Marriage in Germany

Everything here turns on whether you will live in Germany: if you move, the spouse route is open, and if not, marriage gives you nothing. Decide that first, and meanwhile check whether you have a German parent or grandparent.

If you move, Section 28 of the Residence Act gives you a residence permit that lets you work. You will ordinarily need basic German (A1) before the visa. You can naturalise after three years' residence once the marriage has lasted two.

If you do not move, there is no route: German law never naturalises a spouse living abroad.

Two routes need no residence: descent, if a parent or grandparent held German citizenship, and restoration, if your family lost it through Nazi persecution. The Germany Citizenship by Descent and Historical Displacement quizzes cover them.

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