Naturalisation after the 2024 reform: who qualifies

Germany's modernised nationality law (Staatsangehörigkeitsgesetz, StAG) took effect on 27 June 2024. The main changes were:

• The minimum residence period fell from eight to five years
• Multiple citizenship became generally allowed, for new citizens and for Germans who acquire another nationality
• Children born in Germany to foreign parents acquire German citizenship at birth if one parent has lived lawfully in Germany for more than five years and has a permanent right of residence
• Former guest workers need only spoken German and no longer have to take the test
• Stricter rules apply to self-sufficiency, polygamy, gender equality and antisemitic or racist acts

The 2024 reform introduced a three-year route for applicants with 'special integration achievements' and C1 German. Parliament abolished it in October 2025: the Bundestag voted on 8 October 2025, the law was promulgated on 27 October 2025 (BGBl. 2025 I Nr. 256), and it took effect on 30 October 2025. Since then, five years is the general minimum again. Published reports say the law contains no transitional protection for applications that were still pending. If you applied under the three-year rule, ask your authority how your case is being handled.

In general you need all of the following (§ 10 StAG):

• Five years of lawful, habitual residence
• Clarified identity and nationality
• A permanent right of residence or a qualifying residence permit
• Self-sufficiency without Bürgergeld or social assistance, with some exceptions
• No relevant criminal convictions
• German at B1 level
• Knowledge of the legal and social order, usually by passing the Einbürgerungstest
• The commitment (Bekenntnis) to the free democratic basic order and the loyalty declaration

If you do not meet every requirement, discretionary naturalisation (Ermessenseinbürgerung) may still be possible in some cases. Your local authority can advise you.

You must commit to the free democratic basic order of the Grundgesetz. Since the reform you must also acknowledge Germany's special historical responsibility for the Nazi regime and its consequences, in particular the protection of Jewish life, the peaceful coexistence of peoples and the ban on wars of aggression.

The law now states expressly that antisemitic, racist or otherwise inhuman acts are incompatible with the Grundgesetz's guarantee of human dignity and violate the free democratic basic order. Naturalisation is excluded if there are factual indications that your commitment is untrue. A conviction for an act with an antisemitic, racist or otherwise inhuman motive is never treated as a disregarded minor offence. The test catalogue also includes questions on Jewish life and on Germany's responsibility towards Israel.

Minor convictions are generally disregarded, for example fines of up to 90 daily rates or a suspended prison sentence of up to three months after probation has ended. Several minor sentences can be added together. Sentences slightly above these limits are decided case by case. If an investigation is pending, the naturalisation is put on hold. Convictions abroad count too and must be declared in the application.

Spouses, registered partners and minor children can usually be naturalised together with the main applicant, sometimes with shorter residence. From age 16 you can apply yourself; parents apply for younger children. Former guest workers who came to West Germany under recruitment agreements up to 1974, or as contract workers to the GDR up to 1990, have easier language rules and no test requirement. Spouses who joined them shortly afterwards get the same easier rules. This guide is general information, not legal advice. For your own case, speak to your Einbürgerungsbehörde or a recognised advice service such as the Migrationsberatung für erwachsene Zuwanderer (MBE).