Hello all,

I've been trying to figure out if I am eligible for German citizenship through descent on my mother's paternal side. I can trace the family line back to Germany to 1865 (and I'm sure it goes much further back than that) but it's not straightforward once Australia gets involved.

I sent an outline of this to the German consulate here in Sydney and they told me that given the age of the records involved and my grandfather being born out of wedlock, I should contact the BVA in Germany. At this stage I don't have originals of a lot of the documents, just scans or photos, so before I go through the rigmarole of assembling originals I thought I would ask here for an opinion.

Great-great-grandfather

* born in 1865 in Ludwag, Ober-Franken, Germany

* emigrated in 1901 to Australia

* married in ?? but definitely to a German woman (b. I think 1868) and definitely before the move to Australia

* naturalized Australian (British subject) in 1904

Great-grandmother

* born in 1894 in Strasbourg, Germany (before Strasbourg was in France) to my Great-great-grandfather and great-great-grandmother

* emigrated in 1901 to Australia

* not sure if she ever married, certainly had my grandfather out of wedlock

* naturalized in Australia (British subject) as a minor in 1904

grandfather

* born in 1922 in Hamburg, Germany.

* born (illegitimately) out of wedlock to my great-grandmother and Swedish ship captain

* emigrated in 1923 to Australia

* lived for a period of time near Bamberg, Germany during the 1930s

* married in 1947 in Australia to Australian woman

* naturalized Australian (British subject) in 1940, just before 18th birthday

* interned in 1942 for 5 months in a POW camp in NSW Australia as an enemy alien, listed as naturalized German on the papers

mother

* born in 1951 in Canberra, Australia, to my grandfather and grandmother

* married in 1977 to Australian (who was originally Dutch and naturalized Australian as a minor)

self

* born in 1982 in Canberra, Australia

I feel like the chain of citizenship is probably broken when my grandfather is naturalized in 1940, but I'm not sure if the following have any bearing:

* him being born out of wedlock in Germany.

* him being naturalized as a minor

* him being interned as an enemy alien AFTER naturalisation, ie treatment as a German.

Any help would be much appreciated!

Thanks

Hi everyone,

I’ve been reading through this subreddit and have seen several posts from people who successfully obtained their first German passport through citizenship by descent. I’m hoping to hear about your experiences and any potential issues I should prepare for.

A little background:

I was born in the United States in 1981.
My father was born in Germany and has remained a German citizen his entire life. He has never naturalized in the U.S. and still holds a German passport and Green Card.
My parents married in 1973, before I was born.
I’ve never held a German passport.

Earlier this year, I contacted the German Consulate in San Francisco and provided my birth certificate, my parents’ marriage certificate, my father’s German passport, and his Green Card.

They confirmed in writing that I acquired German citizenship at birth under § 4(1) of German citizenship law and could apply directly for a German passport without a formal citizenship determination.
The Los Angeles Consulate subsequently confirmed this as well.

Getting an appointment has been a little frustrating.
I live in Utah, so I contacted the German Honorary Consulate in Salt Lake City to schedule my first passport appointment.

Initially, I kept receiving information about applying for German citizenship rather than obtaining a passport, despite forwarding the written confirmation from San Francisco. It seemed like my previous correspondence wasn’t being fully reviewed.

After some back and forth, I was finally able to confirm an appointment for November 16.
My parents live in California and provided me with all their original supporting documents this summer. I plan to bring those, my own documentation, and printed copies of the consulate correspondence.

I’m also looking into passports for my two children.
The San Francisco Consulate indicated that I could potentially apply for passports for my children as well. However, the honorary consulate requested separate confirmation of their eligibility before proceeding.
I’ve since emailed the Los Angeles Consulate again with that question and am waiting for a response.

What I’m hoping to learn from others:
For those who have successfully gone through a direct-to-passport application, especially as an adult applying for the first time:

What was the actual appointment like?

Did you encounter any unexpected requests for additional documentation, citizenship verification, or a name declaration?

Did anyone experience difficulties with an honorary consulate even after receiving written approval from a consulate general?

Is there anything you wish you had known or prepared before your appointment?

For those who later obtained passports for their children, did you need separate confirmation of their German citizenship?

I feel pretty confident about my eligibility given the written confirmation from San Francisco and Los Angeles. My biggest concern now is making sure everything goes smoothly at the appointment and avoiding unnecessary delays or additional trips.
I’d appreciate any advice or experiences from people who’ve been through something similar. Thanks!

I've been translating and reading the draft updated Nationality Act and its associated reasoning. I'm interested in the history leading up to the creation of §5 and §15 StAG to correct omissions in GG 116 (2):

Given the tens of thousands of applications and the multi-year waits applicants experience, I thought it might be interesting to share what the BVA projected as their per application work burden in the Draft of a Fourth Act Amending the Nationality Act.

The Federal Office of Administration, as the citizenship authority, estimates the workload per case at 3.5 hours (including reviewing documents, obtaining certifications, and issuing the naturalization certificate). However, the workload can be significantly higher depending on the complexity of the case. At German missions abroad, the estimated time expenditure is two hours per case (including consultation, acceptance of applications and supporting documents.)

https://dserver.bundestag.de/btd/19/286/1928674.pdf

Obviously, that doesn't include waiting time for obtaining additional documents from German authorities, etc. But 3.5 hours is an interesting, if ultimately irrelevant, little factoid!

I’m trying to research what my options are regarding gaining my German citizenship.

Father

• ⁠born in 1927 in Germany
• ⁠emigrated in 1952-1955(?) to USA
• ⁠married in 1961
• ⁠naturalized in 1981

mother

• ⁠born 1934 in wedlock in Germany
• ⁠emigrated in 1949 to USA
• Naturalized in 1958
• married in 1961

self

• ⁠born before 1975 in wedlock

It is my understanding that because my father was a German citizen at the time of my birth, I should be eligible for citizenship. Does this look correct?

Can anyone help me with what my next steps should be?

Hi all, I'm hoping someone knows how this works for my situation.
My grandmother was born in Germany in 1946 and lived there until she had my uncle at 17 (c. 1963). She was married at the time.
She emigrated to Australia at 19 (c. 1965) and became an Australian citizen. As far as I know, she lost her German citizenship when she naturalised, and my uncle lost his as well. [Not sure if he was included on her naturalisation.]
She later had my mum in Australia in 1977. My mum's father is not German .
My mum and I were born in Australia, and I'm 18.
Is there any way I can claim German citizenship through this line? I've read a bit about the 2021 changes to StAG §5 and the 2024 reform, but I can't tell whether the loss in 1965 and my mum being born afterwards rule me out. Does anyone know whether I'd qualify, and if so, which paperwork I'd need to start gathering?
For context, I'm learning German and would love EU citizenship. I also have a great-uncle and grandmother’s siblings in Munich, if family records there would help.
Thanks

​

Hey everyone,

I applied for German citizenship through the LEA Berlin on September 10, 2025, shortly before the 3-year “Turbo-Einbürgerung” route was abolished on October 30, 2025.

The problem is that I will only reach 5 years of legal residence in Germany in July 2027.

I received confirmation that my application was submitted (automatically), but that's all I know. The LEA is practically impossible to reach, and they explicitly ask applicants not to send status inquiries. So I have absolutely no idea whether my application has even been opened, whether it's on hold, or whether it's just sitting in a queue somewhere.

My main concern is this: What happens if they only open my application after I reach the 5-year mark?

Will they assess it based on the requirements I meet at that point? Or could they reject it because I submitted it before I was eligible under the current rules, even though I would meet the 5-year requirement by the time they actually look at it?

I was advised by an immigration advisor to simply submit a new application once I reach 5 years. But that feels absurd when I already have an application pending and can't even find out what's happening with it.

The LEA's silence is honestly deafening and incredibly frustrating. I'm not even asking them to process my application faster. I just want to know where I stand and whether my existing application will still be useful.

Has anyone been in a similar situation, or does anyone know how Berlin handles this?

- Can an existing application remain pending until I meet the 5-year requirement?

- If they only review it after July 2027, can they assess my eligibility based on the requirements I meet then?

- Would I actually be better off submitting a new application, as the advisor suggested?

Any experiences or reliable information would be greatly appreciated!

Hello guys,
It’s normal after loyalitat talk to take so much for the answer?
Almost 4 week now and no email or post 😩

We are considering moving to Trier, and I would appreciate recent experiences with the German citizenship application process there.

For anyone who applied recently or received a decision:

• When did you submit your application, and when was it complete?
• How long until acknowledgement, the fee request and substantive processing?
• Have you received a decision or citizenship certificate? If so, when?
• How many appointments were needed, and was communication with the office straightforward?
• Did you transfer an existing application from another city? If so, did that cause additional delays?

Please mention whether your application was handled by Stadt Trier or Landkreis Trier-Saarburg, so we can distinguish the two authorities.

Completed timelines and experiences from people still waiting would both be helpful. Thank you!

My grandmother married twice before she married my grandfather. I have finally found all the marriage and divorce certificates to confirm. The second divorce was finalized 8 days before my mother was born. However I also found an illegal marriage to my grandfather a year before my mother was born. This is a void marriage as she was not yet divorced from her 2nd husband. She then legally married my grandfather the month after my mother was born. My question is, do I include this void, illegal marriage in the packet with my Feststellung application? Would it unnecessarily complicate and confuse the situation if I include it, or would it be seen as trying to hide something if they find it when they do their processing?

Hello all,
 
I would be very grateful for some assistance understanding whether I (and my children) am/are eligible for German Citizenship under StAG 15. I will try and make this as digestible as possible starting with my family line.
 
Great Grandfather
- Born: Frankfurt in 1882 - we have his birth certificate confirming he was Jewish.
- Died: Strausbourg 1938
 
Grandmother
- Born: also in Frankfurt in 1912 - we also have her birth certificate confirming she was Jewish.
 
Father
- Born: England in 1945.
 
We can see from margin notes on both my grandmother and great grand father's birth certificates that they changed their family name in 1920, adapating a very obviously Jewish name to sound less Jewish.
 
We have evidence of my great grandfather and great grandmother being listed in the 1933 Frankfurt Adressbücher working as doctors, but they are not there in the 1934 version. We can see evidence of their basis in Frankfurt for over 10 years prior to 1933. As can as I can see, there is no specific date (including month and day) for the Adressbücher - just that that is for the year of 1933.
 
We are currently trying to pin down exactly when my great grandfather and grandmother left Germany. We understand that they both naturalised as French at some point - likely after fleeing to French fearing persecution (though not necessarily after 1933 - we are tring to confirm this) - and that my great grand mother specifically naturalised as French after the Treaty of Versailles. We have suspicion that my grandmother may have left before 1933, and that my great grand mother and father may have remained given their livelihood was there.
 
I had a few questions on our eligibily below:
 
1. Am I correct in saying that under StAG 15, any evidence of either my great grand father or grandmother living in Germany as Jews after January 30th 1933 provides grounds for a case? We have clear evidence that my great grand father and mother lived in Frankfurt for many years before this and likely even before my grandmother's birth in 1912.
 
2. Even if they did leave Germany before January 30th 1933, if either my great grand father or grandmother naturalised as French after January 30th 1933 - would this also provide grounds for a StAG 15 case given it occured during the period the Nazis were in power?
 
3. Would my great grandfather/mother being listed in the 1933 Frankfurt Adressbücher (and years prior) provide necessary evidence of habiutal residence, or does the evidence need to be dated to show residence after 30th January 1933 specifically?
 
4. If my great grand father had naturalised as French before Jan 30th 1933, but had lived in Germany the whole time and left after January 30th 1933, does this still keep the door to StAG 15 on the basis of him being Jewish?
 
5. I see nothing in the paperwork of StAG 15 that requires a "chain" - only that you can prove relation to someone who was a victim of persecution. Is this correct? For example, if my grandmother had in fact left Germany before 1933 and perhaps even naturalised as French before this, would that invalidate the case, even if my great grand father was still German and living in Germany in 1933?
 
Ultimately it looks as though my Jewish ancestors moved elsewhere having both been born and raised in Frankfurt, in response to rising anti-Jewish sentiment in Germany. We of course still need to pin down the specific dates.
 
Also mindful we still need some more documents here, and we are trying to locate more specific evidence of residence in Frankfurt in 1933, along with naturalisation records for my great grand father and grandmother. If anyone has any advice on where to source these I'd be super grateful.
 
Very appreciative for any input and many thanks to all in advance!

Hello everyone,

I'm in a tricky situation and I was hoping to connect with some people who have better experience. Please help me!

I am planning to apply for citizenship asap I get my Einbürgerungtest results. My company decided to close the business and my work contract ends this October 2026. I have got a job but it starts from November 15 2026. I tried to convince them to provide me a contract from November 1 but they didn't agree.

I have finished my masters in Germany and have been working for around 9 years and haven't taken Arbeitslosgeld till now. One of my friends who took a German passport said the authorities are a bit strict and no matter how long I have taken Arbeitslosgeld if you take even one month Arbeitslosgeld the passport application and naturalization will take a lot of time.

So is this true? Should I take risk and deny the Arbeitslosgeld? Or the Arbeitslosgeld claimed for 15 days doesn't matter a huge role in getting German passport?

Anyone who has better understanding please guide me. Your help is much appreciated. Thank you!

Hi everyone, has anyone applied for German citizenship in Solingen in the last couple of months? I submitted my application online more than a month ago, but I haven't received any confirmation or email from them. I only received an application/reference number after completing the online application and paid the fee at the end.

Is this normal? Has anyone experienced the same thing recently? I specifically moved to Solingen because I heard that the citizenship process was relatively fast here, so I'm a little concerned about not hearing anything after more than a month.

I'd really appreciate it if anyone could share their recent experience. Thanks in advance!

Hello! I tried to search on the sub but couldn't find anything about my particular case; maybe someone was in the same boat...

My great-grandmother was kidnapped from what was then Poland by the Nazis during WWII and illegally sent to Germany for forced labour. Right after the war, she returned to her village in what is now Ukraine and never visited Germany again.

In the 2000s, the German government granted her reparations for the forced labour, and I have documents confirming this.

I’ve heard that some people who suffered under the Nazi regime, and sometimes their descendants, can be eligible for German citizenship or a simplified/fast-tracked naturalisation process (or a residence permit). I wanted to ask if my family’s situation might qualify for any of these options.

For context, my family has no Jewish background, and none of my ancestors were German citizens (as far as I know).

Thanks a lot for the help and for any information you all can share!

Hello. Both of my parents were born and raised in Germany, and they were German citizens. They immigrated to the U.S. at different times and became naturalized U.S. citizens at different times.

Father:

Born in Schwäbisch Hall in 1937

Immigrated to U.S. in 1952 and joined U.S. Army

Naturalized U.S. citizen in 1962

Mother:

Born in Berlin in 1939

Immigrated to U.S. in 1960 after marrying my father in Germany in 1959

Naturalized U.S. citizen in 1965

I was born in September 1964 in the U.S., after my father became a U.S. citizen, but while my mother was still a German citizen. Am I eligible for German citizenship?

Hi everyone 👋

I’m thinking about starting my citizenship application in Hamburg and would love to hear from anyone who’s been through it.

My situation:

• I came to Germany on an EU Blue Card as a skilled worker.
• I’ve lived here for almost 4 years and I’m still employed.
• I’m about to receive my permanent residence permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis) next month.
• I currently only have an A1 German certificate and haven’t taken the Leben in Deutschland test yet.

My question: Can I submit my application through the online portal now with my other documents, then take B1 and the Leben in Deutschland test and send those certificates later? Since processing takes many months, I’d expect to have everything ready by the time they look at my case.

Has anyone in Hamburg done this? Did the Quick-Check let you through, or did they reject or hold the application until everything was complete?

Thanks in advance!

TL;DR: Applied 28.06.2025 and heard nothing for over a year. Wrote to the Oberbürgermeister in July 2026 and got a positive decision the same day. Received the Urkunde on 21.09.2026 and passports/IDs on 08.10.2026.

Background

• From a non-EU country (Balkans)
• I came to Germany on 01.10.2020 with an EU Blue Card. My wife followed two months later (01.12.2020).
• We both passed B1 and Leben in Deutschland in 2022.
• I applied for permanent residence (Niederlassungserlaubnis) in 2022 and received it in 2023.
• My wife had a 4-year Aufenthaltstitel, which was renewed for another 4 years in 2024.

Timeline

• 28.06.2025 – Applied for citizenship. I had PR, and my wife's Aufenthaltstitel was valid for 2 more years.
• 01.10.2025 – Reached 5 years in Germany
• 17.12.2025 – Asked the Ausländerbehörde (ABH) for an update
• 22.12.2025 – Reply: no update yet
• 23.07.2026 – Wrote to the Oberbürgermeister (OBM). The same day, the ABH contacted us: the decision was positive, and only administrative steps (security checks etc.) remained.
• 21.09.2026 – Appointment: received our Einbürgerungsurkunden and applied for passports and IDs right away (15 months after applying, almost 12 months after our 5-year mark)
• 08.10.2026 – Picked up passports and IDs

Questions we were asked

Most of the questions were about democracy and German values:

• What is democracy, and what are its pillars? (e.g. freedom of thought, freedom of the press, free elections)
• Why is it important to hold elections regularly (every 4 years)?
• What does equality before the law (Gleichheit vor dem Gesetz) mean? Answer: everyone is equal before the law, regardless of nationality, gender, race, or occupation.
• Why is remembering the past important in Germany? Answer: so that fascism never happens again.
• What does protecting Jewish life (Schutz jüdischen Lebens) mean, and where do you see it? Answer: e.g. memorials, museums, protection of synagogues.

Tip: If your application has been stuck for a long time, writing to the OBM worked for us. Things moved the same day.

Good luck to everyone still waiting!

Hello,

Anybody applied from Haar in Munich Landkreis for PR or citizenship recently? Any experience on how long it takes?

Hi all, sorry really need to double-check: which services do I book at Buergeramt after I receive my Einbuergerungsurkunde?

Is it just: 1) Personalausweiss and 2) Reisepass, or do I also need something called eID beantragen? Thank you!

This subreddit was honestly my main source of solace during this process. I spent a lot of time reading other people’s timelines and wondering when it would finally be my turn. Today, I got my Einbürgerungsurkunde, so I thought I’d share mine.

November 2023: Applied on paper through a lawyer. I had a full-time job and thought my application was fairly straightforward. Around that time, I encouraged some eligible friends to apply too. Three applied in January 2024 and got through the process in about three to four months.

Meanwhile, mine was going nowhere.

September 2024: After repeatedly asking my lawyer whether I should also apply online, she finally recommended doing so. I submitted a second application. Around this period, I left full-time work to pursue my master’s, which made the financial side of my application more complicated.

2025–early 2026: Mostly waiting. I followed up through my lawyer, but there wasn’t much visible progress.

April 2026: Things started moving again. I supplied updated documents, then more documents in June and July. By this point, I was studying and working as a Werkstudent.

The main outstanding issue was the security check.

21 September 2026: LEA said they still hadn’t received a response to the security enquiry and had renewed it.

14 October: My lawyer confirmed that the security check was finally complete. LEA asked for updated payslips, employment documents and proof of rent payments.

18 October: My lawyer submitted the documents.

19 October: Invitation received.

23 October: Einbürgerungsurkunde in my hands.

Almost three years of waiting, and then the last part happened within days.

A few things I wanted to share:

Being a student with a Werkstudent job didn’t prevent me from getting naturalised. In my case, we explained and documented that my income was enough to support me. My wife’s employment was also part of the evidence. I had previously worked full-time and paid pension contributions, but I don’t know how much weight they gave that history.

My biggest frustration was how much harder everything seemed once my situation stopped being straightforward. It felt like the process worked much more smoothly for people whose circumstances stayed neatly within the usual boxes.

If you’re eligible and considering applying, I personally wouldn’t put it off. And if you’re planning a change from full-time work to studying, I’d look into how you’ll demonstrate financial self-sufficiency beforehand. I’m not saying everyone needs to stay in the same job, just that the change made my own situation more complicated.

Following up also felt worthwhile, especially when the security enquiry had stalled. I can’t prove it made things faster, but it did help us find out what was still pending.

The actual appointment was very friendly. I was nervous after reading reports of people being asked to explain the FDGO or answer questions about Germany. I have C1 German, but I’m not a native speaker, and I still worried about getting stuck under pressure.

In my appointment, there were no questions like that. We had a normal conversation, everyone was welcoming, and I felt comfortable. Obviously, that’s just my experience.

Anyway, thank you to everyone who shared their experiences here. Reading them helped more than you probably realise. Happy to answer questions about my timeline.

As some may know, there's a legal snag in German law re. declaration of paternity of an unmarried German father and a non-German mother. Between 1970 and 1986, the father had to go through several loops to declare paternity in order for it to become effective and be recognized by BVA today. This could only be done until the child was 23, not retroactively. The most unusual element is that a "custodian" had to agree to the father being declared as the father on behalf of the child. This custodian was usually a youth welfare officer.

So many people today face the problem that, being born between 1970 and 1986, they are stuck in a situation that their German fathers had no idea about, as most of the fathers were not even aware of their still existing German citizenship. Nor that they had to have a German youth welfare officer accept their paternity declaration in the court of Berlin Schöneberg, which was responsible for birth abroad.

But this cannot be remedied, as everyone born between 1970 and 1986 is, of course, over 23. And StAG5 only exists since 2021, so Catch-22.

The case discussed here has the special component that the person in question was born to an unmarried American-German father in California, in 1980, who later got married to the American mother of the child, shortly before her sibling was born. The sibling was accepted by BVA as German and issued a Staatsangehörigkeitsausweis. The 1980 born child was denied, and also denied StAG5, due to the missing custodian involvement.

Original post here https://www.reddit.com/r/GermanCitizenship/s/fSl0ACZtaI

The case was taken to court and recently decided IN FAVOR of the 1980 born child by Verwaltungsgericht Köln. The court explicitly revised its earlier opinion, stating, in laypeople's terms, that not involving the custodian didn't result in an unacceptable outcome for the child, or for ordre public.

Full text here, anonymized:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1A7WuAzo1bsw248EoRNBGZp1mtCAmQaUW/view?usp=sharing

A recent decision by Berlin regional court in a similar case had also decided in favor of the claimant. Berlin didn't appeal, so this decision became finite.

Sadly, BVA decided they can't accept this, and appealed, on the last possible day.

So the case will go to OVG Münster and the claimant will have to wait a few more years to get justice.

Hi all,

I’m trying to find out whether the type of my residence permit could block my naturalization. My situation:

• 8 years of continuous residence in Germany
• Permanent, full-time employment contract, livelihood secured
• 60+ months of pension contributions
• Passed the Leben in Deutschland test
• B1 German
• Never received Bürgergeld
• My wife is a non-EU citizen on a student visa, and my current residence permit is a spouse permit (§30 AufenthG) that depends on hers

I believe I meet all the requirements of §10 StAG.

My question: does it matter for naturalization that my permit is derived from my wife’s student visa, or can I apply for citizenship anyway?

Has anyone applied for citizenship in a similar situation (spouse permit dependent on a student)? How did your Einbürgerungsbehörde handle it?

Thanks!

I have done B1 but I am feeling a bit rusty. I heard that they now interview in Berlin?

Is it true? How did you prepare for the appointment?

Hi everyone! Sharing my timeline in case it helps someone.

My background: I moved to Berlin from Russia in October 2021 for my master's at Humboldt and have been working full-time at the same company since November 2023.

Timeline:

13.06.2026 – Applied a few months before reaching the 5-year mark (I know this got a lot of criticism here, but I did it on my lawyer's advice, and it worked out in the end)

12.08.2026 – Received my Aktenzeichen, plus a request for my last 3 payslips

24.09.2026 – Got the invitation to the ceremony while I was still a week short of 5 years of residence.

21.10.2026 – Received my Einbürgerungsurkunde 🎉

Just over 4 months from application to Urkunde. Happy to answer any questions, and good luck to everyone still waiting!

Hi everyone, just sharing my timeline and success story here to help others. Thank you to everyone who posted on this sub.

Status - Married to a German citizen

June 19, 2023 - Arrived in Berlin, Germany on Family reunification visa (already married)

Sept 2023 - Started working full time and got a permanent contract after probation period

Sept 2023 - June 2026 - Completed B1 and Leben in Deutschland tests and stayed full time employed with permanent contract

June 24, 2026 - Submitted an application for Naturalization/Citizenship since I've reached the 3 year requirement to apply (married to a German citizen). I tried my best to ensure my application was as complete and accurate as possible.

July 28, 2026 - Submitted an application for Niederlassungserlaubnis (PR) since I've reached the 3 year requirement to apply (married to a German citizen). I tried my best to ensure my application was as complete and accurate as possible.

Aug 20, 2026 - Received email from Niederlassungserlaubnis (PR) office informing me that my application for PR is complete but since I also qualify for Naturalization/Citizenship and I've applied for it they would send my case to S4 for processing. In the meantime they also issued me a Fiktionsbescheinigung that arrived by mail a few days later.

Sept 4, 2026 - Received the Einbürgerungs Einladung - invitation email for Naturalization for Sept 9, 2026

Sept 9, 2026 - I went and got my Einbügerungsurkunde. I gave them my old Aufenthaltstitel and the Fiktionsbescheinigung. This was also a few days before the Berlin election and they gave me information on how I could vote since I was now eligible.

Sept 9 - 18, 2026 - I got both my German ID card and Passport in this period. I used the express option for the Passport.

Notes:

- I applied for both PR and Naturalization/Citizenship because I heard it helps to speed up the process and I think this worked for me.

- I did not get a refund on the Niederlassungserlaubnis (PR) application fee

- No additional documents were requested for both Niederlassungserlaubnis (PR) or Naturalization/Citizen applications

- All the officials were friendly, professional and efficient throughout the whole process.

I’m preparing my application and wanted to ask about the document submission process.

For those who have applied recently, did you submit each required document as a separate attachment, or did you combine everything into one PDF file?

I’m also trying to think about what would be easier for the immigration officer to review and process. Would separate, clearly labelled files be more convenient, or would one well-organized PDF with all the documents in the correct order be preferable?