🇩🇪 Germany
🌍 Global🇩🇪 Germany
EN
ENDEES
Immigration & Residency

How long does German citizenship take?

Estimated wait
6 months – 2.5 years
Typically ~1 year
Based on published sources
By case
  • Faster cases
    ~9 months
  • Average cases
    ~1 year
  • Slower cases
    Up to 2.5 years
This is the processing time after you submit a complete application. It does NOT include the 5+ years of lawful residence required before you can apply, nor the wait to get an appointment.

Naturalisation now takes well over a year in most German cities. A 2026 survey of the 50 largest cities by Mediendienst Integration found processing runs longer than one year in almost all of them, and longer than two years in half — and that clock starts only once your application is in. Getting an appointment to submit it can add up to two years on top in the busiest offices, which is why published figures differ so widely: they are not all measuring the same thing.

More details

The backlog explains the wait. Munich alone had roughly 40,200 open applications, Hamburg 32,000, and the Darmstadt administrative district covering Frankfurt and Wiesbaden about 66,000. In 28 of the 36 cities that reported numbers, the backlog had grown compared with the previous year — even though new applications fell around 10 percent in 2025, to some 189,000. The June 2024 citizenship reform widened eligibility and demand has not eased since.

Where you apply matters enormously: published city ranges run from roughly 6–12 months in Duisburg to 12–24 months in Berlin.

How the process works

  1. 1Live in Germany lawfully for at least 5 years. This is an eligibility requirement — the processing time shown above has not started yet.
  2. 2Book an appointment and submit your complete application. In big cities the appointment alone can take weeks to months.
  3. 3The naturalisation authority (Einbürgerungsbehörde) processes your case and checks with the police, federal registry and immigration office. This step is the 12–30 months shown at the top. ↑ the time on this page
  4. 4Attend the ceremony and receive your naturalisation certificate — you are now a German citizen.

By city

Berlin1.5 years2
Bremen1 year2
Dortmund11 months2
Duisburg9 months2
Düsseldorf11 months2
Essen12 months2
Frankfurt1 year2
Hamburg11 months2
Hannover12 months2
Köln1 year2
München1 year2
Stuttgart11 months2

Sources

einbuergerungsservice.de (Mai 2026)6 months–2 years
anwalt.org (Einbürgerung-Dauer)1 year–2.5 years
Make it in Germany1 year–2.5 years

Related topics

Residence required for German citizenshipResidence Permit (Aufenthaltstitel)National Visa (Nationales Visum)Work Permit (Arbeitserlaubnis)Settlement Permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis)
Last updated: 22 Jul 2026

Information is for general knowledge only.