Application for naturalisation

Application for naturalisation

City of Frankfurt am Main City of Frankfurt am Main

Our service

Application for naturalisation

Foreigners who have lived in Germany permanently and lawfully for eight years may be eligible for naturalisation.

You have to meet some requirements to apply for naturalisation.

As Registry Office ("Standesamt"), we have put together some interesting facts about naturalisation for you.

Under "Applications and forms" you can also find the necessary forms.

Competent Authority

Standesamt

Staatsangehörigkeit, Einbürgerungen, Namensänderungen

Berliner Straße 33
60311 Frankfurt am Main
Phone
(Hotline)
+49 69 212 36291
E-Mail

All topics at a glance

Service description

If you meet the necessary requirements for naturalisation listed below and you live in Frankfurt am Main, please download the naturalisation application and the declarations. Complete the whole naturalisation application and the declarations.


Mail the application for naturalisation together with all the declarations in the original and the copies of all other needed documents to this address:

 

Stadt Frankfurt am Main
Standesamt 
–  Einbürgerung –
Berliner Straße 33

60311 Frankfurt am Main


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

Prerequisites

You must meet these requirements for naturalisation:

  • Be committed to the free democracy set out under Germany’s constitution (“Das Grundgesetz” or “Basic Law”).
  • Have an unlimited right to live in Germany or have a residence permit for reasons other than those listed in these parts of the Residence Act ("Aufenthaltsgesetz"):

    • §§ 16a, 16b, 16d, 16e, and 16f
    • § 17
    • §§ 18d, and 18f
    • §§ 19, 19b, and 19e
    • § 22
    • § 23 Para. 1, § 23a
    • § 24
    • § 25 Para. 3 to 5

     

  • Been living lawfully in Germany for 8 years except in these cases:

    • If you have passed an integration course, you must have been living lawfully in Germany for 7 years.
    • If you have evidence of special integration awards, you must have been living lawfully in Germany for 6 years. The integration awards can be a B2 language level, German language university degree, or similar certificates.

     

  • Be able to pay for your living costs without receiving money from unemployment benefits (“Arbeitslosengeld II”) or social security. If you claim unemployment benefits for something that was not your fault, you can still apply for naturalisation.
  • Be able to speak a good amount of German.
  • Know about the legal order, culture, and living conditions in Germany. You will have to prove this by showing a German school-leaving certificate or by passing a naturalisation test.
  • Have no convictions in Germany’s Federal Central Register ("Bundeszentralregister"). You must not have pending criminal proceedings against you either. Fines of no more than 90 daily rates are the exception to this rule.
  • Are prepared to give up your current citizenship. This does not apply to EU citizens. Any other exceptions are stated by the Darmstadt Region Council ("Regierungspräsidium Darmstadt").

 

Special requirements apply to:

  • naturalisation with spouses and children,
  • asylum seekers and stateless persons,
  • spouses or life partners of German nationals,
  • proof of special integration achievements (for example voluntary work).

 

If you have any questions about the special requirements, please call the advice centres of the Registry Office ("Standesamt") in Frankfurt am Main at 069/212-36291 (Monday to Friday from 09.00 am to 12.00 noon). Please note that the official language is German.

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:

If you are a citizen of an EU country or Switzerland: Fact sheet for EU or Swiss nationals (pdf , 8KB)Download Link

 

General documents:

  • One recent passport photo of each person to be naturalised
  • Valid passport (EU citizens need an identification card too)
  • Valid residence permit 

 

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.de to find translators.  

  • 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
  • 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”
  • Diploma from a vocational school
  • Degree certificate from a German university
  • Certificate of successful completion of the integration course

 

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

  • Current school certificate
  • All certificates

 

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 or II (“Arbeitslosengeld I or II”), 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 8 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.

Fees
  • The Regional Council in Darmstadt ("Regierungspräsidium Darmstadt") states that the naturalisation fee is € 255 in total for an adult. 
  • If a minor is naturalised alone, the fee is € 255.
  • If minors are naturalised with a parent, the fee is € 51.
  • If the application is rejected or withdrawn, you might still have to pay up to 75% of the fees.

 

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

 

Minors who have reached the age of 16 must do the application themselves.

Applications and forms

Please note that all applications and forms are available in German only.

If you are a citizen of an EU country or Switzerland: Fact sheet for EU or Swiss nationals (pdf , 8KB)Download Link