Naturalization

If you are interested in submitting an application, please send us an e-mail at einbuergerungen@jena.de(link sends email) with details of

• Your name,
• your date of birth
• your marital status,
• your country of origin and
• your period of residence, if applicable.

You will receive a list of the documents required for naturalization tailored to your individual case.

Current processing time: 18 months

We kindly ask you to refrain from asking about the current processing status within the processing period of 18 months. By doing so, you will help us to use our resources to process the applications in hand.

To ensure equal treatment of all applicants, applications are generally processed according to the date of receipt. We would like to point out that hiring legal counsel will not speed up the processing of a naturalization application. Filing an action for failure to act will also not result in faster processing.

We will record your expression of interest and send you an appointment. We are currently allocating appointments for 2026.

Regularly required documents are for example

• extended registration certificate (application at the Citizens' Service)
• Passport or other documents to establish identity and to prove citizenship and residence status
• Proof of marital status (e.g. birth certificate, marriage certificate if applicable, final divorce decree)
• Current passport photo (only for over 16-year-olds)
• Proof of income and assets (e.g. certificates of income, rental agreement, tax assessment notices, pension assessment notices, social benefit notices)
• Certificate of health insurance
• Proof of sufficient knowledge of German in accordance with the requirements of the language test for the German certificate (language level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) in oral and written form
• Naturalization test to prove knowledge of the legal and social order and living conditions in Germany (naturalization test is not required if proof of graduation from a German secondary school or a comparable or higher school-leaving certificate from a German general education school can be provided)
• school-leaving certificates from schools, universities, etc.
• Handwritten, completed curriculum vitae (for persons over 16 years of age)
• for pupils, the end-of-year reports from the last four years

Further documents may be required, e.g. proof of special residence status (asylum seeker, foreign refugee, etc.).

For documents in a foreign language, in addition to the original, a German translation by an interpreter based in Germany and publicly appointed or sworn for courts or authorities is required.

Payment is due at the end of the application process. Please pay by EC or credit card.

Naturalization confers German citizenship on a foreign national. In order to acquire German citizenship, the following requirements must be met:

1. eligibility for naturalization in accordance with Section 10 of the Citizenship Act (StAG)

• Legal residence in Germany for at least five years
• In the case of special integration achievements (e.g. integration course, language level C1 and economic independence), the required period of residence can be reduced to three years
• the naturalization applicant is an EU citizen entitled to freedom of movement or holds a settlement permit or a specific residence permit
• Commitment to the free democratic basic order of the Basic Law (declaration of loyalty)
• No anti-constitutional activities or conviction for a criminal offense
• Securing a livelihood without claiming social benefits (in particular benefits according to SGB II and SGB XII)
• No conviction for a criminal offense
• Sufficient German language skills
• Knowledge of the legal and social order and living conditions in Germany (successful participation in a naturalization test)

Under certain circumstances, spouses and minor children can also be naturalized, even if they have not been legally resident in Germany for five years.

2. discretionary naturalization according to § 8 and 9 StAG

If the legal requirements are met, naturalization can be granted at the discretion of the supervisory authority (Thuringia State Administration Office) if a public interest in naturalization is established in the individual case or if naturalization serves to avoid particular hardship.