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 legislation to allow Dual Citizenship. The new law comes into effect on 26 June 2024. This page will then be updated as well. Here is a link to the changes (in German).

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

Process of applying

One of the requirements for German Citizenship is passing the Einbürgerungstest.
We have two pages relating to citizenship through naturalisation. The page for naturalisation with no dual Citizenship , we will keep active until 26 June 2024, when the new citizenship law comes into effect.

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,

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,

Process to apply for German citizenship via naturalisation (no dual Citizenship)

Someone who went through the process kindly shared their experience with us.Please note that the new coalition government voted in favour of allowing dual citizenship

Shared experiences

To make it easier for others to understand the process and requirements we added a page where you can easily add your experience for us to share on our Shared Stories page

German Citizenship via Naturalisation -Share your experience

Help others to understand the Citizens application process by sharing your experiences.We will add it to our website on this page

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 form

Infromation on the web

Please refer to the following websites for information on German Citizenship and Naturalisation.

Pension

Homepage of the Deutsche Rentenversicherung Information about the German state pension scheme can be found on their homepage for foreign languages. The German site has a lot more information.

Wills and Testaments

The intention of this page is to serve as a reminder to make sure your paperwork is in order. It is important to know what laws

Legalising Documents

Depending on the situation, you might need to have documentation authenticated, certified, or make certified copies thereof. Document authentication South Africa and Germany are both

I am in the process to prepare for applying for German Citizenship and thought helpful to share my progress

Step	Action	Details	Time Frame
1	Einbürgerungstest	I made an appointment at the VHS Stuttgart. This was in July 2023. I had to enrol for the test in person and got a date for the test in September 2023. I used the apps listed on the website to prepare and I found it prepared you very well for the test	The result was sent to me via post within 3 weeks
2	Beratungsgesrpäch at the Bügeramt	I contacted the Bürgeramt on 19 January 2024 via E-Mail to arrange an appointment, and they made one for me on 24 January 2024. During this consultation session, the official (Beamtin) went through the list of required documents with me and explained the application process. I received an application form as a hard copy. It was made very clear that if I apply before the new law is implemented, I still have to renounce my South African citizenship
3	Gather the needed documents	This is still in progress. The biggest challenge for me is that I have to apply for an unabridged Birth certificate and have it apostilled. It must then be translated by a recognised Dolmetscher I will do this in March when I will be in South Africa. There are other options for obtaining it via an agency. See the information below.
4	Apply for Retention of my South African citizenship	Even though this might or might not be needed, I decided to do it anyway to cover all my bases. I will do this in March when I will be South Africa. There are other options of obtaining it via an agency. See information below