Naturalisation
Performance specification
Foreigners may apply for German citizenship under certain conditions. As a rule, the following requirements must be met:
- Settlement or residence permit, Union or Swiss citizen
- At least 8 years of domestic residence
- Subsistence
- sufficient knowledge of German
- basic civic knowledge
- No multiple nationality
- unpunished
- Commitment to the free democratic basic order of our Basic Law, no indications of extremist or terrorist activity
For special case constellations, there are special naturalisation bases on which the naturalisation authorities and the lower administrative authorities advise.
People who have lived in Germany for a long time but do not yet have German citizenship can apply for naturalisation. In order to be able to apply for naturalisation, the naturalisation requirements according to the Nationality Act (StAG) must be met. These are fulfilled if you ...
- are in possession of a permanent right of residence or a residence permit at the time of application,
- have been legally resident in Germany for at least 8 years,
- are able to support themselves and their dependent family members without claiming social assistance or unemployment benefit II,
- have sufficient knowledge of German,
- have sufficient knowledge of the legal and social order and living conditions in Germany,
- have not been convicted of a criminal offence and
- profess the free democratic basic order of the Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany
As a rule, you have to give up your previous nationality or you automatically lose your previous nationality when you naturalise.
What are the fees?
The standard fee for naturalisation is 255.00 euros, and 51.00 euros for underage children who are also to be naturalised.
As soon as an application for naturalisation has been filed, fees are due, even if the application is withdrawn during the procedure or if the application is rejected. The fees for submitting an application amount to € 255.00 (also for the sole naturalisation of a child). In the case of co-naturalisation of a minor child, the fee for the minor child is €51.00.
Legal basis
What else should I know?
Where can I find further information?
The website of the Hessian Ministry of the Interior and Sport provides information on the naturalisation requirements, the legal basis and the procedure, including the necessary forms; it also offers a presentation of the naturalisation basics:
Who do I need to contact?
Applications for naturalisation are accepted by the cities and municipalities with more than 7,500 inhabitants, otherwise by the district. An initial consultation also takes place there.
Naturalisation applications are submitted to the competent cities and municipalities (lower administrative authorities). The cities and municipalities that have more than 7,500 inhabitants are responsible for the naturalisation tasks themselves. For all other municipalities, the district committee takes action.
The naturalisation authorities (decision-making authorities) in Hesse are the 3 regional councils: Darmstadt Regional Council, Gießen Regional Council, Kassel Regional Council.