Naturalisation
<p>The Act on the Modernisation of Citizenship Law came into force on 27 June 2024. The amendment to the law enables the general acceptance of multiple nationalities and shortens the residence period to five years.</p>
Abroad Acceptance Amendment Claim Einbürgerung Einbürgerungsbehörde German citizenship Nationalities Natural Naturalisation Naturalisation claim Nature Residence modernisation period periods

# Naturalisation

## Summary

If you have lived in Germany for at least five years, you can apply for naturalisation. Spouses and children can also be naturalised.
## Description

The Act on the Modernisation of Citizenship Law came into force on 27 June 2024. The amendment to the law enables the general acceptance of multiple nationalities and shortens the residence period to five years.

## Responsible Department

KVR
## Required Documents

1. **Quick-Check**

You can first check online via a [quick check](https://service.muenchen.de/intelliform/forms/01/02/02/einbuergerung-quick-check/index) whether you fulfil the requirements for naturalisation. If you are still unsure after completing the [quick check](https://service.muenchen.de/intelliform/forms/01/02/02/einbuergerung-quick-check/index), you are welcome to send us your questions using the [contact form](https://service.muenchen.de/intelliform/forms/01/02/02/einbuergerung_kontakt/index).

2. **Application**  
  
**Applications with complete documents will be processed more quickly.**

If the result of the [quick check](https://service.muenchen.de/intelliform/forms/01/02/02/einbuergerung-quick-check/index) is positive, please submit the complete application as an [online application](https://service.muenchen.de/intelliform/forms/01/02/02/einbuergerung/index). This requires the creation of a BayernID.

Logging in with a user name and password is sufficient, an online ID is not mandatory.

Further information on BayernID and its benefits can be found [here](https://id.bayernportal.de/de/faq).

**Please upload the following documents in the online application:**

* valid identity document (EU identity card, national passport or international travel document)
* valid residence permit (does not apply to EU nationals)
* Transcript from the birth register for persons born in Germany
* Proof of current employment  
  [Employer confirmation](https://stadt.muenchen.de/dms/Home/Stadtverwaltung/Kreisverwaltungsreferat/fachspezifisch/HA-II/Auslaenderbehoerde/Dokumente/einb_arbeitgeberbestaetigung_vordruck.pdf)  
  
  or  
  
  Proof of income from self-employment (e.g. income tax assessment, BWA, P&L statement)  
  
  or  
  
  Certificate of enrolment  
  
  or  
  
  School certificate/certificate of attendance at kindergarten  
  
  or  
  
  Pension certificate
* Proof of sufficient German language skills (see Questions & Answers)
* Proof of knowledge of the legal and social order (see Questions & Answers)

This information only applies if you are resident in Munich. Otherwise, please contact the district office responsible for your place of residence.

## Prerequisites

As a rule, these requirements must be met for naturalisation:

* Clarified identity and citizenship
* In principle, 5 years of legal and habitual residence in Germany
* Possession of a permanent right of residence or, as a Swiss national or family member, a residence permit based on the Agreement of 21 June 1999 between the European Community and its Member States and the Swiss Confederation on the free movement of persons, an EU Blue Card or a residence permit for purposes other than those listed in sections 16a, 16b, 16d, 16e, 16f, 17, 18f, 19, 19b, 19e, 20, 22, 23a, 24, 25 paragraphs 3 to 5 and section 104c of the Residence Act
* Commitment to the Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany
* no anti-constitutional activities
* secure livelihood (as a rule, no receipt of public benefits such as citizen's allowance and basic income support)
* Impunity, with the exception of minor offences
* sufficient knowledge of the German language
* Knowledge of the legal and social order and living conditions in Germany
* Guarantee of integration into German living conditions, in particular no marriage to several spouses at the same time

## Fee Range

Adults: 255 euros per application  

minor child without own income who is naturalised together with at least one parent: 51 euros

## Processing Time

The processing time is usually 18 months.

During this time, questions about the processing status cannot be answered due to the sharp increase in the number of applications. We ask for your understanding.

The reasons for the longer processing time are the complexity of the documents to be checked and the high number of applications.

## Legal Basis

§§ Sections 8-12 b Citizenship Act

## Questions and Answers

 
### I submitted my application for naturalisation before the new law came into force. Does the new law also apply to my application?

 

The new law also applies to naturalisation applications that were submitted before the new law came into force. You do not have to submit a new application.   


You can keep your foreign citizenship(s) as long as the legal regulations of your country of origin permit this.   


   
### When do I have to pay the naturalisation fee?

 

The time of payment depends on the type of application.   


**Online application**If you submit the naturalisation application as an online application, payment is made before the application is submitted. The invoice will only be sent to you separately at the end of the naturalisation process for children who are to be naturalised together with you.   


**Paper application**If you send the naturalisation application by post, you will receive a separate invoice at the end of the naturalisation process.   


   
### How can I prove my language skills?

 

You can prove sufficient German language skills as follows:

* "Zertifikat Deutsch" or an equivalent language diploma at language level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages
* four years of successful attendance at a German-language school (promotion to the next higher class)
* Acquisition of a secondary school leaving certificate or an equivalent German school leaving certificate
* Promotion to the tenth grade of a German-speaking secondary school (Realschule, Gymnasium or Gesamtschule)
* successful completion of a course of study at a German-speaking university or university of applied sciences or a German vocational training programme
   
### Can I be exempted from providing proof of language proficiency?

 

You are exempt from providing the required language certificate if you are unable to fulfil this requirement due to a physical, mental or psychological illness or disability or due to your age.

In this case, you will need to submit a medical certificate from a specialist and confirmation from the certified examination centre that it is not possible to take an adapted language test. You can find the requirements for the medical certificate [here](https://stadt.muenchen.de/dms//Home/Stadtverwaltung/Kreisverwaltungsreferat/fachspezifisch/HA-II/Einbuergerung/Dokumente/Fachaerztliches_Gutachten_Hinweisblatt.pdf).

   
### How can I prove my knowledge of the legal and social order?

 

Knowledge of the legal and social order and living conditions in Germany can be demonstrated by

* a successful secondary school leaving certificate or a comparable or higher school leaving certificate from a German general education school
* completed training in an apprenticeship
* successfully completed studies at a German university in the fields of law and social sciences, social sciences and political science.

If these certificates are not available, the knowledge can also be proven by a **naturalisation test** or the **Life in Germany test**. The naturalisation test can be taken at adult education centres.

   
### Can I be exempted from providing proof of knowledge of the legal and social order?

 

You are not required to take the naturalisation test if you are unable to take it due to a physical, mental or psychological illness or disability or due to age. A specialist medical certificate is required for this.   


You can find the requirements for the medical certificate [here](https://stadt.muenchen.de/dms//Home/Stadtverwaltung/Kreisverwaltungsreferat/fachspezifisch/HA-II/Einbuergerung/Dokumente/Fachaerztliches_Gutachten_Hinweisblatt.pdf).   


  


   
### Can I also be naturalised if I have not lived in Germany for five years?

 

This is possible if you are naturalised as a spouse, registered partner or minor child together with a person who fulfils the required period of residence.   


A shortening of the period of residence to up to three years is also possible if you:

* can prove special integration achievements (in particular good school, vocational qualification or professional achievements or civic commitment) and
* can make a living without claiming public benefits and
* have language skills at level C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages
   
### Can I be naturalised if I have been convicted of a criminal offence?

 

Convictions for fines of up to 90 daily rates and convictions for prison sentences of up to three months that have been suspended are not detrimental to naturalisation. Several convictions for fines or prison sentences must be counted together.

Naturalisation is excluded for convictions, regardless of the sentence, for an unlawful anti-Semitic, racist or other inhuman act. Naturalisation is also not possible if you have been ordered to undergo a detention order due to your incapacity for guilt.

   
### Are longer stays abroad an obstacle to naturalisation?

 

A stay abroad of up to six months is not an obstacle to naturalisation.   
 If you have been abroad for longer than six months, this does not affect your naturalisation even if the Foreigners Office has approved your stay abroad and you have returned to Germany within the period specified by the Foreigners Office.   


   
### I am a former guest worker or contract worker from the former GDR. Do simplified naturalisation requirements apply to me?

 

Easier naturalisation requirements apply to persons who entered the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany until 30 June 1974 on the basis of an agreement on the recruitment and placement of workers as of 2 October 1990 or who entered the territory referred to in Article 3 of the Unification Treaty as contract workers until 13 June 1990, as well as their spouses who joined them at the same time.

If you belong to this group of people, it is sufficient if you can make yourself understood in German without any significant problems in everyday life. Proof of German language skills at level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages is not required.

Proof of knowledge of the legal and social order and living conditions in Germany is not required.

   
## Further Links

* [Make an appointment: Pick up your naturalisation certificate](https://stadt.muenchen.de/buergerservice/terminvereinbarung.html#/services/1071907/locations/10471)
* [Contact form](https://service.muenchen.de/intelliform/forms/01/02/02/einbuergerung_kontakt/index)
* [General Data Protection Regulation](https://stadt.muenchen.de/infos/dsgvo-datenschutzgrundverordnung.html)
* [Proof of language skills](https://stadt.muenchen.de/dms/Home/Stadtverwaltung/Kreisverwaltungsreferat/fachspezifisch/HA-II/Einbuergerung/Dokumente/Positivliste-f-r-Internet.pdf)
* [Employer confirmation for submission to the naturalisation authority](https://stadt.muenchen.de/dms/Home/Stadtverwaltung/Kreisverwaltungsreferat/fachspezifisch/HA-II/Auslaenderbehoerde/Dokumente/einb_arbeitgeberbestaetigung_vordruck.pdf)
* [Programme of the adult education centre](https://www.mvhs.de/kurse/deutsch-integration/pruefungen-einbuergerung-460-CAT-KAT7849?tx_itemkgconnect_categorys%5Bfilters%5D%5Bbookable%5D=Bookable&tx_itemkgconnect_categorys%5Bpage%5D=0&tx_itemkgconnect_categorys%5Bsword%5D=&cHash=74aae851a4f7a8e24fa7847867513e34)
* [Naturalisation information from the Ministry of the Interior](https://www.stmi.bayern.de/mui/einbuergerungundstaatsangehoerigkeit/index.php)
* [Naturalisation information from the Federal Ministry of the Interior](https://www.bmi.bund.de/DE/themen/verfassung/staatsangehoerigkeit/einbuergerung/einbuergerung-node.html)
* [Quick-Check](https://service.muenchen.de/intelliform/forms/01/02/02/einbuergerung-quick-check/index)
* [Apply online](https://service.muenchen.de/intelliform/forms/01/02/02/einbuergerung/index)

## Keywords

* Abroad
* Acceptance
* Amendment
* Claim
* Einbürgerung
* Einbürgerungsbehörde
* German citizenship
* Nationalities
* Natural
* Naturalisation
* Naturalisation claim
* Nature
* Residence
* modernisation
* period
* periods
