German Citizenship Information

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 legislation to allow Dual Citizenship. The new law came into effect on 26 June 2024.

General Information about German Citizenship

Ways of obtaining 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. Retention of South African citizenship The basic rule is that an adult South African citizen who intends

Process of applying

To acquire German citizenship through naturalisation, one must successfully pass the Einbürgerungstest.
We invite you to explore the detailed information on the two pages below for further insights.

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 Germany’s legal and social system and living conditions. You do not necessarily need to attend the

German Citizenship through naturalisation

Naturalisation refers to the legal process of attaining citizenship of a foreign country. The requirements for becoming a naturalised German citizen are governed by Section 10, para. 1 of the Nationality Act. On January 19, 2024, the German Bundestag passed the law to modernize nationality law – this came into force from

Shared experiences - Naturalisation

To help others understand the process and requirements more clearly, we have created a 3 pages that allows you to effortlessly share your experiences with us. All these will be shared on the “German Citizenship – Your Stories” page.

German Citizenship via Naturalisation: Share your experience – Retention

Help others to understand the Citizens application process by sharing your experiences. This form deals only with the retention of your South African citizenship process.We will add the submissions to our website on this page

German Citizenship via Naturalisation -Share your experience Application Process in Germany

Help others to understand the Citizens application process by sharing your experiences. This form deals only with the application process in Germany.We will add the submissions to our website on this page

German Citizenship via Naturalisation: Share your experience – Docs from South Africa

Help others to understand the Citizens application process by sharing your experiences.This form deals only with the process of obtaining your documents from South Africa.We will add the submissions to our website on this page

All the submissions from the above pages will be shared on the “Shared Stories” page.
Our admin team is also in the process of applying for German citizenship and will share a detailed experience.

Applying for German Citizenship – Personal experience

I am currently in the process of preparing my application for German Citizenship, and will share my progress to this page. I am applying at my local Bürgeramt, who will send it to the Landkreis Esslingen for further processing. Search online for Einbürgerung + your town or Landkreis Step Action Details

German Citizenship – Your stories

These are shared experiences by people who recently went through a German Citizenship application process. You can share yours with us via an easy-to-fill-in forms found on this page Application for Retention of SA Citizenship Carla shared on 16 September 2024 Please indicate how you applied for retention I made