What are the requirements for German citizenship by naturalisation?

Checked on 2026-10-25

Germany's Nationality Act gives a right to naturalisation after five years of lawful habitual residence if your identity and nationality are clear, you hold a permanent or suitable residence title, support yourself and dependants without basic social benefits, have no criminal conviction, speak German at B1, pass the naturalisation test and make the required declarations of commitment.

Key facts

What	The law says	Source
Residence	Five years of lawful habitual residence in Germany	StAG § 10(1) sentence 1
Identity	Your identity and nationality are clarified	StAG § 10(1) sentence 1
Declarations	Commitment to the free democratic basic order; commitment to Germany’s historical responsibility for Nazi rule, in particular the protection of Jewish life, to the peaceful coexistence of peoples and the ban on wars of aggression	StAG § 10(1) sentence 1 nos. 1, 1a
Residence title	A permanent right of residence, an EU Blue Card, a Swiss free-movement residence permit, or a residence permit for a purpose not on the excluded list	StAG § 10(1) sentence 1 no. 2
Money	You can support yourself and dependants without benefits under Book II or XII of the Social Code (BAMF names Bürgergeld as an example)	StAG § 10(1) sentence 1 no. 3
Criminal record	No sentence for an unlawful act and no court-ordered measure of correction and security	StAG § 10(1) sentence 1 no. 5
German	Sufficient German: the requirements of a B1 language exam	StAG § 10(1) sentence 1 no. 6; § 10(4)
Civic knowledge	Knowledge of the legal and social order and living conditions, as a rule proven by the naturalisation test	StAG § 10(1) sentence 1 no. 7; § 10(5)

Which residence titles qualify

The law excludes residence permits for the purposes listed in § 10(1) no. 2, among them § 16b of the Residence Act (study) and § 16a (vocational training). The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) summarises it as: a permanent residence right, a Swiss–EU agreement residence permit, an EU Blue Card, or a temporary residence permit whose purpose can lead to permanent residence.

When you don’t have to prove your own income

The law waives the livelihood condition in three cases: you were recruited under a guest-worker agreement before 30 June 1974 (or as a contract worker in East Germany before 13 June 1990), or followed such a worker as a spouse, and are not responsible for needing benefits; you work full-time and did so for at least 20 of the last 24 months; or you are the spouse or registered partner of such a full-time worker and live with them and a minor child (§ 10(1) no. 3).

What the authorities add

The interior ministry’s guidance also lists two conditions from elsewhere in the Act: no multiple marriage, and no behaviour that disregards the equal rights of men and women set in the Basic Law. BAMF says that if one condition is not met, you have no right to naturalisation, but the authority can still naturalise you at its discretion when there is a public interest and some minimum requirements are met.

How to apply

You apply to the naturalisation authority for your place of residence. From your 16th birthday you can file the application yourself; for children under 16 the parents apply. BAMF says a counselling meeting at the authority before you file helps. Both BAMF and the ministry say exceptions and simplifications exist in some cases and that your naturalisation authority advises you individually.

Your spouse and minor children can be naturalised with you even before they have five years in Germany (StAG § 10(2)).

Sources

Staatsangehörigkeitsgesetz (StAG), § 10 (consolidated text as last amended on 21.7.2026, gesetze-im-internet.de) checked 2026-10-25
Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI): Einbürgerung checked 2026-10-25
Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF): Einbürgerung in Deutschland (page dated 19.10.2026) checked 2026-10-25

Change history

2026-10-25: Page created

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