Skip to content
All guides

The Einbürgerung process step by step — application to certificate (2026)

How a naturalization application actually runs in 2026: the document list, where to file (Berlin is online-only), realistic processing times per city, the Untätigkeitsklage remedy after 3 months of silence, and what happens at the ceremony.

Citizenship · Process

From application to Urkunde

The requirements are one thing — the procedure is another. Here is the file you actually submit, the realistic waiting times behind the official silence, and the one legal lever applicants use when nothing moves.

Last updated: 2026-07-19· Next review: 2026-10-19

National average processing time — typical, not guaranteed

~14 months

Berlin ~8–14 · Munich ~17

These are crowd-tracked figures, not promises: a post-2024 application surge created historic backlogs (Berlin: ~38,000 open cases for ~220 staff). Relief is not expected before end-2027 — file early and file complete.

Before you file: the two free pre-checks

  1. Run the readiness calculator — it catches the classic mistakes (student permit at application time, benefit receipt, the repealed fast-track) before the Behörde does.
  2. Berlin has an official online Quick-Check; Bavaria has one on the Bayernportal. If your city offers a pre-screen, use it — a rejected application still costs time.

The document file (collect it while the clock runs)

  • Passport + full residence-permit history
  • Birth certificate — plain original + sworn/certified translation
  • Meldebescheinigung (registration certificate)
  • Employment contract + recent payslips
  • Rentenversicherungsverlauf (pension record) + tax assessments
  • B1 certificate + Einbürgerungstest certificate
  • Marriage / children documents, if applicable

Foreign civil documents from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh are the slowest items in the file — but do NOT buy an apostille: Germany rejects apostilles from all three countries (it formally objected to their Apostille-Convention accessions) and German-embassy legalisation is also suspended. Submit plain originals + sworn/certified translations; if authenticity is doubted, the Behörde initiates verification via the German mission — budget months, not weeks. Start with the birth certificate: it is required, and it is the one most often missing or inconsistent.

Filing and what follows

  1. Submit the application

    Day 0

    Berlin: online only (~2 hours of forms). Munich and most cities: city-specific portals or paper. Children under 16 apply through their parents.

  2. Pay the fee

    255 € / 51 € per child

    Per adult 255 €; minors co-naturalized with a parent 51 €. Reductions and installments are possible for low incomes at the authority's discretion.

  3. Processing

    Months — see the honest numbers

    The authority may request updated payslips or documents mid-way — respond fast, every silence is added wait. Keep copies of everything you send.

  4. Nothing moving? The §75 VwGO lever

    After 3 months

    If the authority does not act for 3 months, an Untätigkeitsklage (inaction lawsuit) is a widely used, legitimate remedy — especially in Berlin. Many cases settle the moment the court file opens.

  5. Decision + ceremony

    The good day

    Citizenship becomes effective when the Einbürgerungsurkunde is handed over — often at a small ceremony, including the loyalty declaration made in person.

  6. Right after

    Week 1 as a German

    Apply for Personalausweis + Reisepass. Indians: surrender the Indian passport and obtain the renunciation certificate, then optionally OCI. Pakistanis: nothing to renounce (since Jan 2026). Bangladeshis: optional Dual Citizenship Certificate.

Processing times — the honest table

National average
Typical duration
~14 months
Backlog situation
Post-reform surge; relief expected end-2027
Berlin (LEA) Best

Crowd-tracked data; individual cases vary widely.

Typical duration
~8–14 months (avg ~292 days)
Backlog situation
~38,000 open cases / ~220 staff — but online-only filing + Quick-Check
Munich (KVR)
Typical duration
~17 months (~502 days)
Backlog situation
~22,000 open cases / ~95 staff

All processing figures are secondary/crowd-tracked data — treat them as "typical, not guaranteed". What you control is filing a complete, consistent file and answering requests quickly.

While you wait

The two requirements people leave until last are the two you can finish years early: the Einbürgerungstest (33 questions, pass at 17, certificate does not expire) and B1 German. Do them now, file complete later.

Information about German law — not legal advice. This page summarizes publicly available rules from official sources such as Make-it-in-Germany, BAMF, and state portals. Rules change frequently; thresholds, fees, and documents may differ by embassy, state, or case. This is not individualized legal advice within the meaning of the German Rechtsdienstleistungsgesetz (RDG). For advice on your specific situation, consult a licensed Rechtsanwalt or an authorized Migrationsberatung service. GermanDost accepts no liability for decisions you make based on this content.

Last updated: 2026-07-19

Keine Rechtsberatung — this guide is general information, not legal advice. Procedures differ by city; your Einbürgerungsbehörde's instructions win.

Related guides