How long does naturalisation take after the application?

How long it actually takes at present

In May 2026 the Mediendienst Integration surveyed the 50 largest cities. In almost all of them processing drags on for more than a year, and in half of them even more than two years (as of 02.06.2026). There is no deadline the authority would have to meet – the German Nationality Act (Staatsangehörigkeitsgesetz, StAG) does not set one.

The duration depends above all on your authority. According to the Mediendienst Integration, the applicant's country of origin also plays a role. In some cities applicants wait up to two years just for an appointment to lodge the application. No one can promise you a particular duration.

Is there a statutory deadline for processing?

No. There is no fixed maximum duration for processing a naturalisation application. However, § 75 of the Code of Administrative Court Procedure (Verwaltungsgerichtsordnung, VwGO) governs when you may bring an action: as a rule at the earliest three months after the application, if the authority has not decided without sufficient reason. This action is called an action for failure to act (Untätigkeitsklage).

A sufficient reason is a factual reason for the delay, for example missing documents the authority has requested from you, or the necessary involvement of other authorities. Whether one exists is decided, in case of dispute, by the administrative court. The Higher Administrative Court of North Rhine-Westphalia (Oberverwaltungsgericht Nordrhein-Westfalen, OVG NRW) has set out standards on this (decision of 25.09.2025, 19 E 359/25):

• A fixed maximum duration set in advance cannot be derived either from § 75 VwGO or from the Basic Law.
• The three months are only the regular minimum period. In an individual case a longer processing time may also be appropriate.
• A permanent overload of the authority, for example through a lack of staff, is in principle not a sufficient reason. It may be different in the case of only a temporary surge in applications.
• In the case decided, a processing time of more than one and a half years was no longer reasonable.

Proposals to extend the three-month period for naturalisations to six or twelve months have not become law (as of 02.10.2026). When an authority may take longer is explained in our guide to the action for failure to act in naturalisation matters.

What processing times do the authorities state?

The figures vary widely. The city of Neuss states about twelve months' wait for an appointment and then up to 16 months' processing. Düsseldorf states on average more than twelve months in total, Munich „18 months and longer“. Berlin does not record an average duration. The table gives the source and date of each figure.

The figures come from different years and are not directly comparable. Adding up both of the city of Neuss's figures, it can take more than two years from booking the appointment to the decision.

How many naturalisation applications are still pending?

One reason for the long times is the backlog of pending applications. In the most populous cities (excluding Berlin), at least 320,000 applications were being processed according to the Mediendienst Integration's survey. In most of the cities surveyed this backlog continued to grow in 2025, by 22 percent on average.

Naturalisation in Neuss and the Rhein-Kreis Neuss: who is responsible?

The cities of Neuss and Dormagen have their own naturalisation offices. For Meerbusch, Korschenbroich, Kaarst, Jüchen and Rommerskirchen the district administration of the Rhein-Kreis Neuss is responsible, and under an agreement also for Grevenbroich (document of 06.11.2024).

At the city of Neuss a personal appearance by appointment is required for the application. On the day the application is lodged, the authority questions you on the free democratic basic order, that is, the basic rules of democracy in Germany. According to the city, a realistic estimate of the duration is possible when the application is lodged. In 2025, 1,091 people lodged a naturalisation application in Neuss and 625 people were naturalised (City of Neuss, report of 24.07.2026).

The city of Neuss also provides a form „Declaration of consent regarding the processing time“. Anyone who signs it agrees that processing may take up to 16 months. Whether and how such a declaration affects a later action for failure to act is not expressly governed by any law. Read the declaration carefully before signing and clarify any open questions beforehand.

How does the naturalisation procedure work?

The procedure usually has five steps: preparation, application, examination, decision and handover of the naturalisation certificate. How you lodge the application and how long each step takes depends on your authority. You only become German upon the handover of the certificate (§ 16 StAG).

1. Preparation. You check the requirements for naturalisation and gather evidence, for example on German skills, the naturalisation test and income. Which papers you need is shown by our checklist of documents for naturalisation.
2. Application. The authorities work differently. In Neuss you lodge the application at a personal appointment. In Düsseldorf you send the documents by post and first receive an acknowledgement of receipt. In Berlin you lodge the application online and, after a positive examination, receive an appointment for a personal appearance. The fee is 255 € per person, and for a minor child naturalised along without own income 51 € (§ 38 Abs. 2 StAG). More on this in the guide to the costs of naturalisation.
3. Examination. The authority examines your details and obtains information from other authorities. It transmits the data of all applicants aged 16 and over to the domestic intelligence service (§ 37 StAG). If documents are missing, it requests them. If criminal proceedings are pending against you, the authority suspends the decision until they are concluded (§ 12a Abs. 3 StAG).
4. Decision. If all requirements are met, the authority issues the naturalisation certificate and invites you to the handover. At the Rhein-Kreis Neuss, for example, a separate appointment is needed for this. If the authority rejects the application, you receive a notice. The instruction on legal remedies at the end of the notice tells you whether you can lodge an objection or bring an action. The period for this is as a rule one month (§§ 70, 74 VwGO).
5. Certificate and declaration. Before the handover you make a solemn declaration: „I solemnly declare that I will respect the Basic Law and the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany and will refrain from anything that could harm them.“ Children under 16 do not have to. The certificate should be handed over at a public naturalisation ceremony (§ 16 StAG). Afterwards you can apply for a German identity card and passport, for example at the citizens' office.

Do I still need an assurance of naturalisation (Einbürgerungszusicherung)?

For giving up your previous nationality, no longer. An assurance of naturalisation (Einbürgerungszusicherung) is a written promise by the authority to naturalise you later under certain conditions. Since 27.06.2024 the StAG no longer requires you to give up your old nationality (§ 10 Abs. 1 Satz 1 Nr. 4 StAG has been removed). The city of Düsseldorf points out: anyone who has already received an assurance of naturalisation no longer has to pursue the release procedure, that is, no longer has to apply for release from the old nationality.

Whether your country of origin lets you keep your old nationality is governed by its law. More on this in the guide to dual citizenship.

Why does naturalisation take so long?

The authorities cite above all two reasons: after the reform in June 2024 the number of applications rose sharply. In addition, other authorities have to be involved in the examination. In Munich the number of applications has, according to the city (April 2025), doubled compared with the previous year. In 2025 applications fell slightly, but the backlog continued to grow (Mediendienst Integration).

• More people eligible to apply: since 27.06.2024, as a rule five instead of eight years of residence are sufficient, and the old nationality no longer has to be given up. The Rhein-Kreis Neuss assumed that under the new law almost 6,000 people in its area were eligible to apply; in 2022 it was around 1,000. In Düsseldorf the number of applications rose from 4,739 (2023) to 7,259 (2024).
• Involvement of other bodies: the authority must obtain information from other authorities, for example from the domestic intelligence service (§ 37 StAG). It can only make a final examination once all responses are available (city of Düsseldorf). According to its own statements, the Rhein-Kreis Neuss has no direct influence on how long these responses take. In 2024 the state offices for the protection of the constitution examined more than 373,000 naturalisation applications, 47 percent more than in 2023 (excluding Brandenburg; Mediendienst Integration).
• Missing evidence: if documents are missing, the authority requests them. Until everything is available, it cannot make a final decision. The Berlin Senate also cites this reason.
• Clarification of identity: your identity and nationality must be clarified (§ 10 Abs. 1 Satz 1 StAG). Examining documents can also take time, for example whether a passport is genuine.

These reasons explain long waiting times. Whether they also legally justify a delay is examined, in case of dispute, by the administrative court. According to the OVG NRW, unjustified delays by other authorities are to the detriment of the naturalisation authority. In that case they are not a sufficient reason.

Can naturalisation be sped up?

Only to a limited extent. The StAG provides for no fast-track procedure. Legal representation does not automatically shorten processing either. But you can help ensure there are no unnecessary delays: with complete documents and with replies within the deadline when the authority requests something.

• Before the application, check the requirements: length of residence, residence permit, German at level B1, the naturalisation test, means of subsistence and no convictions above the limits of § 12a StAG.
• Submit all documents according to your authority's list, including the language certificate and test result. For foreign-language documents a certified translation may be necessary.
• Enclose a complete CV if your authority requires it. The city of Neuss, for example, requires it from all applicants aged 16 and over. You will find guidance in the guide to the CV for naturalisation.
• Answer follow-up requests within the deadline. Evidence that arrives only after a set deadline has expired may be disregarded (§ 82 Abs. 1 of the Residence Act, which applies accordingly under § 34 Satz 2 StAG).
• Keep copies, the acknowledgement of receipt and your file reference (the number of your case).

What applies during the waiting period?

A naturalisation application does not initially change your residence status. The State of Berlin, for example, points this out. Until the decision you must continue to meet your obligations under residence law. According to a note from the city of Cologne, this also includes keeping your passport and residence permit valid.

• Renew the residence permit: apply for an extension in good time, even while your naturalisation application is underway.
• Travel abroad: stays abroad of up to six months do not interrupt your habitual residence in Germany (§ 12b Abs. 1 StAG). This means the place where you live not merely temporarily. For longer stays, a period set by the immigration authority is decisive; separate rules apply to EU citizens. If you stay away for more than six months, your residence permit may also lapse (§ 51 Abs. 1 Nr. 7 AufenthG; there are exceptions). Therefore clarify longer trips with the immigration authority in advance.
• Report changes: notify the naturalisation authority of changes in writing, for example a move, a new job, a marriage or the birth of a child. The city of Düsseldorf, for example, asks for this.

What can you do if the authority does not decide?

You can ask in writing about the status. If the authority has not decided without sufficient reason, an action for failure to act before the administrative court is possible as a rule at the earliest three months after your application (§ 75 VwGO). You can bring the action yourself (§ 67 Abs. 1 VwGO) or have a lawyer represent you.

1. Organise your documents. Note when your application was received by the authority. Keep the acknowledgement of receipt, the file reference and copies of all letters ready.
2. Ask about the status. A short written status enquiry, that is, a query about the state of processing, is possible. Some authorities ask you to refrain from this (Berlin) or not to enquire prematurely (Düsseldorf). Therefore do not enquire again and again.
3. Remind and set a deadline. Before an action it makes sense to remind the authority in writing and to set it a reasonable deadline. This is not mandatory.
4. Consider an action for failure to act. The procedure, deadlines and costs are explained in the guide to the action for failure to act in naturalisation matters. There you can also read when an application is deemed to have been lodged.

Frequently asked questions

Rechtsanwalt Nihat Kaygalak, LL.M.

Responsible for the content of Mein Deutscher Pass. Admitted as a lawyer (Rechtsanwalt) since 2007, member of the Düsseldorf Bar Association (Rechtsanwaltskammer Düsseldorf), firm in Neuss. You can verify the admission in the nationwide official register of lawyers.

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