German Citizenship 2026: Naturalization After Reform, Test and Dual Citizenship

What is Einbürgerung and Who Regulates It

Einbürgerung is naturalization—the acquisition of German citizenship by a person born with different citizenship. The procedure is regulated by federal law Staatsangehörigkeitsgesetz (StAG), and individual decisions are made by the local authority Einbürgerungsbehörde. This is not always a separate agency: depending on the state (Bundesland) and city, the function may be performed by a specialized department within the municipal administration, district office, or a combined immigration office. That is why two identical cases in different cities can proceed at different speeds and sometimes even differ in how specific requirements are interpreted—the practice of the specific authority matters as much as the law itself.

In June 2024, a major reform of StAG took effect. It shortened the minimum residence period required before filing an application, permitted retaining previous citizenship during naturalization in nearly all cases, and clarified the rules for children born in Germany acquiring citizenship. Below is how these changes work in practice for an applicant from Ukraine: exactly what counts toward your residence requirement, which documents you will need, and at which stages most applicants lose a year of waiting time.

Residence Requirements After Reform: Five Years and the Accelerated Three-Year Path

The basic requirement is a minimum of five years of lawful residence in Germany before submitting your naturalization application. Before the 2024 reform, this requirement was eight years, and this reduction became the main practical change for thousands of applicants whose residence history was already approaching the old threshold.

At the same time, the law preserved and strengthened the accelerated three-year path—available to applicants with so-called special integration achievements (besondere Integrationsleistungen). In practice, this means a combination of several factors at once: German language at least C1 level, stable provision of your own livelihood without outside support, and additional evidence of integration—this could be volunteer work, significant professional or educational achievements, or other active participation in community life. The accelerated path is not automatic: the authority evaluates the totality of circumstances, and the final decision on whether specific evidence is sufficient remains with the specific Einbürgerungsbehörde.

What Counts Toward Your Residence Requirement

• Time with a residence permit Aufenthaltserlaubnis counts in full if residence was continuous and lawful.
• Time with an unlimited residence permit Niederlassungserlaubnis counts without restriction—we covered the process of obtaining unlimited status in detail in our article on unlimited residence permits in Germany, and this document often becomes an intermediate step before naturalization.
• The period waiting for an asylum decision (Aufenthaltsgestattung) may count partially, under certain conditions and in limited scope—this is one of those points worth calculating individually rather than by general rule.
• Tolerated residence (Duldung) generally does not count toward your requirement, or only in exceptional cases—the final assessment here depends on your specific status history.

Language Level and Einbürgerungstest

For the standard naturalization pathway, you need to prove German language at B1 level minimum—with a language course certificate, proof of education conducted in German, or other recognized evidence. For the accelerated three-year path, the requirement is higher—C1 level, since language proficiency here serves as one of the proofs of "special integration achievements."

You also take a separate Einbürgerungstest—a test of knowledge about the legal order, social system, and life in Germany. Questions cover the basics of the Basic Law (Grundgesetz), principles of separation of powers, rights and duties of citizens, and practical aspects of daily life in the country and, if necessary, in the specific federal state. The test is administered at an approved test center, and you must score the minimum set by the authority. Certain applicant categories are exempt from the test—for example, persons with certain educational diplomas obtained in German at a German institution, or persons with documented medical conditions or disabilities that objectively prevent test-taking; each such case is assessed individually.

Oath to Democratic Constitutional Order

Every applicant signs a declaration affirming commitment to free democratic order—Bekenntnis zur freiheitlichen demokratischen Grundordnung. This is not a formality: the authority verifies that you are not involved in activities aimed at undermining the constitutional order, and if there are reasonable doubts, it can deny naturalization regardless of how impeccable the rest of your file appears.

Sources of Income, Criminal Record and Document Package

The law requires that you be able to support yourself and any dependents without social assistance Bürgergeld or other state support for low-income persons. This is verified with an employment contract, recent payslips, and if necessary, a tax return. Exceptions to this requirement are narrow and not automatic: for example, for certain refugee categories or persons requiring assistance for reasons objectively beyond their control—but whether your specific situation qualifies for an exception must be determined individually with the specific authority, not by general internet assumptions.

Criminal history is also assessed individually. Minor infractions or small fines typically are not a barrier, while more serious convictions can close the path to naturalization or substantially delay a decision. The exact thresholds at which criminal history becomes grounds for denial depend on the seriousness of the offense and the actual circumstances—there is no universal threshold you can name in advance.

Basic Document Package

• Foreign passport and biometric photo in the prescribed format.
• Proof of continuous lawful residence—copies of all residence permits for the entire period.
• Proof of residence registration: correct initial Anmeldung and your subsequent address history matter for calculating your term, which is why the basic registration procedure described in our article on Anmeldung and basic documents in Germany should be done correctly from your first weeks in the country.
• Proof of income—employment contract, recent payslips, tax return if necessary.
• Language certificates and certificate of passing the Einbürgerungstest.
• Birth certificate, and if applicable, marriage or divorce certificate with translation and legalization.
• Signed declaration affirming commitment to free democratic order.

Children's Naturalization and Citizenship by Birth

A child born in Germany automatically acquires German citizenship by the principle of birthplace if, at birth, at least one parent had lawful residence in the country for at least five years and held appropriate stable status—the reform lowered this from eight years. Children who arrived with parents applying for naturalization can typically be included in the family's joint application, but the requirements for the child's own residence period and the procedure for obtaining their documents have separate nuances worth clarifying as part of the parents' application, not separately afterward.

Where to Submit Your Application and Realistic Waiting Times

You submit your application in person to the local Einbürgerungsbehörde at your place of residence—the specific agency name and appointment procedures vary from city to city. In most cases, you first gather your complete document package, then schedule an appointment and submit your application, after which the authority reviews materials, requests additional documents if needed, and makes inquiries to other agencies—for example, regarding criminal history or security clearances.

Realistic waiting times vary considerably depending on the workload of the authority: in large cities where the volume of applications exceeds processing capacity, review can take anywhere from several months to over a year. This results from the volume of applications following the reform, which is why a carefully prepared document package submitted correctly the first time saves months compared to an application returned for revision.

There is an administrative fee for processing your application; the exact amount and possible reductions for children or large families should be clarified directly with the authority at the time of submission, as amounts and practice vary. After a positive decision, you receive an Einbürgerungsurkunde—a naturalization certificate, sometimes presented at a small ceremonial event. From that point, you can apply for your first German passport (Reisepass) and ID card (Personalausweis).

The Ukrainian side is a separate issue: acquiring German citizenship by itself does not automatically cancel Ukrainian citizenship, but the question of formal recognition of dual citizenship by Ukraine remains complex and evolving—this is worth resolving with a separate consultation rather than relying on general forum assumptions.

Dual Citizenship After Reform: What Changed for Ukrainians

Before the 2024 reform, acquiring German citizenship under the general rule required renunciation of previous citizenship, with exceptions only for EU citizens, Swiss nationals, and in narrow cases where renunciation was practically impossible or involved excessive hardship. The reform abolished this requirement as a general principle: now multiple citizenship during naturalization in Germany is permitted for virtually all applicants regardless of country of origin.

For Ukrainian citizens, this means that when obtaining German citizenship, German law no longer requires formal renunciation of a Ukrainian passport. At the same time, this does not automatically resolve the matter under Ukrainian law: whether Ukraine recognizes its citizen's multiple citizenship in a particular situation is a question regulated by Ukrainian law separately and continues to evolve, so the final answer for your specific case should be determined individually rather than applying the general rule to all situations automatically.

Mistakes That Cost You a Year of Waiting

Most denials or delays in naturalization cases are not the result of complex legal disputes, but of technical details that seem trivial until the authority notices them. An application submitted with such an error usually is not rejected outright but suspended and returned for revision—and that means a new place in line and lost months.

• Break in continuous residence. An extended trip outside Germany that was not properly documented or exceeded permitted limits can "reset" part of your accumulated residence time—and you learn about it during application review, not in advance.
• Expired language certificate. Some certificates have limited validity or require periodic renewal—if the document is formally outdated at the time of decision, the authority demands a new one, adding months of waiting.
• Unpaid taxes or unpaid child support obligations. Arrears to tax authorities or unfulfilled child support obligations are direct grounds for denial or delay, even if all other conditions are formally met.
• Application submitted too early. Submitting documents a month before formally completing your required residence period does not "save time"—on the contrary, the authority returns such an application, and you must resubmit with a new registration date in the queue.

This is where ongoing legal support brings the most value. We review your document package before submission—focusing on the points where denials most often occur: exact calculation of your residence completion date, current validity of language certificates, completeness of income documents, and absence of any arrears. We prepare and if necessary certify translations, handle communication with the authority if it requests additional materials, and support you through appeal (Widerspruch) if the decision is negative or unjustifiably delayed. If your situation also involves residence status—for example, you need to first stabilize a residence permit—that is part of our migration services, and naturalization support in Germany is a separate service within Germany migration law—from calculation of your residence requirement to receiving your Einbürgerungsurkunde.

Questions We Hear Most Often

How long does the entire naturalization process really take?

From submitting a complete document package to a decision, it realistically takes anywhere from several months to over a year—depending on the workload of your specific Einbürgerungsbehörde and whether the authority needs to request additional documents. A well-prepared application without gaps typically proceeds faster than the average for that particular authority.

Will I have to renounce Ukrainian citizenship?

Under German law, after the 2024 reform—no, formal renunciation is no longer a general requirement. The question under Ukrainian law is separate and depends on your specific situation, so it is worth clarifying this individually before submitting your application.

Does the Duldung period count toward my residence requirement for naturalization?

Under the general approach—no, or only in exceptional cases individually justified. Time with a residence permit or unlimited status counts much more reliably, which is why transitioning from tolerated residence to a full residence permit should be considered a priority step.

What should I do if the Einbürgerungsbehörde denies my application or takes too long to respond?

You can appeal the denial through the Widerspruch process, and unreasonable delays in review can be challenged separately. In both cases, having an exact chronology of document submissions and correspondence with the authority is crucial, so legal support at this stage significantly improves your chances of a quick and favorable resolution.

Can I submit my application a few weeks before completing my required residence period?

No—the authority verifies the date you meet the requirement at the time of review, and an application submitted prematurely is usually returned without substantive review. This means a new place in line and wasted time, so you should calculate your submission date with a safety margin, not approximately.

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