What level of German do you need for German citizenship?

Checked on 2026-10-25

Germany's Nationality Act requires sufficient German for naturalisation, which it defines as meeting the requirements of a B1 language exam. Children under 16 need only age-appropriate German. The requirement is waived for illness, disability or age, and can be reduced to everyday spoken German if serious efforts to reach B1 have failed.

Key facts

What	The law says	Source
Level required	Sufficient German: the requirements of a language exam at level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR)	StAG § 10(1) no. 6, § 10(4) sentence 1
Spoken and written	The ministry says both oral and written German at B1	BMI, “Einbürgerungsvoraussetzungen”
Children under 16	Age-appropriate language development is enough	StAG § 10(4) sentence 2
Illness, disability, age	Requirement waived if you can’t meet it for these reasons	StAG § 10(6)
Hardship	Can be limited to managing everyday life orally without notable problems, if you prove B1 is impossible or permanently much harder despite serious, sustained efforts	StAG § 10(4a)
Guest-worker generation	Everyday oral German is enough for people recruited by 30 June 1974 or GDR contract workers by 13 June 1990, and spouses who followed them	StAG § 10(4) sentence 3
Proof via integration course	“Zertifikat Integrationskurs” with B1 in the “Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer”	BAMF, integration course section

B1 is the general rule

The law ties the language condition to a B1 exam. The Nationality Act on its own doesn’t list which certificates count; BAMF’s guidance says the integration course certificate with B1 in the “Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer” is accepted, and the ministry and BAMF both say your naturalisation authority advises on exceptions in your case.

When less is enough

The hardship rule in § 10(4a) applies only if you show that reaching B1 was not possible, or is permanently much harder, despite serious and sustained efforts. Then everyday oral German can be enough. In that case, and for the guest-worker generation, you also don’t need to take the naturalisation test (§ 10(6) sentence 2).

Knowledge of the legal and social order is a separate condition, as a rule proven by the naturalisation test (StAG § 10(5)).

Sources

Change history

2026-10-25: Page created

This is general information, not legal advice, and Lumen is not a law firm. Rules change and offices differ: check the official sources above before you act. Found something wrong or out of date? Write to support@lumen.observer.