Einbürgerung Verleihung der deutschen Staatsangehörigkeit für Ehegatten oder Lebenspartner eines Deutschen

You can apply for naturalization if you are married to a German or living together in a (registered) civil partnership. Naturalization gives you German citizenship and makes you an equal citizen of the Federal Republic of Germany with all the rights and obligations of a German citizen.

Among other things, you can exercise your right to vote, enjoy freedom of movement in Europe and can also travel to many countries outside Europe.

Foreign nationals can be naturalized under simplified conditions if they are married to a German or live together in a registered civil partnership.

If you meet the requirements, you are entitled to acquire German citizenship.

This means that you must have been legally resident in Germany for 3 years, the marriage with the German citizen must be validly concluded for the German legal system and have existed for 2 years at the time of naturalization. During this time, the German spouse must have been a German citizen / German national or status German / status German.

Your identity and nationality have been clarified, you have the capacity to act or are legally represented.

As a rule, you are capable of acting if you have reached the age of 16.

You have a residence status suitable for naturalization. You are able to support yourself and your dependent family members without receiving public benefits. This also includes adequate insurance against illness, the need for long-term care, occupational disability and old age. You have a home or accommodation in Germany. You must generally give up or lose your foreign citizenship. You do not have a (significant) criminal record. You have sufficient knowledge of the German language and civic knowledge. Your integration into the German way of life is guaranteed, i.e. you are not married to several spouses at the same time.

You are committed to the free democratic basic order of the Basic Law, i.e. you do not support or have not supported any anti-constitutional activities, unless you have credibly renounced any previous persecution or support.

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

• Application for naturalization
• Passport
• Residence permit
• birth certificate
• Marriage certificate
• Divorce decree from previous marriage, if applicable
• Proof of German citizenship of the spouse (passport, identity card, extended registration information, naturalization certificate and others)
• Proof of language skills (e.g. B1 certificate)
• Certificate of living in Germany/naturalization test
• Pension insurance history
• Employment contract
• Last three payslips
• For self-employed persons:
• Current income tax assessment notice
• Informal certificate from the tax advisor on the net income of the last three months or business management evaluation
• Proof of health insurance cover
• Proof of pension provision

Further documents may be required depending on the individual case.

When submitting foreign documents, please refer to the information on the homepage of the Federal Foreign Office (www.auswaertiges-amt.de) under the heading International document traffic.

Foreign certificates or documents must be submitted with a translation by an authorized translator.

You can find out which translators are authorized on the following website:

www.justiz-dolmetscher.de/suche.jsp

The translation must be firmly attached to a copy of the document and sealed.

You must have submitted an application for naturalization.

The following requirements apply to the naturalization of German spouses or partners:

• You must be married to a German or a German national or living together in a registered civil partnership.
• The marriage or registered civil partnership must be valid for the German legal system and have existed for two years Your spouse or registered civil partner must have been a German citizen during this time.
• You must be legally and habitually resident in Germany,

This means that you must be legally resident in Germany on a permanent basis; Germany is the center of your life. As a rule, a legal residence of at least three years is required.

• At the time of naturalization, you must have a permanent right of residence or a residence permit suitable for naturalization (for example, a residence permit for the purpose of studying is not suitable for naturalization).
• Your identity and nationality must be clarified.
• You must have legal capacity or be legally represented.

Anyone over the age of 16 has the capacity to act (unless they are legally incompetent or, if they are of legal age, would have to be looked after in this matter and subject to a reservation of consent),

• You must have no criminal record.

This means that you have not been convicted of an unlawful offense, nor have you been ordered to undergo a detention order due to incapacity.

The following are not taken into account

-educational measures or correctional measures under the Juvenile Courts Act

-convictions for fines of up to 90

daily rates

- sentences of up to three months' imprisonment that have been suspended and remitted after the probation period has expired.

If you are currently under investigation on suspicion of a criminal offence, the naturalization procedure must be suspended until the proceedings have been concluded.

Exception: For reasons of public interest or to avoid particular hardship, exemption from punishment may be waived.

• You must be able to support yourself and your dependent family members.

This means that you must be able to support yourself and your dependents without receiving public benefits. The receipt of or entitlement to benefits from the basic income support for jobseekers or social assistance (e.g. unemployment benefit II) precludes naturalization. The ability to support oneself also includes sufficient social security against illness, the need for care, occupational disability or incapacity to work and for old age.

Exception: For reasons of public interest or to avoid particular hardship, the ability to support yourself may be waived.

• You must live in an apartment or accommodation in Germany.
• Your integration into German living conditions must be guaranteed. This includes, in particular, that you are not married to more than one spouse at the same time.
• You must generally give up or lose your previous citizenship.
• You must have sufficient knowledge of the German language (e.g. B1 language certificate), unless there is an exceptional reason.

An exception is permitted if you are unable to meet the language requirements due to a physical, mental or psychological illness or disability or due to your age.

• You should have knowledge of the legal and social order and living conditions in Germany.

and

• You must not support or have supported any anti-constitutional activities, unless you have credibly renounced any previous persecution or support.

• You or your legal representative must submit the application for naturalization.
• You can apply online or in writing.
• The naturalization authority will check the requirements and decide on your application.

The further procedure now depends on whether you are allowed to keep your previous citizenship or whether you have to give it up:

a) It is not necessary to give up your foreign nationality.

In exceptional cases, multiple nationality is accepted. If you are allowed to keep your previous nationality, you will be naturalized while accepting multiple nationalities.

b) Renunciation of nationality is required before naturalization.

If your previous citizenship must be renounced before naturalization can be completed, you will receive a so-called naturalization assurance from the naturalization authority. This guarantees naturalization in the event that you can prove that you have renounced your previous citizenship. You must then apply to be released from your previous citizenship.

To apply for release from your existing citizenship, please contact the competent representation of the other country.

Please provide proof of the loss of your foreign citizenship to your naturalization authority.

• If the requirements are still met, you will receive a naturalization certificate. When you receive your naturalization certificate, you become a German citizen.
• You must make the following solemn declaration before receiving the certificate: I solemnly declare that I will respect the Basic Law and the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany and will refrain from doing anything that could harm it.
• Once the procedure has been completed, the decision will be communicated to the competent registration authority, the immigration authority and the register of decisions on citizenship matters (EStA) kept at the Federal Office of Administration.

• Naturalization Conferral of German citizenship for spouses or partners of Germans
• You will be naturalized upon your application with a shortened period of residence if your spouse or partner is German or German and you meet the legal requirements.
• The same fees apply as for naturalization.
• Competent authority: Naturalization authority of the respective place of residence