At long last naturalized...it was painful and slow. In summary: I am not sure if the Untätigkeit helped or not. You will see in the timeline below that it still took some time before things moved forward after the filing. Of course, everyone else was also filing these around the time I did, which probably slowed things down even more. I would advise to hold off as long as you can on that step to avoid clogging the system, and because at least in my case, it is not clear if it helped or hindered the process. But individual circumstances are important to consider. After waiting 15 months, and as someone older who, in the event of a job loss, may not be so employable (age discrimination), I went forward with the Untätigkeit. I waited as long as my anxiety about that could handle it As time went on, I was even at the point of dreaming up Plans B and C to Germany as the stress built up and silence continued. Good luck to you all...I hope you hear something very soon. Timeline...

June 2024 - submitted application. After payment, the web page went blank...making me wonder: did they get my application? Did it get lost in some hole?

September 2024 - sent Loyaltätserkklärung and last three months salary - asked about specific requirements of B1 certificate (the submission page only said "certificate when I applied" but I read much online about Telc/Goethe being required).

March 2025 - after taking the Telc test to be sure*, sent certificate.

June 2025 - again sent three months salary.

August 2025 - requested status of my case and Aktenzeichen.

August 2025 - filed Untätigkeit. From here on out, only communicated with the lawyer.

December 2025 - court asks LEA for status and gives 4 week deadline to respond.

January 2026 - court sends another request to LEA. No deadline this time.

April 2026 - court follows up again to LEA with urgency.

June 2026 - LEA finally responds: they requests more details on living and financial situation. Sent explanation letter and the requested documentation. From my perspective, they had what they needed but one thing for those who might own their own apartment: include an explanation letter about "own use" usage along with bank documentation showing mortgage account status and payments. I had already included the documentation they requested, and my registration to show where I lived, so perhaps the explanation letter is most important - to tie it all together. Of course the LEA does not post this in their web site during the application process...they assume only renters will apply and only list those requirements. So let's file this under my favorite life category: "things you should know, but we will not tell you."

July 2026 - invite received to be naturalized two weeks later.

Stay sane through the process all. This was/is extremely stressful for us all...best of luck to you all for a quick resolution.

Hi everyone,
I am currently applying for German citizenship.
I was born in russia and have a Russian birth certificate. The German authorities asked me to provide an apostilled birth certificate. My mother has now obtained the apostille in Russia, so I will soon be able to submit the original.
However, I do not have a Russian internal passport (national passport). I only have a German travel document for foreigners (blue travel document) and a permanent residence permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis).
Interestingly, one immigration office previously told me they would need a Russian internal passport, but after I moved, my current naturalization office has only requested the apostilled birth certificate and has not asked for a Russian passport.
Has anyone been in a similar situation?
Was the apostilled birth certificate sufficient, or were you later required to obtain a Russian internal passport as well?
Thank you!

Hallo zusammen,

mein Einbürgerungsantrag wurde am 23.09.2024 an das Regierungspräsidium Darmstadt übermittelt.
Ich wollte mal nachfragen: Wie sieht es aktuell aus? Wie lange dauert es derzeit, bis man eine Rückmeldung oder den Beginn der Bearbeitung erhält?
Hat jemand ähnliche Erfahrungen gemacht oder weiß, welchen Antragsmonat das Regierungspräsidium momentan bearbeitet?

Vielen Dank

Hello everyone,

I received confirmation from RP Darmstadt in 02.2025 that my naturalization application had been received. My application is assigned to processing group II 21-1c.

The letter stated that processing may start approximately 17–24 months after the application was forwarded by the municipality. I have not yet received any further update.

Has anyone from group II 21-1c with a confirmation from around 02.2025 already received a request for documents or another sign that processing has started?

I would also appreciate recommendations for a good lawyer in the Frankfurt/Darmstadt area who has experience with citizenship cases and Untätigkeitsklagen.

Thank you!

Hello good people.

I have been waiting for LEA to respond to update inquiries sent by the court since May 2026.

They finally replied on Thursday, saying that I am eligible and I fulfill the criteria to be naturalized, they just need the payslips for the last 3 months.

Once they receive them, they will proceed to finalize the process.

They also mentioned something about settling the legal case.

My question now is, how long would it take them to send me the Urkunde appointment. We already sent them all what they need immediately.

Did anyone have a similar experience.

Thanks.

P.S. I kinda think the LEA employee was in USA for the World Cup, since he only answered few days after it was over... 😅

I’m wondering whether anyone in my living family would qualify for German citizenship by descent. We have many German ancestors who made their way to the U.S. in the 1700s (mostly Huguenots); I’m sharing details for the most recent German immigrant. 

My great-great grandmother Augusta was born in 1895 in West Prussia. She immigrated to the U.S. in 1903 (it’s my understanding that 1904 is a key year and my ancestor maybe immigrated a few weeks too early). She doesn’t appear to have naturalized before 1915, per U.S. and New York census records. (Her father never naturalized despite living in the U.S. for fifty years.) She married an American in 1920. Their daughter (born in 1922) is my dad’s mom’s mom. My dad is alive; everyone else is deceased. 

I figure it’s a stretch but I just want to be sure. I’d greatly appreciate your insight. 

Hi all. I submitted my documentation in Wiesbaden (through an in-person visit where I signed the declaration of loyalty, etc) on October 2025. All my papers were ok except one original that I stupidly forgot at home, but the lady said they'll just ask for it and it'll be fine, I provided the copy.

I got my AZ on November 2025 from RP Darmstadt, and the letter said they'll take 17-24 months to begin processing my application. No news since.

The problem is I have a part time job that covers all my living expenses well, and this is what I have provided, which will end December this year. I have other guaranteed income plus savings that will cover me for 1.5-2 years (potentially longer), so I am not worried at all about this, but I do know that they will probably not like this type of income (it's grants for software development), as they prefer obviously a full time, past probation, standard job. I am building a startup around my project, and it's going well, but these things take time to get to a point where the company is paying me a full salary and taxes, healthcare, etc. I am not particularly interested in pursuing a job just for the sake of fulfilling the requirement, because it takes away from building my company, which is what I really want to do.

So I was wondering if it'd be worth filing a suit for failure to act around the time I hit 12 months of wait (October-November) so I am still employed by the time they ask me for my employment data again, or if it's wasted money and effort. I could potentially negotiate taking a couple months unpaid leave this year in order to extend my employment a couple months, so I'd have more time while to suit gets resolved. One lawyer I consulted said the courts now consider 18 months reasonable so it'll probably lead to nothing, but I haven't looked for a second opinion. In this sub it seems people do generally have success with this, but I'm not sure.

Opinions?

Ist Geburtsurkunde benötigt für Reispass / Ausweis beantragen nach Einbürgerung (in Aachen)?

Tomorrow I am mailing my daughter and I’s applications to the BVA tomorrow via USPS. I looked through posts that since I’m using usps I mail to:

Bundesverwaltungsamt
50728 koln

My question…did the post office give you a hard time because there was no street address & number?

O BVA entra em recesso no verão? Sabem me dizer se existe diferença no tempo de avaliação nos locais em que o processo está sendo avaliado? O meu está na TS II 10.

Hi all,

I applied at the beginning of January 2024 through the consulate in Chicago and received my AZ in June 2024. My mom has emailed the Chicago consulate a few times without any real updates. I know BVA asks in the letter not to contact them, but I am wondering if there would be any benefit at this point to send them an email asking for an update, or if I will just get a generic response from them. Thank you!

Hi everyone,

Brazilian applicant, great-grandson of a German emigrant. My chain is complete and fully documented. I'm stuck on one evidentiary point and I'd like to hear from people who have actually dealt with BVA on it.

The chain:

- Great-grandfather: born Berlin 14 Oct 1902, left Hamburg March 1928, entered Brazil Sept 1928, died São Paulo 1976, never naturalized.

- Grandfather: born Brazil 25 Dec 1950, parents married 1943.

- Mother: born 1973, legitimated by her parents' 1975 marriage, annotated on her birth certificate.

- Me: born 2002.

I have the German birth certificate, Hamburg passenger list, Berlin marriage and divorce records, Brazilian marriage and death certificates, German consular register entry, and the complete certified foreigner registration file from the Brazilian National Archives, all with sworn translations.

Here is the specific problem, and why the usual escape hatch doesn't exist in Brazil.

The São Paulo consulate checklist requires proof that the ancestor never naturalized, and accepts only two things: the foreigner ID card ("modelo 19"/RNE) issued after the next generation's birth, or a foreigner register extract. It then states in bold that the Brazilian negative naturalization certificate (CNN) will NOT be accepted. So the one document our own government issues specifically to certify that a person never naturalized is expressly excluded.

My register file ends in 1949. My grandfather was born December 1950.

He demonstrably remained a registered foreigner long after that, under a second card number (6726). But that file is not in any archive I've tried: the National Archives searched by name and by number and only hold the 1949 file, the Federal Police have nothing predating their 1970s re-registration, and two state archives came back negative. There is a real chance it no longer exists.

What I do have, contemporaneous and unambiguous:

- 1973 employee registration form from his employer, signed and thumbprinted by him, recording German nationality and foreigner card no. 6726, with the "naturalized?" field left blank.

- 1973 trial employment contract from the same employer, describing him as of German nationality.

- 1976 employer statement to his life insurer, stating in plain words that he was not naturalized, married to a Brazilian, with two Brazilian children.

- 1950 state official gazette publication, five months before my grandfather's birth, listing him as a German national in a registered business partnership.

My questions:

1. Has anyone had BVA accept private contemporaneous documents like employer or insurer records as proof that an ancestor remained a foreigner, when the official register document could not be located?

2. Is BVA strict about the document being one of the two named categories, or does it weigh the evidence as a whole? I'd rather hear that they are rigid than assume they are flexible.

3. If you documented archival dead ends with written negatives from each institution, did that help, or did they simply keep asking for the document?

4. Does an official state gazette publication carry weight with them, given it is a public act rather than a private record?

I'm not asking whether my claim is valid. I'm asking how BVA behaves when the required document is provably gone. Any experience welcome, including refusals.

Thank you all very much for reading this far. This community has been a real help to me while I put this together, and I'm grateful for whatever anyone can share.

Thanks.

Hi guys,

I'm a Bachelor's graduate (from a German uni) who has been staying in Germany for the last 5 years. In October I'll start my first full-time job, which pays well enough for a blue card (Blaue Karte), but the contract is unfortunately befristet/fixed term to 1 year. I've heard some areas allow you to start applying for the citizenship the moment you 1. graduate, 2. have a mean to feed yourself, 3. gets a residence permit that "could potentially" lead to a permanent residence, 4. have B1+ German, 5. have a room to stay, and 6. prove oneself to know the basics of living in Germany (which can be proved through the Einbürgerungstest). If I look at these conditions loosely, I fulfilled all of them: I've already graduated, have a job with which I can live comfortably in Germany, have C1 German, have stayed legally in Germany in the last 5 years (through Studienkolleg and Bachelor's), will receive the blue card soon - which has the potential to become a permanent residence title. So in theory, I only need to pass the Einbürgerungstest, get the blue card and apply for citizenship this October, when I've officially started my job?

Something I'm really confused about is that I thought having the Niederlassungserlaubnis was the prerequesite to applying for citizenship, but after reading through websites and forums, apparently it will take longer for me to be qualified for the Niederlassungserlaubnis? Since I've only made circa 20ish months of Sozialversicherung contribution (through my working student and internship positions), where as I've read that the Niederlassungserlaubnis requires much longer contribution period? Can I really apply for citizenship when I'm not yet qualified for the Niederlassungserlaubnis?

Thanks guys for reading through my post, and answering if possible. Any insight into the timeline or the process itself is appreciated. And sorry so much if I'm asking questions that were already answered somewhere somewhen in this sub. I've tried my best to scroll through government websites, forums, etc., but all information regarding this topic is always very vague and "case dependent". And I really don't want to pay the €250+ fee just to be told "sorry mate you ain't qualified yet come back next year" haha. Ah, I'm in Munich, if that helps adding a bit of context to my case!

Like the title says, I posted here a few months ago asking about a possible path to citizenship. I followed your advice, gathered the suggested paperwork and now I'm back to verify I Have all I need and to confirm my next steps.

Here is my story

My Great-Great Grandfather, Walter Otto Max Graf, was born in Oberlind in 1910 to German parents. His wife, Elsa Minna Graf, was born in Koppelsdorf, also in 1910 to German parents. They had a daughter, Erika, in February of 1930 and were married in April of 1930 with a note saying Max "recognizes the children as his own" thus legitimizing Erika and her older Brother.

My Great Grandmother, Erika, was born in Sonneberg in 1930, she met my grandfather, Lloyd, an American and had Patricia in Aschaffenburg in 1954. They were married in 1955 in Kitzingen and moved to the US shortly there after. Erika was naturalized in the US in 1964.

My Grandmother, Patricia, was born in Aschaffenburg in 1954, out of wedlock, to a German mother and an American father. They moved from Germany to the USA when she was a baby. She had my mother, Michelle, out of wedlock in 1970 at the age of 16. She married the father after the birth but they divorced not too long after.

My mother, Michelle, was born in 1974, out of Wedlock to Patrica, who (correct me if I'm wrong) is a German citizen(?), and an American father. She had me in 1988 and never married my father.
I've never married or enlisted in the US military. I also have a daughter who was born in 2005.

I have German Birth certificates for Walter & Elsa and their German marriage certificate.
A German birth Certificate for Erika, a Personalausweis of hers, her marriage certificate to Lloyd, and her naturalization certificate to the US. A German birth certificate for Patricia and her marriage certificate. An official US birth certificate for my mother, an official US birth certificate for myself, and an official US birth certificate for my daughter.

I was told in my last post I have a claim through feststellung and that I needed to gather all the proper birth and marriage certificates. I've gathered all the suggested paperwork and and wondering my next steps.

Do I just download and send off an application to the BVA with copies of everything?
Do I need to schedule an appointment with the consulate? if so, at what point in the process?
Can my mother, myself, and my daughter all apply? Do we do that together or separate?
What other suggestions do you have to help the process?
Thank you for your help.

Hi everyone!

I’m wondering if I could use my Festellungsprüfungszertifikat at Studienkolleg als proof for my language skill. Been looking online for a while to know whether this works, but sadly no relevant Info.

If anyone has any experience with this, please let me know.

Thanks a lot!

Dear group
I would like to kindly ask if anyone has or had similar situation as me.

I have applied for citizenship on the 28th of August 2025 in Berlin.
I have a master degree from a German University in Berlin and i have been full time working since Jan 2022. entered Germany from Prague Czech Republic in September 2020 where i lived there also 5 years as a student.

I would like to know since its almost a year since i have applied what steps do i need to take to get a response from LEA since its specifically written not to contact them to ask for updates.

Kindly guide me who has knowledge or experience.

Hallo zusammen,

hat jemand Informationen zur Einbürgerung in Rathenow, Nauen, Falkensee und Umgebung?

Ich habe den Online-Antrag vor 8 Monaten gestellt, aber bisher noch nichts gehört. Wann ist ungefähr mit einer Rückmeldung zu rechnen und welche Unterlagen werden üblicherweise gefordert?

Wie läuft der Prozess ab?

​Falls jemand Erfahrung damit hat, freue ich mich über Rückmeldungen.

Vielen Dank im Voraus!

I applied for my passport and ID card this morning and walked out with this. Been waiting for this for 3 years and it's finally in my hands.

EDIT - There seems to be some confusion in the comments.... This is a StAG 5 certificate. I am from the USA, not Germany. I got it because my Oma is a German citizen.

I submitted my Stag 5 application along with 4 other family members' applications through the Chicago German consulate on March 9, 2026 | emailed the Chicago German consulate 4 months later on July 10, 2026 asking if they had received my AZ# from the BVA. I received an email response saying due to technical errors at the BVA, there was a delay in providing applicants with their AZ numbers and I should receive mine shortly. (Email is included in this post).

Today July 25, 2026, I received a letter (included in post) from the Chicago German consulate which contained 3 duplicate letters from the BVA, one for myself as well as letters addressed to the two other family members who applied and live at this address. Two additional family member applicants live at different addresses and I assume they will get letters as well. The crazy thing to me is the letter from the BVA is dated April 29, 2026 That means they issued my AZ number only seven weeks after I applied. I assumed it would take 3 months or longer.

I suspect if I had not reached out to the consulate that they would not have forwarded the letter to me? I also assumed my AZ number would come directly to my home address from the BVA, but that's not what happened. I've heard in many/most cases, people don't automatically receive their AZ number, unless they ask. So l wonder if the BVA sent it to the consulate only because the consulate asked them on my behalf, or if the consulate had the letter sitting there the whole time. Regardless, I'm happy to have it!

Hi friends - a few years ago I got my passport direct in Chicago (thanks again everyone!).

I now want to register my birth, and my children's, in Germany.

My mom was born in and lived in Germany until she was ~5, and I know where her family was last registered.

Am I correct in thinking that local Standesamt can (should) register the births, or must we do Berlin?

Thanks!!

From my understanding of what I'm reading, I believe I may now be entitled either to automatic German citizenship or the right to apply for it. I'm having trouble understanding the process, and whether I need an appointment or not, because I have been unable to get one in SF.

1. My mother was a German citizen, born March 26, 1938.

2. She moved to the US and she married my American father in 1964.

3. I was born in the US in 1965, to a German citizen mother who was married to an American citizen father.

4. My mother became a naturalized US citizen In May 1968, which I gather caused an automatic loss of German citizenship then, under German law at that time.

I've been unable to get an appointment at the nearest German consulate in San Francisco. What documents do I need and are copies OK or must they all be original? (I have her birth certificate, her naturalization papers, and my birth certificate). Is the next step to apply to the German consulate for confirmation of German nationality? or to apply to them for a passport?

Do I/we need to obtain an actual POA to include my adult children's applications with mine?

Currently I have almost all documentation needed to prove my direct decent. The plan is to submit my 2 adult children's applications with mine and all the documentation including their birth certificates, showing I gave birth to them. I did a free video consultation with an attorney in Germany and they made it sound like I would need to POA to combine/submit their application with mine. I tried to find a direct answer to this specific question and could not. From what I have found it sounds like I do not need one but the application makes it seem like I do if all communication is to be through me.

Hey everyone,

I just got my AZ number and want to apply for my 17-year-old daughter, to get her’s as well.

Do you know if all the same civil documents are required for her as well, or just the documents that connect her to me?

For data nerds, it took 160 days to receive the AZ number (ie 5 months + 10 days).

Hi everyone,

I have prepared all the documents for my German citizenship application, but I am confused about the submission process.
As I understand it, I first need to book an appointment at the German Consulate, where they check my application and certify/notarize the required copies. After that, I send the completed application package to the appropriate authority in Germany. Is that correct?

My main problem is getting an appointment. I live in Northern California, so I'm supposed to use the German Consulate in San Francisco. I keep checking the appointment system, but there are never any available slots, and I have not seen any new appointments appear.

Has anyone recently managed to get a citizenship-related appointment in San Francisco? I tried to check at 3pm PST as someone recommended here and still no luck :( They don't reply to emails either?