There are five main ways to get German citizenship: naturalization after five years of legal residency, descent from a German parent, birth in Germany to a long-settled non-German parent, marriage to a German citizen, and restoration for people whose ancestors lost their citizenship under Nazi persecution. The June 27, 2024 reform of the Nationality Act shortened the residency clock and, for the first time, lets applicants keep their original passport. Which path fits you depends on your family history, where you live, and how long you’ve been in Germany.
Naturalization After Five Years of Residency
The standard route is naturalization after living legally in Germany for five years. That clock dropped from eight years when the modernized Nationality Act took effect on June 27, 2024.1Federal Government. Naturalisation Remains Tied to Integration
Alongside the five years, you need to meet several other conditions:
- German language ability at B1 level under the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, which is an intermediate level sufficient for everyday and official conversations.
- A passing result on the “Life in Germany” test covering the legal system, history, and social order. Holders of a German school-leaving certificate or a German university degree in law, social sciences, public administration, or political science are exempt.2Make it in Germany. Naturalisation
- Financial self-sufficiency, meaning you can support yourself and any dependents without drawing social welfare benefits. If you have worked full-time for at least 20 of the past 24 months, that requirement is waived. A spouse or registered partner of someone meeting that work threshold can also be exempt, provided they live together with a minor child.3Gesetze im Internet. Nationality Act
- A qualifying residence title, such as a permanent residence permit or an EU Blue Card. Some short-term and humanitarian permits do not count.3Gesetze im Internet. Nationality Act
You must also declare loyalty to Germany’s free and democratic constitutional order, and separately affirm Germany’s special historical responsibility for the Nazi era, the protection of Jewish life, peaceful coexistence among peoples, and the prohibition on waging a war of aggression.4Federal Ministry of the Interior. Naturalisation Anyone who has supported activities aimed at undermining the constitutional order is disqualified unless they can credibly show they have distanced themselves.3Gesetze im Internet. Nationality Act
Your criminal record has to be effectively clean. Fines up to 90 daily rates and suspended prison sentences up to three months are disregarded, and multiple minor fines can be added together as long as the total stays under 90 daily rates.5Federal Ministry of the Interior. Frequently Asked Questions – Reform of the Nationality Law One category has no threshold: any conviction for an antisemitic, racist, xenophobic, or otherwise inhumane act permanently bars naturalization, no matter how light the sentence, as long as the motive was established in the judgment.6Federal Office of Administration. Amendment to German Citizenship Law
Citizenship Through a German Parent
Germany passes citizenship by blood. If at least one of your parents was a German citizen at the time you were born, you generally acquired German citizenship automatically, wherever the birth took place.7Federal Foreign Office. Obtaining German Citizenship You don’t need to have lived in Germany. Because the principle passes down the generations, some people carry citizenship they don’t know about.
Older rules cut off many children unfairly. Before January 1, 1975, children born in wedlock inherited citizenship only from their father. Before July 1, 1993, children born out of wedlock inherited citizenship only from their mother. A 2021 amendment created a right of declaration under Section 5 of the Nationality Act for anyone born after May 23, 1949, who missed out because of those rules. Descendants of the excluded person can also declare. The window runs ten years from August 20, 2021, giving a deadline of August 2031, and covers cases where a German mother lost her citizenship by marrying a foreign husband before April 1, 1953. Children under 16 need parental consent.8Federal Foreign Office. Declaration or Application for German Citizenship if You Do Have a German Mother or Father but Never Were Considered German
Restoration After Nazi Persecution
Article 116(2) of Germany’s Basic Law gives a right of restoration to former German citizens who were stripped of their nationality between January 30, 1933, and May 8, 1945, on political, racial, or religious grounds. That right extends to all descendants, including grandchildren and great-grandchildren, even where an intermediate generation chooses not to apply.9Federal Foreign Office. Article 116 II of the Basic Law
A 2020 Federal Constitutional Court decision widened who counts as a “descendant.” It now includes children born in wedlock before April 1, 1953, to a persecuted German mother and a foreign father, and children born out of wedlock before July 1, 1993, to a persecuted German father and a foreign mother. Anyone previously rejected under the narrower rules can resubmit without a special form.9Federal Foreign Office. Article 116 II of the Basic Law
This path does not require living in Germany, passing a language test, or meeting the standard naturalization conditions. You apply through a German embassy or consulate, and the Federal Office of Administration handles the case.10Federal Office of Administration. Citizenship
Naturalization Through Marriage
If you are married to or in a registered civil partnership with a German citizen, you can apply for naturalization after three years of legal residency in Germany, provided the marriage or partnership has existed for at least two years.11Federal Foreign Office. I Am Married to a German National – Can I Apply for German Citizenship Both minimums have to be satisfied when you submit the application.12Heidelberg. Apply for Naturalisation for Spouses or Registered Partners of a Person With German Citizenship All the other standard conditions still apply: B1 German, the civics test, financial self-sufficiency, and a clean criminal record.
Birth in Germany to Non-German Parents
A child born in Germany on or after January 1, 2000, to non-German parents acquires citizenship automatically if at least one parent has been legally resident in Germany for at least five years at the time of birth and holds a permanent residence permit or equivalent.7Federal Foreign Office. Obtaining German Citizenship The parental residency threshold was reduced from eight years to five by the 2024 reform.13Federal Ministry of the Interior. Nationality Law The old obligation to choose between German and parental citizenship by age 23 is gone.
Keeping Your Existing Citizenship
Since June 27, 2024, Germany fully permits multiple nationalities. Naturalization applicants no longer have to renounce their previous citizenship, and German citizens who acquire a foreign one no longer lose their German passport.14Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community. Modernisation of Nationality Law This was one of the biggest shifts in the 2024 reform and removed a barrier that had kept many long-term residents from applying.
How to Apply, Fees, and Timing
If you live in Germany, you apply at the local naturalization authority (Staatsangehörigkeitsbehörde). If you live abroad, you apply through a German embassy or consulate, and the Federal Office of Administration processes the file.10Federal Office of Administration. Citizenship Some German missions in the United States take appointments only; others accept walk-ins. Check the responsible consulate’s website first.15Federal Foreign Office. Citizenship – Frequently Asked Questions
The naturalization fee is €255 per adult. Minor children naturalizing alongside a parent pay €51, but minors applying on their own pay the full €255.16BAMF. Naturalisation in Germany
For a standard naturalization application, plan on gathering:
- A valid passport or national identity document.
- A birth certificate, and a marriage or civil partnership certificate if applicable.
- Your electronic residence permit or registration confirmation.
- A B1 German certificate from a recognized testing provider.
- A passing “Life in Germany” or naturalization test result, unless you’re exempt.
- Recent pay stubs, an employment contract, or tax assessments showing you can support yourself.
Foreign-language documents generally need a certified German translation. Germany does not have a system of sworn translators in the United States comparable to its domestic system, so the consulate recommends checking with the German authority receiving your documents to confirm which translations they will accept.17Federal Foreign Office. Translation of Documents
Processing times vary. Standard naturalization inside Germany typically takes around 18 months or longer. Article 116 restoration cases and descent-based applications filed through embassies often run longer because they require archival research across multiple countries.15Federal Foreign Office. Citizenship – Frequently Asked Questions Incomplete applications cause most delays, so verify every document before you submit.