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South Africans in Germany

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Einbürgerungstest and Leben in Deutschland

Leben in Deutschland

The Leben in Deutschland tests your knowledge of the legal and social order and the living conditions in Germany. If you apply for Permanent residence, you must use the test to demonstrate knowledge of the legal and social system and living conditions in Germany. 
You need a minimum of Level A2 to B1 to understand the test questions.

Einbügerungstest

The Einbürgerungstest tests your knowledge of the legal and social order and the living conditions in Germany. If you apply for German citizenship, you must use the test to demonstrate knowledge of the legal and social system and living conditions in Germany. You need a minimum of Level B1 to understand the questions.

Note – Some indications are that you need to have certificates for both tests to apply for your Citizenship. Please confirm this with your local Ausländerbehörde. It is advisable that you schedule an “Information” session with your local authority before submitting your application

Where do I register for the tests

You can contact your local foreigners office (Ausländerbehörde) or register at the local VHS. 

How do I prepare for the tests

The official list of possible questions (310) is available as a download on the BAMF website.
The above link is for the Einbürgerungstest and Leben in Deutschland questions. The list of questions is the same for both tests, but for Leben in Deutschland you will get Klasse 1 questions and for the Einbürgerungstest you will get Klasse 2 questions. There is no way of knowing which questions are Klasse 1 or Klasse 2, so you need to know all of them.

You can enrol for the “Leben in Deutschland” course at the VHS, and write the “Test zum Orientierungskurs Leben in Deutschland“ exam. This test is needed for permanent residence in Germany.
There is no course requirement for the Einbürgerungstest, but if you would like to enrol for a course, consider the Leben in Deutschland option, or contact the VHS or Ausländerbehörde.

Apps and websites

What to expect during the test

During the exam you will receive a test booklet with 33 questions. You have 60 minutes to answer the questions. Each question requires you to choose the correct answer from four possible answers.
If you answer at least 17 questions correctly, you have passed the test. You will then receive a certificate of your personal test result from the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees.

30 questions belong to the subject areas “Life in a democracy”, “History and responsibility” as well as “People and society”.
Three test questions are asked about the federal state in which you are registered as your primary residence for example Baden-Württemberg

Info on the internet

Related content

Permanent Residence

Permanent residence in Germany is called a Niederlassungserlaubnis and may be granted in the form of a Settlement permit or Permanent EC residence permit. Very important!! The card has an expiry date which corresponds to that of your passport. See the remarks section on the card as well as nr 7

German citizenship

Please note: Although the information on this website has been prepared with the utmost care, we cannot accept any responsibility for inaccuracies contained herein. Always refer to the official websites for up-to-date information. The German Cabinet approved the new proposed legislation to allow Dual Citizenship. The Bundestag must now vote