Naturalization - Apply for the granting of German citizenship

• You have your main residence in Berlin • You have lived in Germany for a long time Uninterrupted lawful residence for at least • 5 years, or • 3 years, if you have been married to a German citizen or have entered into a civil partnership (Lebenspartnerschaft) with one for at least two years • If your wife/husband or your children also submit an application, shorter deadlines may apply to them. You can find more detailed information on joint naturalization (Miteinbürgerung) in the Quick-Check. • Your identity and nationality have been established. You have a valid national passport or ID card. A German travel document (Reiseausweis) is generally not sufficient proof. • You commit to the Grundgesetz (Basic Law, Germany's constitution) Neither you nor any organizations of which you are a member or which you support in any other way commit extremist or terrorist acts. Antisemitic, racist, or other acts motivated by contempt for human dignity are incompatible with the guarantee of human dignity in the Basic Law (Grundgesetz) for the Federal Republic of Germany and violate the free democratic basic order (freiheitliche demokratische Grundordnung). • You acknowledge Germany's special historical responsibility for the injustice of National Socialist rule and its consequences This includes in particular the protection of Jewish life, the peaceful coexistence of peoples, and the prohibition of waging a war of aggression. • You hold one of the following residence permits (Aufenthaltstitel) • Niederlassungserlaubnis (settlement permit) or Erlaubnis zum Daueraufenthalt-EU (EU long-term residence permit) • Aufenthaltserlaubnis (residence permit) or Blaue Karte EU (EU Blue Card) (not sufficient: §§ 16a, 16b, 16d, 16e, 16f, 17, 18f, 19, 19b, 19e, 20, 20a, 24, 25 paragraphs 3 to 4b, or § 104c of the Aufenthaltsgesetz [Residence Act]) • Aufenthaltskarte (residence card), Daueraufenthaltskarte (permanent residence card), Aufenthaltsdokument-GB (UK residence document), or Aufenthaltserlaubnis-Schweiz (Swiss residence permit) • You are a citizen of the EU, the EEA (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway), or Switzerland • You and your family do not receive Bürgergeld (basic income support for jobseekers) or Sozialhilfe (social assistance) This requirement is waived if you • belong to the so-called Gastarbeitergeneration (guest worker generation) (you entered the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany to take up employment under an agreement by 30.06.1974, or the territory of the former GDR by 13.06.1990), or • are currently employed full-time and have been so for at least 20 of the last 24 months, or • live as a spouse or registered civil partner in a family unit with a person who is employed full-time and with a minor child. • You have no prior convictions and no open investigation (Ermittlungsverfahren) • You have not been sentenced to a fine of more than 90 daily rates (Tagessätze) or to a suspended prison sentence of more than 3 months. Even lesser sentences can be an obstacle if an antisemitic, racist, xenophobic, or other motive driven by contempt for human dignity was established. • An application for naturalization (Einbürgerungsantrag) cannot be processed while an investigation (Ermittlungsverfahren) is ongoing. • You speak German As a rule, German language skills at least at level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages are required. For members of the so-called Gastarbeitergeneration (guest worker generation), it is sufficient if they can communicate without difficulty in spoken German in everyday situations. • You have knowledge of the legal and social system and of living conditions in Germany In other words, you know the rules by which people in Germany live together. You can prove this in particular by passing the Einbürgerungstest (naturalization test) or through the "Leben in Deutschland" (Living in Germany) certificate. Further possible forms of proof can be found in the "Required documents" section. • You are not married to more than one spouse at the same time and demonstrate through your conduct respect for the equal rights of men and women as established in the Basic Law (Grundgesetz) • Exceptions to the requirements listed above are possible in individual cases in particular in cases of physical, mental, or psychological illness, disability, age-related reasons, or to avoid undue hardship • For children under 16 years of age with joint custody (Sorgerecht) by the parents: declaration of consent • Where there is joint custody (Sorgerecht) for a child under 16 years of age, naturalization requires the consent of both parents. The online application can only be completed by one parent. A signed declaration of consent for the second parent must be uploaded with the application. • If you have sole custody (Sorgerecht) of your child, you do not need the consent of the other parent. • The fee (Gebühr) must be paid before submitting the online application The following payment methods are available to you: • Credit card or PayPal

• Application for naturalization (Einbürgerung) (with Quick Check) Please submit the application online. • You will receive a PDF document confirming your application. Please save this document and, if possible, also print it out. Your residence status does not change as a result of the application, at least for now. • Valid passport or identity card • Civil status certificates (Personenstandsurkunden) if available, for example: • Marriage certificate • Divorce decree • in case of adoption: adoption order (Adoptionsbeschluss) with a note of legal finality (Rechtskraftvermerk) • For employees: proof of financial situation • Employment contract with salary statements for the last 6 months, • Certificate from the employer confirming the duration of the employment relationship without notice of termination • Does your employer not issue net income statements monthly but only when your salary changes? In that case, use the most recent net income statement and provide proof of the last 6 salary payments through bank statements. • For self-employed persons or freelancers: proof of financial situation • Most recent tax assessment notice (Steuerbescheid), • completed Prüfungsbericht (audit report) form together with the documents named in it (The audit report must be completed by a tax advisor, auditor, or authorized tax agent.) and • Certificate of tax compliance from the tax office (Finanzamt) (Steuerunbedenklichkeitsbescheinigung) as well as • For self-employed persons: extract from the commercial register (Handelsregisterauszug) or trade registration (Gewerbeanmeldung) (if no entry in the commercial register is required) • For freelancers: registration as a freelancer with the tax office (Finanzamt) and membership in a professional chamber (Kammer) (if required) • For people who are not in employment: proof of financial situation For example: • Award notice (Festsetzungsbescheid) for unemployment benefit I (Arbeitslosengeld I) • Statutory pension notice (Rentenbescheid) or civil-service pension notice (Pensionsbescheid) • Proof of assets • Notice of receipt of Bürgergeld (basic income support for jobseekers) or Sozialhilfe (social assistance) • Receipt of BAföG (federal student/trainee financial aid) or Berufsausbildungsbeihilfe (vocational training assistance) • Proof of other benefits Depending on your personal circumstances, you will need to upload proof of these benefits in the online application: Elterngeld (parental allowance), Kindergeld (child benefit), Wohngeld (housing benefit), Kinderzuschlag (supplementary child benefit), Waisenrente or Waisenpension (orphan's pension), Einstiegsgeld (start-up benefit for jobseekers), proof of maintenance/child support payments • Pupils, trainees, students: certificates and reports • School certificate, training certificate, or certificate of enrollment (Immatrikulationsbescheinigung) • Training contract • all reports/transcripts from school or vocational school • Proof of your health and long-term care insurance for statutory health insurance: • electronic health insurance card (elektronische Gesundheitskarte) with photo, and • current confirmation from the health insurance provider for private health and long-term care insurance: • proof that you have paid your contributions, for example through bank statements, and • current certificate from the insurer • Rental agreement with proof of the current rent amount, or land register extract (Grundbuchauszug) for property owners • Proof of language proficiency This proof can, in particular, be provided by: • Deutschtest für Zuwanderer (German test for immigrants, level B1), or • a German language certificate of at least level B1, or an equivalent or higher language diploma, or • a report card (at least from ninth grade) from a German school in which the subject German was graded at least "sufficient" (ausreichend), or • attainment of the Berufsbildungsreife (basic vocational qualification) or an equivalent level of education at a German school, or a school-leaving qualification from a general education school, or • successful completion of German-language vocational training or a German-language degree program in Germany, or • receipt of a German-language doctoral degree (Promotion) from a German university, or • receipt of state licensure to practice a profession independently (Approbation). • Proof of knowledge of the German legal and social system This knowledge can generally be proven as follows: • with a certificate for successfully completing the "Leben in Deutschland" (Life in Germany) test, or • with a certificate for successfully completing the naturalization test (Einbürgerungstest), or • if you are at least 16 years old and still attending school: through four years of successful attendance (advancement to the next grade) at a German general education school and achieving an overall or average grade of at least "sufficient" (ausreichend) in your most recent report card, or • through advancement to the tenth grade of a German general education school (ISS, Realschule, Gymnasium, or Gesamtschule), or • through attainment of the German Berufsbildungsreife (basic vocational qualification) or an equivalent level of education, or a German school-leaving qualification from a general education school, or • through successful completion of qualified vocational training in Germany, or • through successful completion of a degree program at a German university or university of applied sciences, or • through receipt of a German-language doctoral degree (Promotion) from a German university, or • through receipt of state licensure to practice a profession independently (Approbation). • Registration confirmation (Meldebestätigung) • For children under 16 years of age whose parents share custody: declaration of consent from the other parent with custody rights • Further documents Depending on your personal circumstances, other or additional documents may be required. The LEA (Landesamt für Einwanderung – State Office for Immigration) will inform you about this while processing your application.

• Prüfungsbericht (examination report) for self-employed persons and freelancers www.berlin.de/einwanderung/_assets/pruefungsbericht_bis.docx • Template: declaration of consent of the other person with custody www.berlin.de/einwanderung/_assets/muster-einverstaendniserk

• 255.00 euros per person • 51.00 euros for children under 16 years of age who submit an application together with a parent holding custody • Additional costs arise for release from your previous citizenship (please inquire with the consulate of your home country). The fee must be paid before submitting the online application (credit card or PayPal). If the application is withdrawn after substantive processing has begun, the fee is reduced by half. If the application is rejected, the fee must still be paid in full.

• Staatsangehörigkeitsgesetz (StAG) [Nationality Act] § 8 www.gesetze-im-internet.de/stag/__8.html • Staatsangehörigkeitsgesetz (StAG) [Nationality Act] § 9 www.gesetze-im-internet.de/stag/__9.html • Staatsangehörigkeitsgesetz (StAG) [Nationality Act] § 10 para. 1 www.gesetze-im-internet.de/stag/__10.html

As of 01.01.2024, the LEA (Landesamt für Einwanderung, State Office for Immigration) took over approximately 40,000 open naturalization cases from the Berlin district offices. Longer processing times are therefore to be expected. Please refrain from status inquiries.

• Information from the Landesamt für Einwanderung (LEA, State Office for Immigration) www.berlin.de/einwanderung/einbuergerung/ • Gemeinsamer Referenzrahmen für Sprachen (GER, Common European Framework of Reference for Languages — CEFR) www.europaeischer-referenzrahmen.de/ • Certificate in tax matters (service) service.berlin.de/dienstleistung/324713/