How long does it take to get citizenship in Germany?

The naturalization process in Germany takes 3–30 months on average (7.5 months typical). You need 5 years (reduced from 8 in June 2024) before applying.

What are the steps to get Germany citizenship?

1. Application submission (0–2 months). 2. Document review (1–6 months). 3. Background check (1–12 months). 4. Decision & certificate (1–12 months)

What is the residency requirement for Germany citizenship?

You need 5 years (reduced from 8 in June 2024) to be eligible for naturalization in Germany. Varies massively by city: Nuremberg ~6mo, Berlin ~7mo, Frankfurt ~30mo.

Overview Salaries Tax Cost of Living Housing Visa Routes PR & Citizenship Healthcare Education Passport Happiness Retirement Safety

Immigration Tracker

Germany — Citizenship Timeline

5 years (reduced from 8 in June 2024) → 4 processing steps → passport

Average Total

7.5mo

Range

3–30mo

Speed Rank

#2 of 19

Residency Req.

5 years (reduced from 8 in June 2024)

Processing Steps

1Application submission0.5mo avg (0–2 months)

At local Einbürgerungsbehörde

2Document review2mo avg (1–6 months)

Completeness check, may request additional docs

3Background check3mo avg (1–12 months)

Security clearance via BfV

4Decision & certificate2mo avg (1–12 months)

Einbürgerungsurkunde issued

Total processing time

Fast7.5 months average

Important Notes

Varies massively by city: Nuremberg ~6mo, Berlin ~7mo, Frankfurt ~30mo. Dual citizenship allowed since June 2024.

City-by-City Processing Times

Processing varies dramatically by city in Germany.

City	Min	Avg	Max	Speed
Nuremberg	6mo	7.5mo	9mo	Fast
Cottbus	6mo	9mo	12mo	Fast
Berlin	6mo	10.5mo	15mo	Moderate
Landkreis Munich	6mo	7.5mo	9mo	Fast
Hamburg	12mo	14mo	16mo	Moderate
Cologne	12mo	15mo	18mo	Moderate
Heidelberg	12mo	14mo	16mo	Moderate
Baden-Württemberg avg	14mo	18mo	22mo	Moderate
Munich (city)	18mo	24mo	30mo	Slow
Düsseldorf	24mo	36mo	48mo	Slow
Stuttgart	24mo	36mo	48mo	Slow
Giessen	20mo	24mo	28mo	Slow
Frankfurt	26mo	28mo	30mo	Slow

How Germany compares

Average naturalization processing time, all 19 countries. Germany highlighted.

Key Insight

Varies wildly by city: Nuremberg 7mo vs Frankfurt 28mo

Based on 500 community-tracked data points.

Source: HalloGermany.com, AllAboutBerlin.com, TheLocal.de, official Einbürgerungsbehörde data · Last updated: 2026-01

Explore other countries

Netherlands France Spain Portugal Ireland Austria Sweden Denmark Finland United States Canada Australia United Kingdom Switzerland New Zealand United Arab Emirates Saudi Arabia Qatar