There are four main ways to get German citizenship: naturalizing after living in Germany, inheriting it from a German parent, claiming it by declaration if past gender-discriminatory laws excluded your family, or having it restored if you or your ancestors lost it under Nazi persecution. A major reform that took effect on June 27, 2024 shortened the standard residency requirement from eight years to five and, for the first time, fully permits dual citizenship.1Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community. New Law on Nationality Takes Effect Which route fits you depends on where you live, who your parents are, and your family’s history.
Naturalization If You Live in Germany
Naturalization under Section 10 of the Nationality Act is the route for foreigners already living in Germany. Since June 27, 2024, you can apply after five years of lawful, ordinary residence. Applicants who show exceptional integration — outstanding professional achievement, significant volunteer work, or German well above the minimum required level — qualify after three years. Spouses and registered civil partners of German citizens can apply on a shorter timeline as well, though they must meet every other condition.2Federal Foreign Office. Law on Nationality
What You Need to Qualify
Beyond the residency period, you must:
- Hold a qualifying residence title. A permanent right of residence, an EU Blue Card, and certain other titles count. Permits tied to temporary purposes such as study, a pending asylum application, or humanitarian admission generally do not.3Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community. Nationality Act – Section 10
- Speak German at B1 level or higher, proven through the German Test for Immigrants or an equivalent certificate. B1 means you can handle everyday conversations and express opinions on familiar topics.4BAMF. The Final Examination
- Pass the “Life in Germany” test: 33 multiple-choice questions on Germany’s political system, history, and society, including three questions specific to your federal state. You have 60 minutes and need at least 17 correct answers. A pass from an earlier integration course counts.5BAMF. Naturalisation in Germany
- Support yourself and your dependents without drawing social welfare. Exceptions exist for certain guest workers who arrived before 1974, and for applicants who have worked full-time for at least 20 of the past 24 months.3Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community. Nationality Act – Section 10
- Have a clean criminal record. Serious convictions disqualify you; minor offenses may not.
- Sign a declaration committing to Germany’s free democratic order and to its special historical responsibility arising from the Nazi era, including the protection of Jewish life and the prohibition on wars of aggression. This affirmation was added by the 2024 reform.3Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community. Nationality Act – Section 10
You submit the application to the local naturalization authority in your city or district. The fee is €255 per adult, with minor children naturalizing alongside a parent paying €51 each; minors applying on their own pay the full €255. Reduced fees or installments may be available if you cannot afford the fee.6BAMF. Naturalisation in Germany
Processing times vary widely. Some offices decide straightforward cases in about six months; others have backlogs well past two years. Big cities like Berlin, Frankfurt, and Munich have the longest waits, since demand rose sharply after the 2024 reform. Expect the authority to ask for additional documents during the review, and in some cases schedule an interview. Once approved, you attend a naturalization ceremony and receive your certificate.
Citizenship Through a German Parent
If at least one parent held German citizenship when you were born, you are generally German by birth, no matter where in the world you were born.7Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community. Nationality Act – Section 4
There is a trap for families settled abroad for multiple generations. Children born outside Germany after December 31, 1999, to German parents who were themselves born abroad do not automatically become German if they acquire another country’s nationality at birth. To preserve the child’s German citizenship, you must register the birth with a German consulate or registry office within one year. Miss that window and the child is not German. This catches many families off guard.8Federal Foreign Office. Generational Cut-Off Point
Citizenship by Birth in Germany to Foreign Parents
A child born in Germany to non-German parents acquires German citizenship at birth if at least one parent has lived lawfully in Germany for at least five years and holds an unlimited right of residence, such as a permanent residence permit. Before the 2024 reform the parental requirement was eight years.9Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community. German Citizenship Acquired Through Birth in Germany Children who gain citizenship this way are no longer required to choose between their German and foreign passports at 21; the 2024 reform ended that opt-out rule.10Federal Foreign Office. The New Nationality Law as of 27 June 2024
Declaration for Those Excluded by Old Gender Rules
Before 1975, German law passed citizenship only through the father when parents were married. Children born in wedlock before January 1, 1975 to a German mother and a foreign father were not German. Children born out of wedlock before July 1, 1993 to a German father and a foreign mother were also excluded.11Federal Foreign Office. Acquisition of German Citizenship by Declaration Pursuant to Section 5 of the Nationality Act
A 2021 amendment gives these individuals, and their descendants, a straightforward fix: acquire German citizenship by filing a declaration with the citizenship authority. You do not need to live in Germany, and there is no language test. The same right extends to children whose German mother lost her citizenship by marrying a foreigner before 1953, and to children who lost citizenship through legitimation by a foreign father.12Federal Foreign Office. Declaration or Application for German Citizenship if You Do Have a German Mother or Father but Never Were Considered German
The window is limited. Section 5 gives applicants ten years from the amendment’s entry into force on August 20, 2021, so declarations must be filed by around August 20, 2031.13Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community. Nationality Act – Section 5 If this path might apply to your family, start now. Pulling birth, marriage, and citizenship records from decades ago takes time.
Restoration for Victims of Nazi Persecution
Two provisions restore citizenship to people who lost it under Nazi persecution, and to their descendants.
Article 116(2) of the Basic Law covers individuals formally deprived of German citizenship on political, racial, or religious grounds between January 30, 1933 and May 8, 1945. This constitutional right has existed since 1949 and has no deadline.14Federal Office of Administration. Restoration of German Citizenship and Restitution of German Citizenship
Section 15 of the Nationality Act, added in 2021, covers a wider group: people who surrendered citizenship, lost it by acquiring another nationality, were denied naturalization because of persecution, or fled Germany and lost residency as a result. Both provisions extend to all descendants, and neither requires you to live in Germany. Applications go through German embassies and consulates abroad.15Federal Foreign Office. Naturalization for Individuals Persecuted by the Nazi Regime
Dual Citizenship Is Now Fully Allowed
Since June 27, 2024, Germany permits dual and multiple citizenship without restriction. If you are naturalizing, you no longer need to give up your existing nationality. If you are already German and want to acquire another country’s citizenship, you no longer risk losing your German one. The old permission-to-retain procedure has been abolished.16Federal Foreign Office. Germany’s Nationality Law – Significant Changes10Federal Foreign Office. The New Nationality Law as of 27 June 2024
The change is not retroactive. If you lost German citizenship before June 27, 2024 by acquiring another nationality without a retention permit, the reform does not automatically restore it; re-naturalization or another separate path would be needed.16Federal Foreign Office. Germany’s Nationality Law – Significant Changes
Documents to Gather Early
The exact paperwork depends on your route, but almost every application requires a valid passport or national ID, a birth certificate, marriage or divorce certificates where relevant, proof of your lawful stay and its length, financial evidence such as employment contracts and pay stubs, your B1 language and “Life in Germany” certificates, and a clean criminal record. Applicants living abroad may need a police clearance from their country of residence.
Foreign-language documents generally need certified German translations, and depending on the issuing country may require an apostille or consular legalization. Order overseas birth certificates and police clearances as soon as you decide to apply. Some authorities also require the criminal background check to be recent at submission, so plan the timing so it does not expire while you are still gathering everything else.