Naturalizations

Please send your completed application for naturalization with the required documents as a PDF file by e-mail to the following e-mail address:

Antrag-Einbuergerung[at]landkreis-ludwigsburg.de

Please note that an application (regardless of how the decision is made) is always associated with costs.

Before you apply for naturalization, you should answer a few control questions:

• Have I read the homepage and the explanations listed there carefully?
• Do the conditions listed apply to me?
• Have I filled out and signed the form completely and correctly?
• Do I have all the documents listed on the information sheet Naturalization/required documents?
• Have I completed the Important information on naturalization application form?
• Have I made complete copies of the required documents?
• If you can answer all questions with YES, you can proceed with the application.

You can find the required documents here in .pdf format.

After submitting your application, you will receive a written confirmation of receipt within 3-4 weeks.

Please submit any missing documents by e-mail only. It is not possible to submit documents in person - not even at the information desk.

Personal visits are only possible with an appointment, which will be communicated to you after your application has been checked or can be arranged by e-mail or telephone with the responsible clerk.

In addition to checking your documents for completeness and authenticity, the fulfillment of the requirements will be checked. For this purpose, it is also necessary to contact various authorities (e.g. immigration office and security authorities).

Due to the volume of incoming applications and the varying response times of the authorities to be contacted, we currently have a processing time of at least 18 months.

Persons aged 16 and over must declare their commitment to the free democratic basic order and Germany's special historical responsibility and submit a declaration of loyalty.

The commitment must be based on an inner attitude and you must have understood the core content. This must be verified by the citizenship authority in a personal interview. You will be invited to this interview in due course and will receive appropriate information material to help you prepare.

Checking your documents: During the interview, we will check your original documents (proof of identity, language certificates, naturalization test certificate, etc.) for authenticity. You should therefore have these ready at home as soon as you submit your application.

As soon as all documents have been checked and the naturalization interview has taken place, we will inform you in writing of the decision (positive or negative).

If the decision is positive, naturalization will take place by issuing a naturalization certificate.

In principle, you must have been living legally and habitually in Germany for 5 years.

• When does a period of residence count as legal?
  As a rule, the period during which you have had a valid right of residence counts as legal residence.

If your legal period of residence was interrupted by periods of toleration, the period of residence only counts as legal from the time you are granted a new residence permit. The previous periods can only be taken into account in individual cases.
If your legal and habitual period of residence was interrupted by stays abroad, you should check whether part of the previous stay can be taken into account. Please enquire about this by e-mail.

• Can the time of the asylum procedure be taken into account?
  The time of the asylum procedure can be taken into account for the following BAMF decisions: Recognition of asylum, recognition of refugee status, recognition of subsidiary protection status.

The asylum procedure time cannot be taken into account for the following BAMF decisions: complete rejection of the asylum application, determination of prohibition of deportation (residence permit § 25 para. 3 AufenthG), rejection due to withdrawal of the asylum application.

If the asylum procedure period cannot be taken into account, the stay is considered legal from the time the first residence permit is issued.

Periods of toleration cannot be taken into account.

• Reduction to 3 years - spouse of a German
  The period of residence can be reduced from 5 to 3 years if you

1. have been married to a German for at least 2 years and
2. your spouse has already been a German citizen for the last two years.

• Reduction to 4 years - joint naturalization of spouse

You apply for naturalization together as a married couple. It is sufficient if the second spouse has only been resident for 4 years.

• Reduction to 3 years - co-naturalization of children

Children under the age of 16 only need 3 years of legal residence if they are naturalized together with a parent (so-called co-naturalization).

Children under the age of 6 must have spent half their life in Germany legally immediately prior to naturalization. Example: Child is 3 years old - child must have been legally resident in Germany for at least 1.5 years before naturalization.

As a rule, naturalization is also possible with a temporary residence permit or an EU Blue Card.

However, with the following temporary residence permits naturalization is not possible§ 16a AufenthG, § 16b AufenthG, § 16d AufenthG, § 16e AufenthG, § 16f AufenthG, § 17 AufenthG, § 18f AufenthG, § 19 AufenthG, § 19b AufenthG, § 19e AufenthG, § 20 AufenthG, § 20a AufenthG, § 22 AufenthG, § 23a AufenthG, § 24 AufenthG, § 25 Abs. 3 AufenthG, § 25 para. 4 AufenthG, § 25 para. 4a AufenthG, § 25 para. 4b AufenthG, § 25 para. 5 AufenthG, § 104c AufenthG

If you have one of the residence permits listed, you must first have it converted into a permanent residence permit (settlement permit) at the Immigration Office.

Please note that it is not only the current residence title that is important. Your period of residence must also have been legal. See "5 years of lawful residence".

EU citizens: EU citizens are exempt from holding a residence permit. Family members of EU citizens must have a valid residence card in accordance with the FreizügG/EU.

For naturalization it is necessary that you have the capacity to act according to § 34 para. 1 StAG or are legally represented. This means that

• From the age of 16, independent application is required
• In the case of legal incapacity, the application can be submitted by a legal guardian. Proof of guardian status must be provided. Please note that the matter relating to naturalization must be expressly mentioned in the guardianship certificate.

You must prove your identity and nationality by presenting the following documents:

- valid national passport (for EU nationals, valid identity card if applicable) and

- birth certificate and

- Marriage certificate and

- divorce decree from a previous marriage, if applicable

Documents that were not issued in German or in several languages must be submitted with a complete translation into German by a document translator recognized in Germany

! The following do not count as identity documents: the BAMF decision, the residence permit, the travel document for refugees or foreigners

The presentation of a valid national passport is required for all applicants, including recognized refugees.

Identity clarification for recognized refugees and persons entitled to asylum:
It is generally possible and reasonable for recognized refugees and persons entitled to asylum to

• contact family members, relatives or acquaintances in their country of origin,
• consult a lawyer or lawyer of trust in their country of origin
• and/or to visit the diplomatic mission in their country of origin themselves or through a lawyer,

in order to obtain suitable evidence.

Legalization

Syrian documents are only recognized if their authenticity has been confirmed by the German embassy in the country of issue (legalization).

Naturalization applicants aged 16 and over must make a credible commitment to the free democratic basic order of the Basic Law and to Germany's special historical responsibility.

The declaration is signed at the personal interview. It is not just a document that you sign. The declaration must be supported by your inner attitude and the core content must be understood. You will also receive further information with an invitation to the interview.

Please note! If it becomes apparent during the interview that you have not understood the content, naturalization will not be possible. Only those who have understood the content and meaning can make a credible declaration. This also applies if your language skills are not sufficient for this despite presenting a B1 certificate. You should therefore prepare well in advance and familiarize yourself with the terms.

You must be able to support yourself and your dependent family members without benefits under SGB II (citizen's allowance) or SGB XII (assistance with living expenses, basic security). The amendment to the law means that there are only a few exceptions to this.

• Content of the current livelihood protection

The means of subsistence must be secured for themselves and their dependent family members. The total need is compared with the total income. If your average net income exceeds your total needs, your livelihood is secured.

All proof of income of the spouse or dependants is always required for the assessment.

• Sustainability / retirement provision

Your income must also be sustainable.

This requires, among other things, that you have already paid into the pension insurance scheme in the past through full-time work. A longer period of benefit receipt in the past can therefore also be a negative factor for naturalization.

In addition, the current employment relationship must have existed for some time in order to be considered sustainable.

• Ability to support yourself

For naturalization purposes, it does not matter whether you have been exempted from the maintenance obligation or whether a maintenance agreement exists. It is necessary that you are in a position to pay adequate maintenance for your dependants.

• Housing benefit / child supplement

Whether housing benefit or child supplement is relevant for securing your livelihood must be checked on a case-by-case basis. Please submit the relevant notifications.

• Unemployment benefit I

Whether the receipt of unemployment benefit I is detrimental is always decided on a case-by-case basis.

• Social benefits SGB II and SGB XII (citizen's allowance, subsistence assistance, basic income support)

If you are currently receiving citizen's allowance and are not in full-time employment, naturalization is generally not possible. This also applies to the receipt of benefits according to SGB XII (assistance for living expenses, basic security).

Exceptions: With the amendment to the Citizenship Act, there are now only three exceptions to the livelihood guarantee.

1. Livelihood security for guest workers / contract workers
   You are

• entered the FRG by 30.06.1974 as a guest worker or moved to Germany as their spouse in a temporal context or
• entered the GDR by 13.06.1990 as a contract worker or moved there as their spouse in a temporal context

In this case, naturalization is generally possible, even if you are unable to provide for your livelihood.
Please note: This regulation does not apply to your children.

1. You have worked full-time for at least 20 months in the last two years and continue to work full-time (this must not change by the time of naturalization).
2. You live with a minor child in need of care and your spouse in a family partnership and your spouse has worked full-time for at least 20 months in the last two years and continues to work full-time (must not change by the time of naturalization).

If you meet one of these criteria, naturalization is usually possible even if you receive supplementary benefits or are unable to provide for yourself adequately

You must not have been convicted of an unlawful act or sentenced to a penalty for naturalization, nor must you have been ordered to undergo corrective measures due to your lack of culpability.

Exceptions: As a rule, naturalization is still possible if you have received the following convictions:

• the imposition of educational measures or correctional measures under the Juvenile Courts Act,
• a fine of up to 90 daily rates,
• up to 3 months' imprisonment suspended on probation and remitted at the end of the probation period.

If there are several convictions, these must be added together.

These exceptions do not apply if you have been convicted of an unlawful anti-Semitic, racist or other inhuman act within the meaning of Section 46 (2) sentence 2 of the German Criminal Code and sentenced to imprisonment, a fine or a juvenile sentence and such a motive has been established in the judgment.

Excessive convictions - when is naturalization possible?
If you exceed the sentence limit, naturalization is only possible once your previous convictions have been deleted (erased) from the Federal Central Criminal Register - provided the other requirements are also met.

Important:
The Federal Central Criminal Register is not the certificate of good conduct! The request to the Federal Central Criminal Register is made by the citizenship authority.

You must have sufficient German language skills in oral and written form (B1 level).

As a rule, your language skills must be proven by presenting a B1 language certificate. In addition, your oral language skills will be checked to ensure that they are up to date when you come to us to hand in your certificate.

• Test centers for language test B1 / German test for immigrants

You can usually take the German test for immigrants or the B1 exam at adult education centers.

The B1 exam is also conducted by the Goethe-Institut and Telc-certified language schools. You can find approved language schools in your area on the website of the German Adult Education Association, the Goethe-Institut and Telc. Information on registration, procedures and costs can be obtained directly from the relevant language schools or adult education centers.

• The following documents are accepted: Document Info sufficient language skills in .pdf format
  Certificates of attendance alone are generally not sufficient.

Important! If there is any doubt in a personal interview that you still have sufficient German language skills, you may be asked by the citizenship authority to take a new language test or, if necessary, to take part in a language course.

Exceptions to the requirement of sufficient knowledge of the German language are only possible in justified individual cases. Please enquire about this by e-mail.

Every naturalization applicant must demonstrate knowledge of the legal and social order. This is usually done by taking a naturalization test or the "Living in Germany" test. Alternatively, this can also be demonstrated by a qualification from a German secondary school or a comparable or higher school-leaving qualification from a German general school. This also applies if you have successfully completed a degree in law, social sciences, social, political or administrative sciences at a German university or a German vocational school certificate if you have received in-service training with civic content.

For all further information see document"Info EB Test" in .pdf format