Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer (DTZ): Scoring, Fees, and Retakes

The Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer is the standardized German language exam that closes out the state-funded integration course, and the level you reach on it decides whether you qualify for a permanent settlement permit or German citizenship. It measures your German against two levels of the Common European Framework of Reference: A2 and B1. A B1 result, together with a passing score on the separate “Life in Germany” civics test, produces the integration course certificate that immigration authorities look for on long-term residency and naturalization applications.¹

What the Exam Covers

The DTZ has two parts. The written portion runs 100 minutes and tests listening, reading, and writing. The oral portion takes roughly 15 minutes and is a paired speaking exam in front of two examiners.¹

Listening and Reading

The listening section takes about 25 minutes. You hear short announcements, phone messages, and conversations in standard German, then answer multiple-choice questions. Reading gives you 45 minutes to work through advertisements, public notices, and short articles, with tasks that ask you to pick out specific facts and identify the main point of everyday texts.

Writing

You have 30 minutes to write a short letter or email based on a situational prompt. Typical scenarios include writing to a landlord about a repair, replying to a job posting, or excusing a child’s absence from school. The prompt lists the points your message must cover. Examiners check whether you address every required point, structure the message logically, and use basic grammar correctly.

Speaking

The speaking exam pairs you with another candidate. It opens with a brief self-introduction and follow-up questions, then moves to describing a photograph, and finishes with a planning task the two of you handle together, such as organizing an outing. The full exchange takes around 15 minutes for the pair. Examiners weigh your ability to keep a conversation going and respond naturally more heavily than perfect grammar.

How Scoring Works

The DTZ is a scaled exam. Rather than a simple pass or fail, it places your performance at B1, at A2, or below A2. To earn an overall B1 or A2 result, you must reach that level in the speaking section and in at least one of the two written components (listening/reading or writing). If your speaking lands at B1 but both listening/reading and writing come in at A2, your overall result is A2, not B1.¹

A2 and B1 candidates each receive a certificate stating the level reached. Candidates who fall short of A2 get only a letter confirming the result, not a certificate.¹

Why B1 Matters Legally

B1 satisfies the “sufficient command of the German language” standard for a permanent settlement permit under Section 9 of the Residence Act.² It also meets the language threshold for naturalization under Section 10 of the Nationality Act.³ An A2 result has narrower uses. Recognized refugees and people entitled to asylum, for example, may rely on A2 when applying for a settlement permit after five years of residence under specific conditions, but A2 will not qualify you for a standard permanent settlement permit or citizenship.⁴

The Paired “Life in Germany” Civics Test

The DTZ is only half of the integration course’s final examination. The other half is the “Leben in Deutschland” test, a civics exam covering Germany’s political system, religious diversity, and the principle of equality. Both must be passed to earn the full integration course certificate.¹

The test has 33 multiple-choice questions drawn from a larger pool, and you have 60 minutes. Two thresholds apply:

At least 15 out of 33 correct answers earn the integration course certificate.
At least 17 out of 33 satisfy the civics knowledge requirement for naturalization under Section 10 of the Nationality Act.

Even if your DTZ result is below B1, aim for at least 17 on the civics test. That score counts toward naturalization independently and will not need to be repeated later.¹

Registering for the Test

Before you sign up at a test center, gather:

Valid identification, such as a passport or your residence permit (Aufenthaltstitel).
Your BAMF registration number, which the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees assigned when you enrolled in the integration course and which links you to your course track and funding status.
Your eligibility or obligation certificate, confirming whether you are entitled or required to attend an integration course and whether your costs are subsidized.
Your integration course provider’s name and identification number, along with your date of birth and current address for the registration form.

Test centers cannot process a registration without these pieces, and errors in names, dates, or provider numbers can delay your certificate by weeks. To find an authorized testing facility, use the BAMF-NAvI portal, the Federal Office’s search tool listing certified test locations across all German states.⁵

Deadlines vary by center. Plan on at least several weeks in advance. Some centers close registration four to five weeks before the test date; others accept sign-ups closer in. You pay the examination fee at registration unless you qualify for a fee waiver. Candidates who completed their integration course within the allowed timeframe may be exempt from the fee. Once your registration is confirmed, the center sends a written invitation with the exact time, date, and location of your exam.

Answer sheets are scored centrally by telc or g.a.s.t. under uniform national standards.⁶ Expect your official certificate by mail roughly four to six weeks after the test date.

Costs and the 50 Percent Refund

Integration course participants pay a cost contribution of 2.29 euros per lesson hour throughout the course, which adds up over 600 or more hours. If you pass the final examination (B1 on the DTZ plus the Leben in Deutschland test) within the allowed timeframe, you can apply for a refund of half the cost contribution you personally paid.⁷

The deadline depends on your course type and when your eligibility was issued:

General or intensive integration course: within two years of first receiving your participation eligibility.
Special integration course (literacy courses, youth courses, parents’ or women’s courses): within three years, where eligibility was issued on or after February 1, 2023.

If you attended the course free of charge throughout, no refund applies, because there is nothing to refund. Reimbursement applications go to the BAMF regional office responsible for your area.⁷

Repeating the Exam After a Failed Attempt

If you took the DTZ and did not reach B1, you may be eligible to repeat up to 300 lesson hours of the language course at no additional cost before retaking the exam. To qualify, you must have fully attended the language course, sat for the DTZ, and failed to reach B1.⁸

The repeat is not automatic. You must apply through the BAMF regional office for your place of residence. Candidates in literacy courses are one exception: they do not need to have taken the DTZ first to qualify for repeating the advanced language course hours.⁸

Cancellations, Illness, and No-Shows

Cancellation rules vary by test center, but the framework used by major testing organizations gives you a partial refund if you withdraw before the registration deadline, minus a small administrative fee of around 10 percent of the exam fee. Withdraw after the deadline and you lose the fee entirely.⁹

Illness changes the picture with a doctor’s note. Medical documentation lets you withdraw for a full refund or reschedule to a later date at no charge, though this accommodation typically applies once; a second illness-related reschedule usually is not free. If you start the exam and leave partway through, the fee is forfeited and the module counts as failed.⁹

Specialized Courses and Hardship Waivers

Not everyone follows the standard integration course. BAMF offers specialized courses with 900 language lessons instead of the standard 600, plus 100 orientation lessons, for candidates who need additional support. These include courses for people with visual or hearing impairments, candidates who need to learn the Latin alphabet, and those with limited literacy backgrounds.¹⁰

The Nationality Act also builds in hardship exceptions to the language requirement itself. Where you cannot reach B1 despite serious and sustained effort, or where a physical or mental condition makes it impossible, the naturalization authority may reduce the requirement to basic oral communication skills or waive it entirely.³

Preparing for the Test

Your integration course is the main preparation, but practicing with official sample materials helps before test day. The Goethe-Institut and telc jointly publish a Modellsatz (model test set) that mirrors the real exam’s structure across listening, reading, writing, and speaking, with sample tasks, answer keys, transcripts, and the examiners’ evaluation criteria.¹¹

The writing section is where underprepared candidates lose the most ground. Practice short formal emails under a strict 30-minute clock, and cover every point the prompt lists, even if your grammar is imperfect. Examiners penalize missing content points more heavily than minor grammar errors. For speaking, practice describing photographs out loud and planning activities with a partner. Staying engaged in the conversation, asking follow-up questions, and recovering naturally from mistakes count for more than avoiding them.

1
Federal Office for Migration and Refugees. The Final Examination and the Certificate
2
Gesetze im Internet. Residence Act – AufenthG
3
Gesetze im Internet. Nationality Act – StAG
4
Federal Office for Migration and Refugees. Settling in Germany
5
Federal Office for Migration and Refugees. BAMF-NAvI – Welcome Page
6
g.a.s.t. Deutsch-Test fuer Zuwanderer (DTZ)
7
Federal Portal (Bundesportal). Apply for Reimbursement of the Cost Contribution (50 Percent) for the Integration Course
8
Federal Office for Migration and Refugees. Integration Course Guidance
9
Goethe-Institut. General Terms and Conditions for Exams
10
Federal Portal (Bundesportal). Apply for Admission to the Integration Course
11
Goethe-Institut. Deutsch-Test fuer Zuwanderer – Modellsatz