Verified & updated: July 2026. Every rule in this guide was checked against the official text of the German Nationality Act (StAG) as amended 22 December 2025, at gesetze-im-internet.de. If the law changes, this page is updated and the change is noted.
Getting German citizenship is more straightforward than most people think — and since 2024, easier than it was for decades. This guide explains the current rules in plain English: who can apply, what documents and certificates you need, what it costs, and the details most other sites get wrong.
In short: You can apply for German citizenship after 5 years of legal residence in Germany (§10 StAG). You need B1 German, a passed naturalization test, an income without Bürgergeld, and a clean criminal record. Since June 2024 you can keep your original citizenship — no renunciation required. Spouses of German citizens can apply after just 3 years. The fee is €255 per adult. The old 3-year "fast track" was abolished on 30 October 2025.Note: This guide is general information, not legal advice. Your local naturalization office (Staatsangehörigkeitsbehörde) decides each case on the full file.
Key facts (2026)
- 5 years of lawful residence in Germany — the standard route (§10 StAG)
- 3 years residence + 2 years of marriage — for spouses and registered partners of German citizens (§9 StAG)
- Dual citizenship is allowed for everyone — the renunciation requirement was deleted in June 2024
- Language requirement: B1 certificate (telc, Goethe, or DTZ)
- Naturalization test: 33 questions, 17 correct to pass, €25
- Income requirement: no Bürgergeld / social assistance — with important exceptions (see below)
- Fee: €255 per adult, €51 per minor child naturalized together with you
- The 3-year fast track (§10 Abs. 3) is gone since 30 October 2025 — what that means
- Time on a student permit counts. Years spent in Germany on a §16b student permit (or vocational training, or as a job seeker) count fully toward the 5 years. What those permits can NOT do is serve as your permit *at the moment you apply* — see the next section.
- Short trips abroad don't reset anything. A single stay abroad of up to 6 months does not interrupt your residence (§12b StAG). Longer absences can partially count against you — if you had one, the office will count your exact periods.
- Kindergeld, Elterngeld, Wohngeld and BAföG do not count against you. Only SGB II/XII benefits do.
- The full-time worker exception: if you are in full-time work now and worked full-time in at least 20 of the last 24 months, receiving top-up benefits does not block you.
- The guest-worker exception: people who came as guest workers before July 1974 (or GDR contract workers before June 1990) and their spouses are exempt if the benefits receipt is not their fault.
- Born in Germany: your child automatically gets German citizenship at birth if one parent has lived here lawfully for 5 years and holds a permanent residence right (§4 Abs. 3 StAG). No application needed — it is registered with the birth.
- Naturalized with you: your spouse and minor children can be included in your application even if they have not been here 5 years themselves (§10 Abs. 2). A minor child with no own income pays a reduced fee of €51.
- "You need 8 years." Wrong since June 2024 — the standard is 5 years. Some politicians have proposed returning to 8 years, but as of July 2026 no such law exists or is in force.
- "There is a 3-year fast track for well-integrated applicants." Not anymore — it was abolished on 30 October 2025. Pages still promising citizenship after 3 years (outside the spouse rule) are out of date.
- "You must give up your original citizenship." Wrong since June 2024. Germany allows dual citizenship; only your home country's rules can stop you.
- "Any benefits receipt disqualifies you." Wrong — Kindergeld, Elterngeld, Wohngeld and BAföG are harmless, and the 20-of-24-months worker exception is in the law itself.
- §10 StAG — naturalization entitlement (official consolidated text)
- §9 StAG — spouses of Germans
- §4 StAG — citizenship by birth
- §12b StAG — absences and §38 StAG — fees
- BAMF — naturalization test information
- BMI — nationality law
Want the one-minute answer for your own situation? Use our free citizenship eligibility checker — it applies these rules to your dates and shows your earliest application date.
The 5-year rule: what counts as residence
The clock starts when you move to Germany and register (Anmeldung), as long as your stay is lawful — you hold a residence permit or are an EU citizen. The law calls this "rechtmäßiger gewöhnlicher Aufenthalt": five years of it, and the first requirement is met.
Two details matter here, and many websites get both wrong:
The requirements, one by one
1. A qualifying residence permit
At the time of application you must hold either a permanent residence title (Niederlassungserlaubnis or EU long-term residence), an EU Blue Card, EU/EEA/Swiss free-movement rights, or a residence permit issued for a purpose that is not temporary by nature — for example §18a/§18b qualified employment or a family-reunion permit.
Permits that do not qualify at application time (§10 Abs. 1 Nr. 2 StAG): student (§16b), vocational training (§16a), language course (§16f), job seeker (§20), Chancenkarte / Opportunity Card (§20a), temporary protection (§24 — this affects many Ukrainians), and some humanitarian permits (§25 Abs. 3–5). Remember: the *years* on these permits still count — you just need to switch to a qualifying permit before applying.
2. Secured livelihood — the benefits rule
You must be able to support yourself and your dependents without Bürgergeld (SGB II) or social assistance (SGB XII). Three things soften this rule, and they are written directly into the law (§10 Abs. 1 Nr. 3):
3. German at level B1
You prove it with a B1 certificate: telc Deutsch B1, Goethe-Zertifikat B1, or the DTZ from an integration course. A German school-leaving certificate also works. Hardship exceptions exist for illness, disability and age (§10 Abs. 6), and for the guest-worker generation an oral everyday level is enough — see our full breakdown of what counts as B1 proof, including costs and exam format.
4. The naturalization test
The Einbürgerungstest: 33 multiple-choice questions from a public catalogue, 60 minutes, 17 correct answers to pass, fee €25. Pass rates are consistently above 90% — with the free official practice questions, most people pass on the first try. You are exempt if you have a German school qualification, or for the same hardship reasons as the language requirement.
5. Clean criminal record
Convictions block naturalization — but small ones are ignored by law (§12a StAG): fines up to 90 daily rates and suspended sentences up to 3 months don't count. Anything motivated by antisemitism, racism or other inhuman motives always counts, regardless of size.
6. Commitment to the free democratic order
You sign a declaration of loyalty to the constitutional order, which since 2024 explicitly includes acknowledging Germany's historical responsibility for the Nazi era and the protection of Jewish life. At the ceremony you make a short formal declaration (§16 StAG).
7. Clarified identity
Your identity and current citizenship must be documented — normally your valid passport and birth certificate (with certified translation).
Dual citizenship: you can keep your passport
Since 27 June 2024, German law accepts multiple citizenship in ALL naturalizations. The old requirement to give up your previous citizenship (§10 Abs. 1 Nr. 4) was deleted — the official text now literally reads "(weggefallen)" at that position.
One catch that is not Germany's: your home country's law decides whether you may keep ITS citizenship when you voluntarily take another one. India, China and some other countries do not allow it — check your own country's rules before applying. Political proposals to reverse Germany's side of this exist but are not law — see our dual citizenship guide for the current, change-logged status.
Spouses of German citizens: 3 + 2
If you are married to (or in a registered partnership with) a German citizen, §9 StAG lets you apply after 3 years of residence, provided the marriage has existed for at least 2 years. All other requirements (B1, test, income, record) still apply. Your spouse being German does not exempt you from any of them — it only shortens the residence requirement.
Children
What it costs
| Item | Cost |
| Naturalization fee, per adult | €255 |
| Minor child naturalized with a parent | €51 |
| Naturalization test | €25 |
| B1 exam (if you don't have a certificate) | ≈ €100–200 |
| Certified translations of documents | ≈ €30–80 per document |
A worked example
Maria arrived in Munich on 1 August 2021 with an EU Blue Card. She has a B1 certificate from her integration course and passed the test in spring 2026. She works full-time and has never received Bürgergeld. Her five years are complete on 1 August 2026 — she can file her application that month. Fee: €255. If her husband arrived with her and their daughter was born in Munich, husband and daughter can be included in the application (€255 + €51). Try your own dates in the checker.
Mistakes to watch out for on other sites
How to apply
1. Check your eligibility and earliest date — our citizenship checker does this in a minute. 2. Gather documents: passport, birth certificate + translation, Meldebescheinigung, proof of income, rent contract, B1 certificate, test certificate. 3. Apply at your city's Staatsangehörigkeitsbehörde — most big cities now have an online application (Berlin, Hamburg, Munich among them). 4. Pay the €255 fee and wait: processing takes from a few months to over a year, depending on the city's backlog. 5. Attend your ceremony, make the declaration, receive the certificate — from that moment you are a German citizen and can apply for the passport.