Application for naturalisation

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The new Citizenship Act ("Staatsangehörigkeitsgesetz") has been in force since 27 June 2024.

An application for naturalisation is subject to various requirements. As your Registry Office ("Standesamt"), we have put together some useful information about naturalisation. You can also download the necessary forms here.

Is there a right to naturalisation?

You meet the essential requirements for naturalisation if you ...

are committed to the free democratic basic order of the Basic Law ("Grundgesetz") and to Germany's special historical responsibility for the reign of injustice under National Socialism and its consequences.
have a permanent right of residence or hold a temporary residence title that was not issued in accordance with §§ 16a, 16b, 16d, 16e, 16f, 17, 18f, 19, 19b, 19e, 20, 22, 23a, 24, 25 paragraphs 3 to 5 and § 104c of the Residence Act ("Aufenthaltsgesetz").Information on temporary residence permits (pdf , 229KB)Download Link
have been legally resident in Germany for 5 years.

Exceptions

You can shorten the required period of residence to 3 years if you:

present a passed German language certificate of level C 1 and
can secure a livelihood for yourself and your dependants and
can present special integration achievements, in particular excellent academic, vocational or professional achievements or civic engagement. Information on special integration achievements. Information on special integration achievements (pdf , 328KB)Download Link (German only).

or for:

Spouses or registered partners (according to LPartG) of Germans, if the marriage or registered partnership (according to LPartG) has existed for 2 years

make a living without benefits or income support.

Exceptions

You entered the Federal Republic of Germany before 30 June 1974 on the basis of an agreement on the recruitment and placement of workers or entered the former German Democratic Republic as a contract worker before 13 June 1990 or you moved to Germany as a spouse at the same time and are not entitled to benefit or citizen's income support.

You have been in full-time employment for at least 20 months in the last 24 months.

You live as a spouse or registered partner in a family relationship with a person in full-time employment and a minor child.

have sufficient knowledge of German (e.g. through a school-leaving certificate from a German school or a B 1 certificate).
have knowledge of the legal and social system and living conditions in Germany (e.g. through a school-leaving certificate from a German school or a naturalisation test).
have no record of convictions in the Federal Central Criminal Register (with the exception of convictions for fines not exceeding a total of 90 daily rates) and no criminal proceedings or investigations are pending against you.

If you meet the necessary requirements for naturalisation and you live in Frankfurt am Main, please complete the application for naturalisation and the declarations in full. Please send the naturalisation application with all declarations in the original and copies of all other required documents by post to this address:

Stadt Frankfurt am Main
Standesamt
34.6
Postfach
60275 Frankfurt am Main

We will look at your documents and invite you to a meeting in person.

You must present the originals of your documents at your appointment.

You can find our information sheet on naturalisation as a download in pdf format here: Information sheet on naturalisation (pdf , 436KB)Download Link (German only)

Important – Required documents

Please note that the following forms and declarations are available in German only.

You must send the following documents with your finished naturalisation application:

Forms and declarations:

Application for naturalisation (pdf , 1769KB)Download Link (click here for a Sample for filling out application for naturalisation (pdf , 1793KB)Download Link and Sample for filling out application for naturalisation for children (pdf , 2827KB)Download Link) – If your spouse is being naturalised too, they must hand in a separate form. Children over 16 years old must also hand in a separate form.

General documents:

One recent passport photo of each person to be naturalised
Valid passport (If you are an EU citizen, a valid identity card is also accepted)
Valid residence permit (not applicable for EU citizens)

Civil status certificates:

For all foreign documents, the following must be sent:
The original foreign documents and the German translations. The translations must be made by a translator for courts and notaries. The translator must be authorised in Germany.

Go to www.justiz-dolmetscher.deExternal Link to find authorised translators
English-language documents must also be translated into German.

Birth certificate
Marriage certificate / civil partnership certificate / copy from the family register – if you have been married before, you need to send these documents too
Divorce decree or death certificate of the spouse/life partner
Custody decision / negative certificate given by the Youth Welfare Office ("Jugendamt") or documents of an adoption decision

Proof of German language skills for applicants aged 16 and over:

You need only one of the following!

B1 language certificate or higher-level language certificate (B2 - C2 or TestDaF) – Only the standard exam is accepted. It must be from an official institution like Telc or Goethe Institute. Information on the B1 language test (pdf , 69KB)Download Link (German only)
Secondary school certificate or higher-level certificate – Only school reports with at least Grade “4” or “adequate” ("ausreichend") in the subject “German” can be accepted
“DSH” examination / “PNdS” examination / “Studienkolleg”
Degree certificate from a German university
Certificate of successful completion of the integration course including the German test for immigrants (overall result of language skills B1)

Proof of German language skills for applicants under the age of 16:

Current school certificate
All certificate

Proof of knowledge of the legal and social order for applicants aged 16 and over:

You need only one of the following!

At least a German secondary school-leaving certificate – Only school reports with at least Grade “4” or “adequate” ("ausreichend") in the subject “Politics and Economics” can be accepted
Proof that you have passed the naturalisation test or the “Living in Germany” (“Leben in Deutschland”) test – Information on the naturalisation test (pdf , 137KB)Download Link
A German university degree in Law, Social Sciences, Political Science, Administration, or Social Sciences

Proof of income:

For employees: employment contract/training contract and 1 current payslip
For self-employed persons: certificate from a tax consultant on income of the last 6 months and most recent income tax assessment
When claiming state benefits: notification confirming that you get unemployment benefit I (“Arbeitslosengeld I), citizen's benefit ("Bürgergeld"), child support (“Kinderzuschlag”), basic security (“Grundsicherung”), pension (“Rente”), housing benefit (“Wohngeld”), parental benefit (“Elterngeld”), maintenance allowance (“Unterhaltsgeld”) or student loan (“BAföG”)
Current proof of income of the spouse/life partner must also be sent.

Proof of living in Germany:

for the last 5 years:

Pension insurance history (you can get this from the pension insurance provider in Frankfurt am Main – Information sheet on insurance history (pdf , 940KB)Download Link. If you are self-employed, you will need to send your business registration/tax assessment notices
Certificate of kindergarten attendance / school attendance / study times (all certificates of study or de-registration)

Please note that we might ask you to submit additional documents. This list is to give you an idea of the normal documents.

You can find our information sheet on naturalisation as a download in pdf format here: Information sheet on naturalisation (pdf , 436KB)Download Link (German only)

Information and Fees

FEES

During the naturalisation process, the naturalisation fee is charged by the Darmstadt Regional Council ("Regierungspräsidium Darmstadt") and amounts to €255 for an adult.

Minors who are naturalised alone also pay € 255.

If minors are naturalised with a parent, the fee is € 51.

The rejection fee is € 255. The redemption fee is €127.50.

INFORMATION ON THE APPLICATION FOR NATURALISATION

Spouses

If your spouse also wants to be naturalised, he or she must complete a separate form.

For minor applicants

For minors under the age of 16, the application must be submitted by the parents or the parent with sole custody. You must give proof of sole custody.

Minors over the age of 16 must fill out a separate form and submit the application themselves.

AVAILABILITY BY TELEPHONE

You can contact us Monday to Friday from 8 am to 12 noon on 069/212-36291.

You can find our information sheet on naturalisation as a download in pdf format here: Information sheet on naturalisation (pdf , 436KB)Download Link (German only)

Application for naturalisation