Naturalization in Germany

You can apply once you reach five years' lawful residence. Use the time to get your B1 German certificate and pass the naturalisation test, as neither expires.

Section 10 of the Nationality Act needs five years of lawful habitual residence. Your residence has to stay lawful and continuous, and when you apply you must support yourself without Bürgergeld or Sozialhilfe.

The naturalisation test is 33 multiple-choice questions with a pass mark of 17. Arriving at five years with the test and certificate in hand saves months, since decisions often take over a year.

Marrying a German would bring the period down to three years once the marriage has lasted two. The three-year route for exceptional integration was repealed from 30 October 2025.

You keep your current citizenship: Germany dropped the requirement to give it up on 27 June 2024. If a parent or grandparent was German, take the Germany Citizenship by Descent quiz: you may already be German.

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