This article has been reviewed by Wego’s editorial team to ensure that the content is up to date & accurate.
Updated August 2024
Key takeaways
Foreigners can apply for German citizenship after legally living in Germany for eight years, soon to be reduced to five or three years.
German citizenship can also be acquired by descent if you have a parent with active German citizenship.
Marriage to a German citizen allows for citizenship after three years of residence and two years of marriage.
Table of Contents
German citizenship by naturalization
Under the current law, foreigners who have legally lived in Germany for eight years are currently eligible for naturalization, at the moment.
Please note that the residency period will soon be reduced to five or three years when the new law applies. More details are below.
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Requirements
- Acquire permanent residency rights at the time of naturalization
- Renounce your previous citizenship
- Have a good understanding of the legal system, society and living conditions in the Federal Republic of Germany, which is proven by passing the naturalization test
- Financial independence
- Fluent in the German language with oral and written skills equivalent to level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages
- No criminal convictions
- Commitment to the constitutional principles of freedom and democracy
- Take the German naturalization test.
- Please note that the test is not required of those who have completed a German high school or German higher education program in the legal, social, political, or administrative sciences. When the new law applies, workers who have contributed significantly to the country also do not have to take the test.
German citizenship in 5 years
Germany has simplified its naturalization process by reducing the residency requirement to five years and allowing individuals with outstanding integration achievements to apply after just three years.
The Bundestag approved these plans on 19 January 2024, endorsing a general rule that permits individuals to hold multiple nationalities in the future.
Prospective German citizens must demonstrate the ability to support themselves and their families and uphold the values of German democracy and equality.
German citizenship in 3 years
Individuals with outstanding achievements can receive citizenship only within three years of residing in Germany. The achievements may include academic achievements, professional achievements, and significant social contributions.
Additionally, they must acquire a high level of fluency in the German language, at least at the C1 level. They also have to be financially independent.
Fees
To apply for German citizenship by naturalization, you must pay EUR 255. A reduced charge of EUR 51 applies for each dependent minor child naturalized with a parent.
German citizenship by descent
German citizenship can be acquired by descent, which depends on the direct family line. Eligibility is determined based on ancestral ties.
Requirements
- You are a child of someone with active German citizenship.
- If the parents are not married and the father is a German citizen, the children claim citizenship if the father effectively recognizes his paternity according to German law before the child’s 23rd birthday.
- Children born to former German citizens cannot acquire German citizenship by descent.
Fees
In cases where citizenship is acquired by announcing your status, for instance, descent, the cost of the declaration and the assistance by the German Embassy are free of charge.
German citizenship by birth
German citizenship can be acquired at the time of birth if at least one parent is German.
Requirements
- Since 2001, German nationality law grants citizenship to a child born in Germany to foreign parents only if at least one parent has legally resided in Germany for at least eight years and obtained permanent resident status at the time of the child’s birth.
- The residency period will be reduced to 5 years when the new naturalization law comes into effect.
- German children born outside of Germany on or after 1 January 2000 will acquire German nationality only if their parents report the birth to the competent German mission abroad before the child’s first birthday.
Fees
The cost of obtaining German citizenship, with the issuance of a citizenship certificate in cases where citizenship is acquired via birth, is EUR 51.
German citizenship by marriage
Foreign nationals can also obtain German citizenship by marrying a German citizen.
Requirements
- Fulfilling the general requirements of naturalization
- Legally living in Germany for at least 3 years and their marriage lasting for at least 2 years.
Fees
The cost of obtaining German citizenship, with the issuance of a citizenship certificate in cases where citizenship is acquired through marriage, is EUR 51.
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