Documents for your application

Naturalisation is handled by the Einbürgerungsbehörde (also called Staatsangehörigkeitsbehörde) of your city or district, not by BAMF. Each authority publishes its own checklist and forms, and many now offer online applications. Always follow your authority's list. The items below are only a typical overview.

• Valid passport (or other proof of identity and nationality)
• Current residence permit or permanent residence card
• Registration certificate (Meldebescheinigung) and, if requested, proof of earlier addresses
• Biometric passport photo, if requested

• Birth certificate
• Marriage certificate or divorce decree, if applicable
• Birth certificates of children who are to be naturalised with you

Foreign documents often need a certified German translation, and sometimes an apostille or legalisation. Ask which rules apply to documents from your country.

• Employment contract and recent payslips, or for self-employed people tax assessments and business figures
• Proof of health insurance
• Proof of pension provision (for example a statement from the Deutsche Rentenversicherung)
• Rental contract and proof of rent, if requested
• Notices about any benefits you receive

• B1 language certificate (or the evidence for an exemption)
• Einbürgerungstest certificate, a 'Leben in Deutschland' result of at least 17, or proof of a German school-leaving qualification
• Signed commitment to the free democratic basic order and loyalty declaration (forms come from the authority)
• Declaration about criminal convictions and pending proceedings, in Germany and abroad

The fee is €255 per adult and €51 per minor child naturalised with a parent. A minor naturalised alone pays €255. Reductions or instalments may be possible on low income or with several children; ask your authority. Keep copies of everything, report changes during processing, and check that your residence permit and passport stay valid until the certificate is handed over.