Filling In the German Citizenship Application – Antrag auf Einbürgerung

Applying for German citizenship is not a form you finish in one sitting; it is a file you build: the application, the documents, the certificates and a complete record of your residence. What holds most people up is not a refusal but a gap in the file, discovered months into the wait.

This walkthrough goes through the Antrag auf Einbürgerung section by section, so you know what is being asked before you start.

Which office is responsible?

Citizenship is applied for at the naturalisation authority (Einbürgerungsbehörde) for your place of residence — in the municipality or the district. That is why there is no single federal form: each authority publishes its own. The general conditions and the test, on the other hand, are federal.

What the video explains

• The basic requirements to consider before applying at all
• The main sections of the Antrag auf Einbürgerung
• Entering your personal details and residence history accurately
• The fields on work, income and language
• The family details and who is included in the application with you
• The mistakes that send a file back to the beginning

The official form and the responsible office

The form on the button above is the state-wide application for NRW, and the cities of that state use it. Naturalisation is a municipal matter: outside NRW each state issues its own form, while the steps and the conditions are the same. Ask the Einbürgerungsbehörde of your own city before you start filling anything in.

The form comes from the naturalisation authority in your own city. The federal reference for the conditions and the test is BAMF, the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, which runs a free official practice test that makes every unofficial app unnecessary:

• The official BAMF naturalisation page
• The official BAMF online practice test centre

Common mistakes that delay a case

• Gaps in the residence history, or dates that do not match the documents
• Attaching a language certificate below the required level
• Leaving minor children out of the application where they belong
• Submitting unclear copies or documents without an official translation
• Signing without reading the declarations about the previous nationality

Frequently asked questions

Is the form the same throughout Germany?
No. Each naturalisation authority has its own. What is uniform at federal level are the legal conditions and the citizenship test.

Where can I practise for the citizenship test?
At the official BAMF practice test centre linked above, which holds the complete official catalogue: three hundred general questions and ten per federal state. We also walk through them in part one and part two.

How long does a decision take?
It varies widely between cities. A complete file first time is what shortens the wait most.

Do I keep my original nationality?
That is a legal question governed by rules that change, and it is assessed according to your country of origin and your circumstances. Ask the naturalisation authority rather than relying on hearsay.

Please note: This explains a form and does not replace advice from the naturalisation authority. Citizenship law changes; the responsible authority’s decision is what binds.

Watch the video

The video is on the OK+ channel on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_rfJJ5QQec

Also on OK+

• Citizenship test – part one
• Citizenship test – part two

A tool that shortens the road

The OK Plus DE app gathers German administrative calculators and form templates in one place, free, ad-free, in seven languages. Android and iPhone, from the same page:
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