apply for German Citizenship?

All documents and application documents prepared by the person applying for German citizenship must be submitted to the nearest German Immigration Office.

How Long Does It Take to Complete a German Citizenship Application?

The evaluation and finalization of applications for German citizenship by the German Immigration Office of the region of residence takes an average of 10 to 12 weeks.

How Does the German Citizenship Application Process Work?

If there is a deficiency in the documents compiled by the person applying for German citizenship, the German Immigration Office will suspend the person’s application for German citizenship. The applicant must collect the missing documents as soon as possible and activate the application process.

When a person applying for German citizenship submits his/her petition to the German Immigration Office, the relevant institution may request additional documents (birth certificate, earnings documents, proof of the last 3 months’ salary, a photocopy of the passport and the pages in the passport that contain records, etc.).

The possible process that a person who will apply for German citizenship will go through if he/she collects all the necessary documents and applies to the German Immigration Office in the region where he/she resides is summarized below.

After submitting the documents required for the German citizenship application to authorized persons, the applicant for German citizenship is subjected to a German proficiency test. In the German proficiency test, the authorized officer asks the applicant to read a short text selected from a daily newspaper and explain what he/she understands. If the authorized officer determines that there is not enough German at the end of this oral interview, the German citizenship application process is stopped and the applicant must attend a German course.
After the German proficiency test, the German citizenship applicant is given a written German citizenship test. The German citizenship test that will be applied usually asks 3 questions about “living in Germany, German society, German laws and regulations, the person’s region of residence”. There are a total of 33 questions in the German citizenship test and the applicant must answer at least 17 questions correctly. Otherwise, the application process is stopped.

After the oral and written interview, the German Immigration Office evaluates the application for German citizenship and responds to the applicant within 10 to 12 weeks.

What to Do If Your German Citizenship Application Is Rejected?

If a person’s application for German citizenship has been rejected, how should they appeal to the relevant authority is explained below.

Preparing an objection letter : The German Immigration Office is the only institution that the applicant can contact regarding citizenship matters. The person whose application for German citizenship is rejected must prepare an objection letter within 30 days, including strong arguments as to why they do not agree with the rejection decision, and submit it to the relevant authorities.
Filing a lawsuit against the competent authority : If the application for German citizenship is still rejected as a result of the objection, the person has the right to file a lawsuit against the competent authority.

If a person applies for German citizenship and is rejected, the application fee paid by the relevant institutions is refunded in the same manner.

How Much Are the German Citizenship Application Fees?

The application fee for German citizenship is 255 Euros as of 2021. If the application is also made for the dependent children of the person applying for German citizenship, the fee is 51 Euros for each child under the age of 16.

An applicant for German citizenship will have to pay 25 euros for the citizenship exam and, if his/her application is successful, an additional 25 euros for the naturalization certificate (Einbürgerungszusicherung).

Which countries can be visited without a visa when you obtain German citizenship?

The German passport, which is held by people who apply for German citizenship and become German citizens, allows its holder to enter 122 countries without a visa. The countries that German citizens can enter without a visa and the periods of stay allowed in these countries are listed below.

The countries that can be visited with German citizenship (excluding Schengen area countries) are listed below.

Albania – valid for 90 days (ID card is valid)
Andorra – no time restrictions (ID card is valid)
Antigua and Barbuda – valid for 6 months
Argentina – valid for 90 days
Armenia – valid for 180 days
Bahamas – valid for 3 months
Barbados – valid for 6 months
Belarus – valid for 30 days (if coming from Russia or land borders other than designated crossings in the Brest Region and Grodno Region, a previously issued visa is required.)
Belize – valid for 1 month
Bolivia – valid for 90 days
Bosnia and Herzegovina – Valid for 90 days (ID card valid) (90 days in any 6-month period)
Botswana – valid for 90 days
Brazil – Valid for 90 days (90 days within any 180-day period)
Brunei – valid for 90 days
Canada – Valid for 6 months (E-visa required if arriving by air)
Cape Verde – Valid for 30 days (Online registration must be made at least 5 days before arrival.)
Chile – valid for 90 days
Colombia – 90 days (90 days can be extended up to 180 days within 1 year.)
Dominica – 90 days (90 days within any 180-day period)
Dominican Republic – 90 days
Ecuador – valid for 90 days
El Salvador – valid for 3 months
Fiji – valid for 4 months
Gambia – valid for 90 days
Georgia – valid for 1 year
Grenada – Valid for 3 months (As of December 1, 2020, all travelers to Grenada must complete an online application to obtain a safe travel document to enter Grenada.)
Guatemala – valid for 90 days
Guyana – valid for 3 months
Haiti – valid for 90 days
Honduras – valid for 3 months
Indonesia – valid for 30 days
Israel – no time limit (3 months for tourism only)
Jamaica – valid for 90 days
Japan – Valid for 90 days (can be extended once)
Kazakhstan – valid for 30 days
Kiribati – Valid for 90 days (90 days within any 180-day period)
Kosovo – valid for 90 days
South Korea – Valid for 90 days
Kyrgyzstan – valid for 60 days
Lesotho – valid for 14 days
Malaysia – valid for 3 months
Marshall Islands – Valid for 90 days (90 days within any 180-day period)
Micronesia – Valid for 90 days (90 days within any 180-day period)
Moldova – Valid for 90 days (90 days within any 180-day period) (ID card is valid)
Mongolia – valid for 30 days
Morocco – valid for 90 days
Namibia – Valid for 3 months (3 months within 1 calendar year)
Palau – Valid for 90 days (90 days within any 180-day period)
Panama – valid for 180 days
Paraguay – valid for 90 days
Philippines – valid for 30 days
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – Valid for 90 days (90 days within any 180-day period)
South Africa – valid for 90 days
Tonga – Valid for 90 days (90 days within any 180 day period)
Trinidad and Tobago -Valid for 90 days (90 days within any 180-day period)
Türkiye – Valid for 3 months (ID card is valid) (Former Turkish citizens with a blue card have the right to stay indefinitely.)
United Kingdom – Valid for 6 months (ID card valid until 1 October 2021)
Bahamas – valid for 3 months
Costa Rica – valid for 90 days
Eswatini – valid for 30 days
Mauritius – valid for 90 days
Mexico – valid for 180 days
Monaco – no time restrictions (ID card accepted)
Montenegro – valid for 90 days (ID card valid for 30 days)
Nicaragua – valid for 90 days
North Macedonia – valid for 90 days (ID card is valid)
Oman – Valid for 14 days (Diplomatic or official passport holders can stay up to 90 days.)
Peru – Valid for 90 days (90 days in any 6 month period)
Qatar – Valid for 90 days
Saint Kitts and Nevis – valid for 3 months
Saint Lucia – Valid for 90 days (90 days within any 180 day period)
Samoa – Valid for 90 days (90 days within any 180-day period)
San Marino – no time limit (ID card accepted)
Sao Tome and Principe – valid for 15 days
Senegal – valid for 90 days
Serbia – Valid for 90 days (90 days in any 6-month period) (ID card is valid)
Seychelles – valid for 3 months
Singapore – valid for 90 days
Solomon Islands – Valid for 90 days (90 days within any 180-day period)
Thailand – Valid for 30 days (If not arriving by air, a maximum of 2 visits per year are allowed.)
East Timor – Valid for 90 days (90 days within any 180-day period)
Tunisia – Valid for 4 months (ID card valid in certain cases)
Tuvalu – Valid for 90 days (90 days within any 180-day period)
Ukraine – Valid for 90 days (90 days within any 180-day period)
United Arab Emirates – Valid for 90 days (90 days within any 180-day period)
Uruguay – valid for 90 days
Uzbekistan – valid for 30 days
Vanuatu – Valid for 90 days (90 days within any 180 day period)
Vatican City – no time restrictions (ID card accepted)
Venezuela – valid for 90 days
Vietnam – valid for 15 days
United States – valid for 90 days

The Schengen Area countries that do not impose any time restrictions on German citizens are listed below.

Austria (unrestricted freedom of movement) (ID card accepted)
Belgium (unrestricted freedom of movement) (ID card accepted)
Bulgaria (unrestricted freedom of movement) (ID card is valid)
Croatia (unrestricted freedom of movement) (ID card accepted)
Cyprus (unrestricted freedom of movement) (ID card is valid)
Czech Republic (unrestricted freedom of movement) (ID card accepted)
Denmark (unrestricted freedom of movement (within mainland Denmark)) (ID card valid (excluding Greenland))
Estonia (unrestricted freedom of movement) (ID card accepted)
Finland (unrestricted freedom of movement) (ID card accepted)
France (unrestricted freedom of movement) (ID card accepted)
Greece (unrestricted freedom of movement) (ID card accepted)
Hungary (unrestricted freedom of movement) (ID card accepted)
Iceland (unrestricted freedom of movement) (ID card accepted)
Ireland (unrestricted freedom of movement) (ID card accepted)
Italy (unrestricted freedom of movement) (ID card accepted)
Latvia (unrestricted freedom of movement) (ID card accepted)
Liechtenstein (unrestricted freedom of movement) (ID card accepted)
Lithuania (unrestricted freedom of movement) (ID card accepted)
Luxembourg (unrestricted freedom of movement) (ID card accepted)
Malta (unrestricted freedom of movement) (ID card accepted)
Netherlands (unrestricted freedom of movement) (ID card accepted)
Norway (unrestricted freedom of movement) (ID card accepted)
Poland (unrestricted freedom of movement) (ID card accepted)
Portugal (unrestricted freedom of movement) (ID card accepted)
Romania (unrestricted freedom of movement) (ID card is valid)
Slovakia (unrestricted freedom of movement) (ID card accepted)
Slovenia (unrestricted freedom of movement) (ID card accepted)
Spain (unrestricted freedom of movement) (ID card accepted)
Sweden (unrestricted freedom of movement) (ID card accepted)
Switzerland (unrestricted freedom of movement) (ID card accepted)

People with a German passport can enter 33 countries around the world with an e-visa, and for 26 countries, entry is done by obtaining a visa upon entry to the country.