Germany · Citizenship by naturalisation
Naturalisation (Einbürgerung)
The 2024 reform still stands. That means 5 years instead of 8, and dual citizenship generally permitted from 27 June 2024. But the 3-year turbo fast track introduced alongside it was repealed with effect from 30 October 2025, after the Bundestag voted 450 to 134. A uniform 5-year minimum now applies.
The 2024 reform was genuinely transformative. Germany went from one of Europe's most restrictive citizenship regimes to one of its more accessible ones, and it crucially stopped forcing renunciation. The 2025 repeal of the 3-year track is a reminder of how fast that progress can partially reverse. Anyone who built a plan around C1 German and volunteering, expecting a passport in three years, lost that option within eighteen months.
The facts
- Minimum
- €255
- Total landed cost
- EUR 255 per adult application, plus language certification and test fees. The real cost is 5 years of residence and B1 German.
- Route type
- By residence
- Timeline
- 5–8 years (It takes 5 years of residence to become eligible. Processing then runs 12–24 months on top in many municipalities. The backlogs in Berlin and Munich are notorious.)
- Physical presence
- 5 years of lawful habitual residence in Germany.
- Family
- Spouses and minor children can generally be naturalised alongside the main applicantSpouses of German citizens need 3 years of residence and at least 2 years of marriage
- Permanent residency
- You can generally qualify for a Niederlassungserlaubnis after 5 years under §9 AufenthG. That requires B1 German and 60 months of statutory pension contributions. Blue Card holders and graduates have access to faster tracks.
- Citizenship
- 5 years
- Language test
- B1 German plus the naturalisation test (Einbürgerungstest)
- Dual citizenship
- Permitted
- Requirements
- 5 years of lawful habitual residence (3 for spouses of German citizens, with 2 years of marriage)B1 German and the naturalisation testfinancial self-sufficiency without social assistancecommitment to the free democratic basic order, and no serious criminal record
- The 3-year fast track is gone as of 30 October 2025. Any advice or marketing still referencing it is out of date.
- Five years of German residence means five years of German worldwide taxation at up to 47.475%, with no expat regime to soften it. It also puts you well inside the 7-of-12-year exit tax window. The citizenship itself is cheap. The tax cost of qualifying for it is not.
- Naturalisation requires self-sufficiency without recourse to social benefits, along with B1 German and the naturalisation test.
- Permanent residence, known as the Niederlassungserlaubnis, normally requires 60 months of statutory pension contributions. Self-employed applicants often fall short of this. It is a particular trap for §21 founders.
- Germany now permits dual citizenship, but your other country of citizenship may not. Check the rules on both sides.