Einbürgerung Verleihung der deutschen Staatsangehörigkeit für heimatlose Ausländer

As a homeless foreigner, you can apply for naturalization under simplified conditions.

Naturalization gives you German citizenship. This makes you an equal citizen of the Federal Republic of Germany with all rights and obligations.

With German citizenship you can, among other things

• Exercise your right to vote in the municipalities, in the federal states; to the German Bundestag and to the European Parliament.
• enjoy freedom of movement within the European Union (EU), i.e.
  • move freely within the EU,
  • be employed or self-employed in the EU and
  • travel to many countries outside the EU without a visa.

You are a stateless foreign national

• if you are stateless or
• if you have the nationality of another country and
  • had to leave your home country in connection with the 2nd World War and
  • were legally and habitually resident in the area of application of the Basic Law or Berlin (West) on 30.06.1950.

You also have the same status if you are the child of a homeless foreigner and were legally and habitually resident in the Federal Republic of Germany on January 1, 1991.

Your spouse or registered partner and your underage children will also be naturalized upon application, even if they have not lived in Germany as long as you have.

Naturalization becomes effective when the naturalization certificate is issued.

The competent authority is the citizenship authority in your place of residence.

• Application for naturalization for homeless foreigners
• Valid travel document for refugees, stateless persons or foreigners
• Documents relating to civil status, for example
  • birth certificate
  • Marriage certificate or divorce decree, if necessary with translation, legalization or apostille
• Further documents may be required in individual cases

• You are stateless or
  • You have the nationality of another country and had to leave your home country in connection with the Second World War and were in the area of application of the Basic Law or Berlin (West) on 30.06.1950, or
  • You are the child of a homeless foreigner and were residing in the Federal Republic of Germany on 01.01.1991. You must have been born before 01.01.1991
• You have been legally and habitually resident in Germany for 7 years. Your spouse and your underage children will be naturalized upon application, even if they have not yet been legally and habitually resident in Germany for 7 years.
• You have not been convicted of a criminal offense.
  • If you have been sentenced to a fine or to a juvenile or prison sentence of up to one year, the execution of which has been suspended, the conviction will not be taken into account.
  • If you are currently under investigation on suspicion of a criminal offence, the citizenship authority will suspend the naturalization procedure until the proceedings have been concluded.

Notes:

• The competent authority may grant a fee reduction or exemption for reasons of fairness or public interest.
• Additional costs may be incurred for the procurement of documents, translations and certifications.
• Additional transfer fees may apply for transfers from a foreign account

• Appeal
• Action before the competent administrative court

• are homeless foreign nationals
  • stateless persons or
  • persons with the nationality of another state who
    • had to leave their homeland in connection with the Second World War and were residing in the area of application of the Basic Law or Berlin (West) on 30.06.1950
    • children of homeless foreigners who were legally and habitually resident in the Federal Republic of Germany on 01.01.1991 are legally treated as equivalent to these children
• German citizenship with all rights and obligations is acquired upon naturalization
• German citizenship enables, for example
  • the right to vote and stand for election in the municipalities, in the federal states, to the German Bundestag and to the European Parliament,
  • freedom of movement within the European Union (EU), i.e.
    • move freely within the EU
    • be employed or self-employed in the EU
    • travel to many countries outside the EU without a visa
• The spouse and underage children can be naturalized upon application, even if they have not lived in Germany for very long