What German citizenship really costs in 2026 — the full family budget
Beyond the 255 € fee: B1 exam, Einbürgerungstest, certified translations and document verification, per-child fees — a realistic naturalization budget for a single applicant and for a family of four from India, Pakistan or Bangladesh.
255 € is only the headline
The application fee is fixed by law. The real budget is the fee plus the certificates you need to earn and the paperwork you need to translate — and for a family it multiplies. Here is the honest arithmetic.
Realistic all-in for one adult who still needs B1 + test
≈ 500–700 €
255 € application + 25 € test + 150–230 € B1 exam + translations for foreign documents (no apostille — Germany rejects IN/PK/BD apostilles; budget the verification fee instead). Already hold B1 (or a German degree) and the test certificate? Then the state only wants 255 €.
The fixed fees (set by law)
255 €
Application, per adult — also for minors applying alone
51 €
Per minor child co-naturalized WITH a parent (§10 Abs. 2)
25 €
Einbürgerungstest participation fee
Fee reductions and installment plans exist for low incomes and families with several children — at the authority's discretion (§38 StAG practice). It never hurts to ask in writing.
The variable costs most budgets miss
| Provider | Typical cost | When you pay it |
|---|---|---|
B1 exam (Goethe / telc / ÖSD) DTZ via integration course is often cheaper or covered. | 150–230 € | Skip if you already hold B1+, a German school certificate, or a German-taught degree |
Einbürgerungstest Best Train free with all 460 official questions on this site. | 25 € | Skip if you hold a German school-leaving certificate |
Document verification (if the Behörde initiates it) Do NOT buy an apostille: Germany rejects apostilles from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh (it formally objected to all three accessions) — that money is wasted. Submit plain originals + sworn translations. | India ~150–250 € trusted-lawyer Urkundenüberprüfung · Pakistan PKR 75,000 · Bangladesh BDT 28,000 | Only when the authority doubts a document's authenticity |
Certified translations | ~30–80 € per document page | Every non-German civil document |
Passport photos, copies, postage | ~20–40 € | Filing time |
DTZ via integration course is often cheaper or covered.
- Typical cost
- 150–230 €
- When you pay it
- Skip if you already hold B1+, a German school certificate, or a German-taught degree
Train free with all 460 official questions on this site.
- Typical cost
- 25 €
- When you pay it
- Skip if you hold a German school-leaving certificate
Do NOT buy an apostille: Germany rejects apostilles from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh (it formally objected to all three accessions) — that money is wasted. Submit plain originals + sworn translations.
- Typical cost
- India ~150–250 € trusted-lawyer Urkundenüberprüfung · Pakistan PKR 75,000 · Bangladesh BDT 28,000
- When you pay it
- Only when the authority doubts a document's authenticity
- Typical cost
- ~30–80 € per document page
- When you pay it
- Every non-German civil document
- Typical cost
- ~20–40 €
- When you pay it
- Filing time
Two worked examples
Single Blue-Card holder, B1 already certified, test not yet taken: 255 € (application) + 25 € (test) + ~50 € (birth-certificate certified translation) ≈ 330 €.
Family of four (two adults, two co-naturalized kids), one adult still needs B1: 2 × 255 € + 2 × 51 € + 2 × 25 € (tests) + ~200 € (B1 exam) + ~250 € (documents ×4) ≈ 1,270 € — spread over the months of preparation, not one bill.
After the Urkunde: the passport-side costs
Becoming German triggers one more round: Personalausweis + Reisepass (German side), and for Indians the passport-surrender + renunciation-certificate fees at the Indian mission, then optionally the OCI card. Pakistanis (since January 2026) and Bangladeshis keep their citizenship — see dual citizenship 2026.
Last updated: 2026-07-19
Keine Rechtsberatung — general information, not legal or financial advice. Fees for foreign documents vary by consulate and Land.