Documents for German citizenship by naturalisation: checking readiness to apply under section 10 StAG.
Checked on 16 October 2026.
Ordinary naturalisation in Germany requires more than living here for a set number of years and attaching a passport. You must establish identity and nationality, a suitable right of residence, financial circumstances, German-language skills and the other applicable conditions. There is no identical document pack for every applicant and city. What you need depends on your history, family, employment and the competent authority's requirements.
This article helps you build your own evidence list and identify questions to resolve before submitting an application. It primarily concerns Einbürgerung under section 10 of the Nationality Act, the Staatsangehörigkeitsgesetz or StAG. It does not cover citizenship acquisition by late ethnic German resettlers, confirmation of citizenship already acquired by descent or restitution procedures. This is general information: the competent authority makes the final assessment, and disputed legal issues need individual advice.
Identify the right procedure first
In ordinary naturalisation, a person acquires citizenship through an application and assessment of the conditions. Late ethnic German resettlers and included family members follow a different mechanism: section 7 StAG links acquisition to the issue of the appropriate certificate under section 15 BVFG. A BVA file cannot simply be relabelled as a naturalisation application. The legal ground, competent body and significance of the documents differ. See the Nationality Act.
Before collecting certificates, write down why you are applying for citizenship. Perhaps you have lived in Germany for years with a work residence permit, are married to a German citizen, want a child naturalised alongside you or believe you already hold citizenship by descent. These situations require different checks.
If the legal ground is unclear, establish the route first. Otherwise, you may pay for an unnecessary exam or translation while missing a document that determines the case. RelocationDE's programme overview introduces immigration options, but choosing a citizenship procedure needs a separate assessment.
What residence period applies in 2026?
The general residence period for entitlement-based naturalisation under section 10 StAG is five years of lawful habitual residence in Germany. The former reduction to three years for exceptional integration achievements was abolished from 30 October 2025. C1 German or volunteering does not, by itself, restore that abolished route. See the federal government's explanation.
However, “everyone needs exactly five years” is also incorrect. Section 9 StAG provides a separate framework for spouses and registered civil partners of German citizens: normally three years of lawful habitual residence and a marriage or registered partnership existing for two years, with the other applicable conditions met. This is different from the former exceptional-integration concession. See section 9 StAG.
Prepare a timeline for the initial assessment: entry date, residence grounds over time, issue and renewal dates, moves and lengthy periods abroad. Do not rely only on the first Anmeldung date. Address registration is useful evidence, but it does not resolve every question about the lawfulness or nature of residence.
Mark periods of study, asylum proceedings, time without a valid card, waiting for a new document and living abroad separately. They cannot automatically be excluded or counted solely by a document's name. With a complicated history, the sequence of legal grounds and circumstances of each period matters.
Absences from Germany and interruptions
Section 12b StAG governs the effect of absences. In particular, periods abroad of up to six months normally do not interrupt habitual residence; longer absences have specific rules. The law also considers cumulative time abroad. Consequently, “I returned within six months every time” is not a universal guarantee that the whole period will count. See section 12b in the current StAG.
Make a separate travel list: country, departure, return, reason and evidence of return. For lengthy absences, retain correspondence and decisions from the Ausländerbehörde where available. Do not replace missing dates with guesses. Mark what needs reconstructing from tickets, passport stamps or other records.
Keep two questions separate: whether your particular residence permit remained valid, and how residence is counted for citizenship. A positive answer to one does not automatically resolve the other. If there have been several long absences, review them before applying.
Does your current residence status qualify?
Permanent residence is not mandatory for every applicant. Section 10 accepts, among other grounds, an EU Blue Card and certain temporary residence permits. However, some purposes are excluded, such as study under section 16b, an Opportunity Card under section 20a and temporary protection under section 24 AufenthG. Check the full current list in section 10(1), first sentence, no.2 rather than relying on a short online summary. See section 10 StAG.
Read the legal provision on your card and supplementary sheet. Record the precise ground, expiry date and renewal status. If you changed from a student permit to a work permit, keep both documents: the suitability of your current title and assessment of earlier residence years are separate questions.
The word Aufenthaltserlaubnis alone does not answer this. Two similar-looking cards may rest on different legal grounds. A Fiktionsbescheinigung likewise needs to be considered alongside the previous title and the reason it was issued. Clarify an uncertain status before finalising the document list.
Identity and nationality
Prepare a valid passport or another accepted identity document, civil-status records and evidence of name changes. Pay particular attention to different Latin spellings, surnames changed on marriage, corrected register entries and documents issued in different years.
For example, if a diploma uses a maiden name and the passport a married name, connect them through a marriage or name-change document. Do not alter documents yourself to resolve inconsistent spellings in translations. First establish whether a corrected translation or an explanatory statement is required.
The absence of a national passport does not mean that a German travel document alone necessarily settles identity. Conversely, “naturalisation is always impossible without a passport” is too categorical. The Federal Administrative Court has described a staged assessment of identity evidence, including situations where an applicant faces objective difficulties obtaining documents. Moving to alternative evidence requires justification; simple unwillingness to obtain a document is not enough. See BVerwG, judgment of 23 September 2020, 1 C 36.19.
For people with protection status, contact with their country of origin's authorities is particularly sensitive. A consular visit should not be recommended automatically. Agree on lawful and reasonable steps in light of the person's specific status and circumstances.
Income and supporting your family
The assessment looks at whether you can support yourself and family members entitled to maintenance. Evidenced income, household composition, expenses and financial stability matter, not only salary written on paper. There is no universal “earn this many euros and you qualify” amount for every family.
Bring the financial picture together: who receives income, on what basis, which periods are evidenced, who is supported, the rent and other mandatory payments. If your current earnings differ from the employment contract, include the amendment or an explanation rather than leaving a contradiction unresolved.
Receiving any public payment does not automatically mean refusal. Section 10's main restriction concerns benefits under Books II and XII of the Social Code, SGB II and SGB XII. There are exceptions, including for certain people in work and family situations. The employment exception requires current full-time gainful employment and at least 20 months of it within the last 24 months. The spouse or registered-partner exception requires living as a family with a minor child and a person who is currently working full-time and has done so for at least 20 of the last 24 months. A separate provision applies to certain former recruited workers and their spouses. See section 10 StAG.
Child benefit, pensions and other payments should not automatically be equated with Bürgergeld. Some income and benefit types nevertheless call for an assessment of future financial support. Saxony-Anhalt specifically describes this forward-looking assessment for examples such as unemployment insurance benefit, parental allowance and housing benefit. See the state's official explanation.
Do not conceal benefits. If relying on an exception, prepare evidence of that exception's precise conditions. Illness, having a child or temporary unemployment does not create a blanket automatic exemption from the financial requirement in every case.
Which financial documents should you prepare?
Employees will generally need their employment contract, recent payslips and evidence of the ongoing employment relationship. Entrepreneurs need tax records and proof of actual financial performance. Business turnover must not be presented as the owner's personal income.
Berlin, for example, asks employees for salary evidence covering the last six months. For entrepreneurs and freelancers, it requires, among other items, a tax assessment and a specific Prüfungsbericht completed by an authorised professional. This is a local example, not a nationwide rule requiring six months or this particular report everywhere. See the Berlin LEA document list.
If you changed employers, prepare records for both periods and explain the transition. Present irregular income in a clear monthly breakdown. If one spouse supports the household, show the actual structure rather than disguising it with two apparently identical income packs. Explain how the applicants' finances relate.
Pensioners, students, benefit recipients and people living on assets each need evidence appropriate to their situation. The Federal Portal's list can provide general orientation, but your competent authority's requirements remain decisive.
Housing and health insurance
Include current accommodation and insurance information. Berlin's list includes a lease showing current rent or proof of ownership, plus health and long-term care insurance documents, Krankenversicherung and Pflegeversicherung. These help establish actual costs and family coverage. You do not need to buy a home to apply under section 10. See Berlin LEA.
Check that the application address matches current registration and explain changes after a move. For private insurance, prepare evidence of the current policy and payment where requested. An old insurer's quotation is not a substitute for current confirmation. Ask your authority which forms of evidence it accepts.
German-language evidence
Ordinary naturalisation generally requires B1 German. An exam certificate is not the only possible form of evidence: certain German school, vocational or university records may be accepted depending on the circumstances. Check whether your specific qualification establishes the required language knowledge. The institution's name alone is not enough. See the official explanation of application preparation.
Before booking another exam, list the evidence you already have: certificates, module results, graduation records and information about the programme's teaching language. A course-attendance certificate is not automatically proof of B1. If you studied in English, a German university address does not replace the language assessment.
Statutory exceptions may apply because of illness, disability or age. There is also a separate hardship mechanism where serious and sustained efforts are demonstrated but acquiring sufficient German is impossible or permanently substantially more difficult. A special rule applies to a defined category of former recruited workers. These are different grounds and should not be conflated. See section 10(4)–(6) StAG.
If relying on an exception, clarify the evidence in advance. A diagnosis without an explanation of its effect on the ability to meet the requirement may not resolve the issue. Avoid sending unnecessary medical details through arbitrary channels; use the secure method specified by the authority.
Einbürgerungstest and Leben in Deutschland
The Einbürgerungstest checks knowledge of Germany's state and society. BAMF explains that it has 33 questions, lasts 60 minutes and is passed with at least 17 correct answers. To prove the required knowledge for naturalisation using Leben in Deutschland, the result must also reach the relevant threshold. Do not confuse this with a different threshold used to assess completion of an integration course. See BAMF's information.
Locate any existing results before registering. A photograph of an exam invitation, payment receipt or course-provider message confirming attendance is not a results certificate. If a certificate has been lost, first investigate obtaining confirmation instead of automatically retaking the test.
In some cases, education can establish the required knowledge or an exemption applies. The acceptable document depends on official requirements and the circumstances of the education. A certificate accepted for a residence permit does not automatically resolve the whole naturalisation question.
Family members and children
Preparing a family file together is convenient, but each person still has individual conditions and documents. For a child, check the birth certificate, parents' records, custody and required consents. In cases of divorce or sole custody, obtain evidence of the authority to act for the child early.
Special residence-period rules can apply when a spouse and minor children are naturalised alongside the main applicant. For children under 16, language is assessed against age-appropriate development. Adding a child's name does not automatically guarantee a successful outcome. See section 10 StAG.
Berlin allows a child under 16 to be included in a parent's online application, while spouses and children aged 16 or over submit separate applications. Check the local process, particularly if a birthday falls during preparation. See Berlin LEA.
Criminal cases and mandatory declarations
Section 12a StAG permits certain penalties to be disregarded, but the rule is more complex than “anything up to 90 daily fine units is fine”. Multiple convictions, the conditions for remission of a sentence and specific exceptions must be considered, including where an antisemitic, racist or other inhuman motive is established in the judgment. Foreign convictions and pending proceedings cannot simply be omitted. See section 12a StAG.
If a criminal investigation is underway, the naturalisation decision must be suspended until the legally specified conclusion of the proceedings. This does not justify treating someone as guilty in advance. Useful preparation includes the case number, responsible body, procedural status and available decisions. A lawyer should assess the legal implications.
Applicants declare commitment to the free democratic constitutional order and Germany's particular historical responsibility for National Socialist tyranny and its consequences, especially the protection of Jewish life, as well as peaceful coexistence between peoples and the prohibition of a war of aggression. These declarations appear in section 10(1), first sentence, nos.1 and 1a. Separate exclusion grounds in section 11 concern anti-constitutional activities, inaccurate required declarations and other specified circumstances. Understand what you sign rather than treating declarations as a formality. See section 11 StAG.
Translation and authentication
A foreign document raises separate questions about its contents, translation and authenticity. An apostille or legalisation does not replace a translation. Equally, “every foreign paper needs an apostille” is incorrect: the procedure depends on the issuing country, document type and applicable agreements. In some cases, verification through a German mission is used. See the Federal Foreign Office's guidance on international documents.
Establish the requirements for the individual document before ordering paid services. In a query, give the precise document name, country, issuing body and issue date. Asking only “Do I need an apostille?” without those details often produces an inaccurate answer.
Translations by sworn or recognised translators in Germany are generally accepted. Use of a foreign translation depends on the applicable rules. The translation itself is not apostilled as if it were an ordinary public civil-status record. See the Foreign Office's explanation of translations.
Building a digital document pack
Create working folders by topic: identity, residence, family, income, language, test and correspondence. This is an organisational recommendation, not an authority's prescribed format. Give each file a meaningful name including its date and document type. Avoid calling different pages simply “scan”.
Check the complete document, including reverse sides, attachments, stamps and every translation page. Open the finished PDF on another device and make sure numbers are readable. Do not crop out marginal notes or replace a scan with edited text. If a document contains an error, explain it and obtain a proper correction.
For online submission, check permitted formats and sizes immediately before uploading. At the review date, Berlin accepts PDF, JPG, JPEG and PNG, with a 7 MB maximum per file and 100 MB overall. These limits belong to Berlin's form and may change. See the official application instructions.
After submission, save the application itself, attachment list, receipt confirmation and payment record. Payment alone does not prove that the application was successfully transmitted. Make sure you have confirmation of the application specifically. If an error occurs, read the authority's outage notice and check the status first to avoid unnecessary duplicate submissions.
Fees and waiting for the decision
The standard naturalisation fee under section 38 StAG is EUR 255. For a minor child naturalised alongside a parent who has no income of their own within the meaning of the Income Tax Act, it is reduced to EUR 51. Document, translation and exam costs may be additional. Fees for refusal or withdrawal and possible reductions must be considered separately. See section 38 StAG.
Do not put renunciation of existing citizenship on every applicant's mandatory checklist. German law generally allows multiple nationality. However, check separately how acquiring German citizenship affects you under the other country's law. See the official naturalisation information.
Applying does not automatically extend your residence permit or replace the steps needed to maintain it. While the case is pending, monitor its expiry and report significant changes by the authority's prescribed method. The volume of a prepared file cannot provide a reliable guarantee of a decision date.
Naturalisation takes effect when the Einbürgerungsurkunde, the naturalisation certificate, is handed over. An upload confirmation, payment or positive preliminary message is not the same event. See section 16 StAG.
Final checks before submission
Check five things: the correct legal route, a consistent residence history, documents connecting all identity and family changes, income evidence without contradictions and the current checklist from your own competent authority.
Then list unresolved questions briefly. Do you need another surname document? How can a particular period be proved? Does an educational certificate replace an exam? What financial evidence is needed after changing jobs? This is more useful than claiming to have a “complete pack” solely on the basis of someone else's experience.
If you need help organising documents and identifying next steps, you can contact RelocationDE. Before purchasing support, clarify its scope and price, who reviews legal issues and which actions remain your responsibility. Preparation makes a case easier to understand but does not guarantee citizenship or a decision deadline.
Frequently asked questions
Not always. Certain temporary titles qualify under section 10 StAG. The specific residence ground and remaining conditions matter, not merely possession of a plastic card.
As an organisational starting point, yes; as a final statement of requirements, no. City, employment, family and residence history may differ. Check your competent authority's list first.
Possibly not. The document type, teaching language, educational circumstances and applicable evidence requirements must be checked. Do not pay for another test before establishing whether an existing document is sufficient.
This is possible, but each person's conditions are assessed. Joint preparation and the question of separate applications in a local portal are not the same issue.
No. Document completeness and meeting the legal conditions are different. A well-prepared file enables assessment of the facts but does not remove checks or possible requests for additional evidence.
