Naturalization Conferral of German citizenship for foreigners without a claim to naturalization (discretionary naturalization)
A foreigner who is legally resident in Germany, whose identity and nationality have been established, but who does not meet all the requirements for naturalization, can be naturalized at their own discretion upon application. If they are capable of acting, have no criminal record and can generally support themselves and their dependent family members from their own resources, the citizenship authority will check whether there is a public (state) interest in naturalization or whether naturalization can be granted to avoid particular hardship.
A foreigner who is legally resident in Germany, whose identity and nationality have been clarified, but who does not meet all the requirements for naturalization, can be naturalized on a discretionary basis upon application.
The documents to be submitted are basically the same as those for naturalization.
Registration certificates
For children under 14 of unmarried parents: proof of custody;
in the case of joint parental custody, a declaration of consent from the other parent with custody, if applicable;
Power of attorney if necessary;
Valid national passport, (especially for EU nationals) valid identity card or, in individual cases, other official identity documents (especially those with a photograph),
Civil status documents (birth certificate, marriage certificate, divorce decree or death certificate of the spouse, if applicable) - with translation, legalization or apostille, if applicable,
Valid residence permit (if no entitlement to freedom of movement),
Proof of German and civic knowledge, e.g. German certificate at level B1 or higher,
so-called naturalization test or certificate "Living in Germany/naturalization test", if applicable, certificates of school, vocational, training and/or study qualifications obtained in Germany;
If applicable, current school certificate and school reports, or current certificate of study;
Proof of ability to support yourself: proof of your own and, if applicable, your family's income (employment contract, salary statements), in the case of self-employed persons, tax office notices, business registration if applicable, proof of profit made (e.g. informal certificate from the tax consultant on net income or business analysis),
If applicable, proof of receipt of public benefits, pension certificate;
Proof of own health insurance cover, pension provision (pension insurance history and pension information, proof of private pension provision if applicable) and proof of cover in the event of nursing care and, if applicable, corresponding proof from family members.
Further documents may be added depending on the individual case and may also be requested by the naturalization authority.
Please note the following information:
Foreign certificates or documents must be submitted with a translation by a licensed translator. Authorized translators can be found at www.justiz-dolmetscher.de/Recherche,
Translations must be firmly attached to a copy of the document and sealed;
whether foreign documents must be submitted in legalized form depends on the specific case/country of origin; further information can be found on the homepage of the Federal Foreign Office (www.auswaertiges-amt.de) under the heading "International document traffic".
In the case of discretionary naturalization in accordance with Section 8 StAG, the requirements for eligibility for naturalization must also be met. However, in the public interest in (privileged) naturalization or to avoid particular hardship in the event of refusal of naturalization, in particular the independent ability to support oneself (in the case of an unjustifiable (supplementary) receipt of benefits) or criminal integrity may be waived.
The regular fee is EUR 255.00. For underage children without their own income who are naturalized together with a parent (co-naturalization), the fee is EUR 51.00.
Additional costs may be incurred
- for the submission of civil status certificates,
- for proof of civic knowledge or language skills,
- for translations of foreign documents by sworn translators and certification/legalization fees
Applications can be submitted online or in writing:
In any case - even if you apply online - you will need to attend an appointment at the citizenship authority responsible for your place of residence, among other things to declare your commitment to the free democratic basic order, to verify your identity and to inspect the original documents.
The naturalization authority at the Ministry of the Interior, Building and Sport then checks whether you meet all the requirements for naturalization, requests any other documents required for the decision and decides on your application.
If all the requirements are met, the office accepting your application will issue you with the naturalization certificate and you will become a German citizen.
Under German law, you can retain your previous citizenship(s). Please contact the respective state authorities to find out whether the law of your home country also permits dual citizenship or whether you will automatically lose your home country citizenship when you accept German citizenship. German authorities have no influence on this.
Due to the strong increase in interest in naturalization, considerable waiting times are currently to be expected when applying and also when processing your application.
Please do not apply for naturalization until you meet the naturalization requirements.
An appeal against the rejection of an application for naturalization can be lodged with the Saarland Administrative Court. Further details can be found in the information on legal remedies attached to the rejection notice.
There is no separate form for discretionary naturalization. The (general) application form must be used.
Ministry of the Interior, Building and Sport
10.10.2024
Your district of residence is responsible for advising you and accepting your application and, if applicable, issuing the naturalization certificate.
The Ministry of the Interior, Building and Sport is responsible for processing and deciding on applications as the naturalization authority for Saarland.
The text was automatically translated based on the German content.
A foreigner who is legally resident in Germany, whose identity and nationality have been clarified, but who does not meet all the requirements for naturalization, can be naturalized on a discretionary basis upon application.
The documents to be submitted are basically the same as those for naturalization.
Registration certificates
For children under 14 of unmarried parents: proof of custody;
in the case of joint parental custody, a declaration of consent from the other parent with custody, if applicable;
Power of attorney if necessary;
Valid national passport, (especially for EU nationals) valid identity card or, in individual cases, other official identity documents (especially those with a photograph),
Civil status documents (birth certificate, marriage certificate, divorce decree or death certificate of the spouse, if applicable) - with translation, legalization or apostille, if applicable,
Valid residence permit (if no entitlement to freedom of movement),
Proof of German and civic knowledge, e.g. German certificate at level B1 or higher,
so-called naturalization test or certificate "Living in Germany/naturalization test", if applicable, certificates of school, vocational, training and/or study qualifications obtained in Germany;
If applicable, current school certificate and school reports, or current certificate of study;
Proof of ability to support yourself: proof of your own and, if applicable, your family's income (employment contract, salary statements), in the case of self-employed persons, tax office notices, business registration if applicable, proof of profit made (e.g. informal certificate from the tax consultant on net income or business analysis),
If applicable, proof of receipt of public benefits, pension certificate;
Proof of own health insurance cover, pension provision (pension insurance history and pension information, proof of private pension provision if applicable) and proof of cover in the event of nursing care and, if applicable, corresponding proof from family members.
Further documents may be added depending on the individual case and may also be requested by the naturalization authority.
Please note the following information:
Foreign certificates or documents must be submitted with a translation by a licensed translator. Authorized translators can be found at www.justiz-dolmetscher.de/Recherche,
Translations must be firmly attached to a copy of the document and sealed;
whether foreign documents must be submitted in legalized form depends on the specific case/country of origin; further information can be found on the homepage of the Federal Foreign Office (www.auswaertiges-amt.de) under the heading "International document traffic".
In the case of discretionary naturalization in accordance with Section 8 StAG, the requirements for eligibility for naturalization must also be met. However, in the public interest in (privileged) naturalization or to avoid particular hardship in the event of refusal of naturalization, in particular the independent ability to support oneself (in the case of an unjustifiable (supplementary) receipt of benefits) or criminal integrity may be waived.
The regular fee is EUR 255.00. For underage children without their own income who are naturalized together with a parent (co-naturalization), the fee is EUR 51.00.
Additional costs may be incurred
- for the submission of civil status certificates,
- for proof of civic knowledge or language skills,
- for translations of foreign documents by sworn translators and certification/legalization fees
Applications can be submitted online or in writing:
In any case - even if you apply online - you will need to attend an appointment at the citizenship authority responsible for your place of residence, among other things to declare your commitment to the free democratic basic order, to verify your identity and to inspect the original documents.
The naturalization authority at the Ministry of the Interior, Building and Sport then checks whether you meet all the requirements for naturalization, requests any other documents required for the decision and decides on your application.
If all the requirements are met, the office accepting your application will issue you with the naturalization certificate and you will become a German citizen.
Under German law, you can retain your previous citizenship(s). Please contact the respective state authorities to find out whether the law of your home country also permits dual citizenship or whether you will automatically lose your home country citizenship when you accept German citizenship. German authorities have no influence on this.
Due to the strong increase in interest in naturalization, considerable waiting times are currently to be expected when applying and also when processing your application.
Please do not apply for naturalization until you meet the naturalization requirements.
An appeal against the rejection of an application for naturalization can be lodged with the Saarland Administrative Court. Further details can be found in the information on legal remedies attached to the rejection notice.
There is no separate form for discretionary naturalization. The (general) application form must be used.
Ministry of the Interior, Building and Sport
10.10.2024
Your district of residence is responsible for advising you and accepting your application and, if applicable, issuing the naturalization certificate.
The Ministry of the Interior, Building and Sport is responsible for processing and deciding on applications as the naturalization authority for Saarland.
The text was automatically translated based on the German content.