What does Naturalization mean?
In order to be perfectly prepared for the application to Naturalization , you should know what the term Naturalization means and why very good organization is extremely important for a successful application. These are basic prerequisites for achieving your goal of holding a German passport in your hands.
The importance of Naturalization
For refugees, Naturalization is the final step from fleeing to Germany to successful integration with the ultimate goal of German citizenship. With the successful application to Naturalization , a foreigner takes the decisive step towards a life with a German passport. The worry of somehow being deported after all and failing to achieve their goal is a thing of the past.
The Naturalization means that from now on you have the same rights and obligations as any German citizen. You meet all the requirements of § 10 StAG and receive a German passport.
The Naturalization is ultimately the acquisition of citizenship. This acquisition can work in various ways. One way is to fulfill the requirements of § 10 StAG, other possibilities are birth in Germany (place of birth principle), descent through one parent from Germany (descent principle).
With the place of birth principle and the principle of descent, you do not need to apply to Naturalization, the process is automatic. Additional options are Naturalization through marriage to a German citizen, or Naturalization through adoption.
Why a checklist?
The best preparation is always organization. Many things in life are easier with a clear plan, and this also applies to the application for Naturalization. With a checklist, you are ideally prepared for every point in the naturalization process and can use the list as a guide. The checklist allows you to check exactly where you are on the way to Naturalization .
It often happens that you think you have thought of all the points and every document when submitting an application, only to make a careless mistake. The result of this is that the application to Naturalization is rejected and you have to start all over again. This scenario can be avoided with a thorough checklist.
A checklist is also a great way to get a better overview. With so many papers and documents to keep track of, it's very easy to lose control.
If you make a tick in the checklist after every form you have processed and prepared, then you know for sure that this point can be ticked off. The next step in your preparation has been taken and you can be proud of yourself for having overcome the next hurdle to Naturalization and your German passport.
The requirements for the application for Naturalization
The very first item on your checklist must be to check exactly whether you even meet the conditions for applying for Naturalization . There is little point in applying for Naturalization if important requirements are not met.
If you ignore this step, you will receive a negative response to your application and be annoyed because a form or basic requirement is missing. You can save yourself this frustration if you look carefully to see whether you already have the conditions for Naturalization or whether you still need some time before you can submit your application successfully.
Length of stay and Residence permit must be right
The decisive and important factor for the duration of residence is that the stay is legal and that you have a temporary or permanent Residence permit . A Tolerance permit , for example, is not a legal residence and cannot be included in the calculation of the duration of residence. In general, the Naturalization specifies a period of residence of 8 years. There are some exceptions to the 8 years. In exceptional cases, for example, Naturalization can be applied for after 7, 6 or 3 years.
The application to Naturalization does not work for every Residence permit. With a student visa, the application for Naturalization does not work. If you are in possession of a residence permit that does not allow Naturalization , you must first change to another Residence permit .
Language skills must be available
The minimum requirement for Naturalization is a B1 certificate. If you are in possession of a B2 certificate, you have the opportunity to be naturalized sooner than after 8 years if all other requirements are met. There are also exceptions to the certificate, such as proof of attendance at a German school and proof of a school career. It is important that you present this evidence instead of the certificate.
Integration course must be attended
Another requirement for Naturalization is attending the integration course and successfully passing the naturalization test. You can also attend the course and take the test earlier and be naturalized after just 7 years if you pass the naturalization test. In this case, it is also important to find out exactly how the application process for Naturalization works.
There are also exceptions that do not require a naturalization test. These include a school career in Germany, studies in Germany with a background in administrative law or law. It is crucial that you cover the exceptions and, if the exceptions apply to you, that you have proof of this when submitting your naturalization application.
Further conditions that must be met
Other important things that must be available when applying for Naturalization are the signed declaration of loyalty and proof of livelihood for yourself and your family. This requires all receipts for the month (income, or alimony if you are separated). The Foreigners' Registration Office has the task of making a positive prognosis regarding your independent livelihood. The aim here is to ensure that you as an applicant can manage your life independently of state assistance.
How does the application for Naturalization work?
What documents are needed for the application?
The most important part of the checklist is the documents. If you keep a checklist of the documents for the application to Naturalization , you won't get confused at the end with the overview of the many papers and forms and will stay in control. This saves you from making careless mistakes. The documents are very important because in the end they are the supporting documents and evidence that the naturalization application processors deal with. If everything in the documents is correct, the chances of obtaining Naturalization are very high.
Proof of identity is required
It is very important for Naturalization to verify your identity. If possible, the embassy of your home country must issue a current passport. Some countries, such as Afghanistan, do not do this. In this case, alternative documents such as a marriage certificate, birth certificate or driving license must be presented. Sometimes the immigration authorities say that a passport must be presented. In countries that do not issue passports, the above-mentioned alternative documents are permitted.
Theoretically, you must give up the citizenship of your country of origin, as German law does not recognize dual citizenship. There are many exceptions to this under § 12 StAG. The planned change to dual citizenship in 2023 could also make dual citizenship easier. If you can give up the citizenship of your home country, then it is important to speak to the embassy of your home country about the forms and get advice.
Proof of residence must be available
In order to determine the exact duration of residence, a copy of the current residence permit is required as a document at Naturalization . Here you can see exactly whether the specified 8 years of legal residence (with the shortening of 7.6 and 3 years corresponding legal residence) apply and are correct.
Proof of language certificate B1
A language certificate of at least B1 level in German is required to apply for Naturalization . If you have an even higher language certificate such as B2 or C1/C2, then this is of course even better and the Naturalization can then also work earlier if all other conditions are met. As a document you need a proof of the language certificate.
Proof of income and pension
Other important documents are proof of income. The Immigration Office requires these documents in order to be able to make a prognosis as to whether you can support yourself and your family. You will need your last three payslips and the last three payslips of your spouse.
You should also present your pension certificate and proof of health and long-term care insurance. Your pension history must be visible. An income tax assessment notice for the respective years in which you have legal residence is also important.
If you are self-employed, you will need tax documents and proof of health insurance and a tax certificate from your tax office so that the naturalization authority can get an overview.
Further documents
Other documents you need to think about when applying depend on your age and whether you are working or studying.
For students, in addition to withdrawing from the Residence permit student visa and finding a new title, it is important to submit a certificate of enrolment and all school or vocational school certificates. If you are in training, it is important that you submit your training contract and other available training certificates.
It is important that you submit a notice from the landlord about the rental agreement so that he can provide proof of the rented apartment, the space and the rent and the authority can get an idea of the costs that you are currently incurring each month.
The birth certificates of your children are also required at Naturalization . The same applies to divorce certificates if you are divorced from your husband or wife. A detailed list of all documents can be found at einbürgerungstest-online.
Preparation and organization of the application for Naturalization
The preparation for the application for Naturalization and the complete organization is very important and also crucial so that the time factor does not become a problem in the end. If you check in good time which authorities you need to contact and who will ultimately accept the application for Naturalization , you can save yourself a lot of stress.
Finding out the responsible authority
The Foreigners' office is responsible for most of the forms required to apply for German citizenship. You can find out exactly who is responsible by contacting the administration in the district where you live. They will tell you exactly who is responsible for your naturalization procedure. For some things, such as the naturalization test, there are nationwide contact points. The authority responsible for this is the Federal Ministry for Migration and Refugees (BAMF).
How does the application for Naturalization work?
If you know which authority is responsible, you should note down exactly how the application process at Naturalization works and where you have to hand in your documents at the end. A checklist is also useful for self-monitoring. Your competent authority should explain to you exactly how the entire application process works.
In general, you should first check the requirements and see whether all the conditions apply to you. Then find out about all the necessary documents and print them out. Then you fill out the forms and have the parts to be completed by employers/landlords or other persons processed. Then you sort all the documents, go through them carefully and submit the application directly with all the documents.
Now you wait for the answer. If there is no answer after a certain time, you can ask a Lawsuit for failure of act application. If the authority accepts the application, you will receive a decision, followed by your German passport and German ID card. You have then reached your destination and are a German citizen.
Calculation of the costs of the application
It is important to make a list of all the costs for the application in advance. According to the federal government's website, the application itself costs 255 euros per adult. If you have children who are minors, you will have to pay 51 euros each for them.
In addition to these costs, you must bear in mind the costs for the naturalization test, the declaration of loyalty, proof of identity and the language certificate. These costs are in addition to the application costs. If you go through the list and calculate everything, you will arrive at the amount you need to have available for Naturalization .
Submitting an application without a lawyer
We know from our experience from the problems of many clients: Naturalization takes 3 to 4 years without a lawyer. Why is this the case? When applying to Naturalization without a lawyer, many applicants make mistakes without realizing it. Incomplete applications are submitted and people are not aware of how much they have to wait for the authorities, even if the waiting time is long.
Many people came to Germany with the refugee crisis in 2015. These people have now been in Germany for 8 years and are applying for their Naturalization. The high number of procedures overwhelms the authorities and results in very long waiting times. Regardless of the exact step in the application process, the waiting time is usually always long.
In addition, the authorities are hiring many young people to make up for the staff shortage. These young employees cannot yet have the experience of long-term employees. Mistakes are made. These mistakes end up annoying both the applicant and the authority.
In the future, Lawsuit for failure of act will be particularly important. Experience is also important here. You need to know when to file a claim and how to draft one. You will be annoyed afterwards if you decide to do without a lawyer and lose a lot of time.
Apply with a lawyer
The advantage of applying to Naturalization with a lawyer is that the application is fully substantiated. This means that the application is submitted including all documents. The person processing the application looks at the application once and it is not sent back.
This saves you as the applicant a lot of time and makes it as easy as possible for the authorities to check the applications. In our experience, this saves between 2 and 3 years of stress, waiting and hassle when applying to Naturalization with a lawyer and you will have your German passport in your hand sooner.
Our forecast is that the naturalization process will take even longer in the future. Next year, even more people will apply to Naturalization . There will be even more complaints of inactivity, as the authorities will not be able to keep up with the processing.
Without a lawyer, you have to expect that an application for a Naturalization under 4 years is not realistic in the future. The authorities are working on solving the problem of staff shortages. However, it will be a long time before the situation with the long waiting times changes.
The application for Naturalization is submitted
The final submission of the application is the crucial point at Naturalization. You want to be absolutely sure that the application is really complete and that all documents have been filled in completely with the application.
How does the appointment process work?
The appointment for submitting the application to Naturalization is arranged via the local authority in simple steps. As soon as you have found out from the district administration which authority you need to contact, you contact the authority to make an appointment. As a rule, the authorities in Berlin, for example, have provided the e-mail addresses.
How do you compile the application forms?
When compiling the application forms, it is important to proceed in a structured manner and create a system. The more structured you make the compilation of the documents, the easier it is for the authorities' staff to keep an overview. The better the authorities can keep an overview, the quicker they will process the application and the quicker you as the applicant will have your German passport in your hands.
The waiting time for the decision
Once the documents have been submitted, a very unpleasant part of the Naturalization process begins: the waiting time. Apart from waiting and hoping that the decision is positive and the application to Naturalization works, nothing can be done. Nevertheless, it is important to keep a close eye on the time. Authorities are obliged to process the application after a certain point in time. According to Section 75 VwGO, the law stipulates that Lawsuit for failure of act can be submitted three months after an application has been filed.
Provide assurance of naturalization
If the naturalization authority contacts you and the documents have all been submitted correctly and in full, then there is only one hurdle before the German passport. According to § 10 StAG, you must give up the citizenship of your home country if it is possible to give up the citizenship of your home country.
The authorities then issue an assurance of naturalization as confirmation that Naturalization has been granted. The condition is that you give up the citizenship of your country of origin. Once this has been done, you are automatically granted German citizenship. The assurance of naturalization is therefore a document that the applicant receives in order to avoid being left without citizenship after renouncing the citizenship of their country of origin.
What will change with the possible naturalization reform?
In May, the governing parties agreed on a reform of naturalization law. This agreement still has to be confirmed by the Bundestag. If this agreement passes through parliament as a law, Section 10 (4) on renouncing citizenship of the home country would no longer be a requirement. This would also mean that the exceptions to Section 10 (4) StAG, which can be found in Section 12 StAG, would no longer apply. The result would then be that dual citizenship would be recognized,
Decision has been made
The decision on the application to Naturalization is usually the pleasant and positive part. In most cases, the decision is positive and if it is negative, then you no longer have to wait and have certainty. If the decision is negative, you also have the opportunity to find out why the authorities made the decision.
Time after positive decision
The time after the positive decision is affected by the fact that you can plan many things differently. The Naturalization and thus the receipt of the German passport is the step into a new life. You have the same rights as any other German citizen and therefore much more freedom than before. The fear of somehow having to go back to the country from which you fled is gone.
The review of the negative decision
If the decision is negative, it is important to keep a cool head and check exactly which points could have caused the negative decision. You then go through all the documents and all the papers submitted again. As a negative decision can always be made, it is advisable to make a copy of every document. This way, every document can be checked and you can go through the papers more quickly and easily.
Making enquiries to the authorities
If you are unsure about the reason for the negative decision, you can ask the authorities questions and receive a clear explanation for the negative application. You can then resubmit the application and make sure that you do not repeat any mistakes that were made.
Appeal against a negative decision
Depending on the federal state, you can file a revocation or a direct appeal against a negative application. The reason for this is the fact that you generally have the right to appeal against a decision. The action then ends up before the administrative court, where it is decided how to proceed. If the cause of action applies and the authority has made a mistake, it is obliged to go through the application and decide again.
Summary and conclusion
Conclusion
A checklist makes the complicated naturalization process much easier. You have a better overview and the authorities have a better overview when processing the application. This is a simple way to save a lot of time and makes the entire application process easier.
Summary
As you can see, the application to Naturalization is very complex and a checklist is very valuable as a guideline or orientation. We have summarized the most important points of the checklist here:
- Check whether the prerequisites are correct
- Organize documents
- Edit and complete documents
- Find out which authority is responsible
- Get legal help if required
- Completely cross-check and submit documents
- Consult us in the event of a negative decision
- Appeal against a negative decision
- Submit Lawsuit for failure of act if necessary
- If necessary, obtain assurance of naturalization and renounce the citizenship of your home country
Are there any questions about the application for Naturalization?
FAQ - The most important questions and answers about the application for Naturalization
For Naturalization you need proof of salary for the last two months, the completed application form for Naturalization, the B1 language certificate, proof of successful integration test, proof of identity and Residence permit, proof of rent.
At Naturalization it is checked whether the applicant meets the requirements for Naturalization in accordance with § 10 StAG. If the conditions are met, you become a German citizen and receive a German passport.
The assurance of naturalization is obtained if all documents submitted to Naturalization are correct and Naturalization is guaranteed. You receive the assurance of naturalization as proof for Naturalization when you leave the citizenship of your home country. The purpose of this is to ensure that you do not end up without citizenship after leaving your home country.
The checklist for the application procedure helps as an orientation during the preparation of the application and for the application itself. It gives you a structure and makes it easier for the authorities to process your application. This saves you a lot of time and stress in the end.
The application for Naturalization is submitted to the Foreigners' office of the respective place of residence. You can find out the exact authority from the district administration. The application documents are then sorted and submitted for an appointment.
The application for Naturalization generally costs 250 euros per adult. If you have a minor child, the application for Naturalization costs 51 euros. Further costs are incurred for the naturalization test/integration test, language certificate and proof of identity.
