CV for naturalization: form, content and example

Why does the authority need a CV for naturalization?

The CV for naturalization gives the naturalization authority an overview of your life path. With it the authority can classify your proofs and check the requirements. These include, for example, five years of lawful ordinary residence in Germany (§ 10 Abs. 1 StAG). Many authorities require the CV from every person aged 16 and over.

„Ordinary residence“ means, simply put: you do not live in Germany only temporarily. The Nationality Act does not mention the CV. However, you have a duty to cooperate. That means: you must help in the examination. You state all circumstances that speak in your favour. In addition, you submit the necessary proofs of your personal circumstances (§ 34 Satz 2 StAG in conjunction with § 82 Abs. 1 AufenthG). The authority can set you an appropriate deadline for this. Whether your authority wants a CV and in what form is stated in its list of documents.

From the age of 16, young people can act themselves in the naturalization procedure (§ 34 Satz 1 StAG). Many authorities then require a separate application and a separate CV, for example the city of Cologne and the city of Braunschweig. Which conditions otherwise apply you can read in our overview of the requirements for naturalization.

What do the authorities require? Ten examples compared

There is no uniform requirement. We evaluated the document lists of ten naturalization authorities (retrieved on 2 October 2026). Four require a handwritten CV. Two leave you the choice, one wants it tabular and one detailed as text. Two authorities do not mention the CV in their list.

Tabular, detailed or handwritten – what is the difference?

Tabular means: you write your stations as a list with time periods. Detailed means: you tell your life path in full sentences. Handwritten or in your own hand means: you write yourself by hand, as a table or as text. Four of the ten authorities from our comparison expressly require a handwritten CV.

The tabular CV

On the left is the period, on the right is what you did. For naturalization, the order from earlier to today is advisable. This way your path to Germany is easy to recognize. Give periods with month and year, for example 08/2019 – 06/2022. The date of your entry you write, if possible, with day, month and year.

The detailed CV

Some authorities want a text, for example the Sächsische Switzerland-Osterzgebirge district office. In that case write in the first person and in chronological order, from birth until today. Use short, simple sentences. A beginning could read like this: „My name is Mira Beispiel and I was born on 12 April 1994 in Tirana (Albania). From 2000 to 2012 I attended school there.“

The handwritten CV

• First write a draft, ideally on the computer. Then copy it out neatly by hand.
• Write legibly. If you make a mistake, better start the page anew.
• If the requirement says only „handwritten“, it is open whether you write a table or a text. In case of doubt, ask.
• If, because of an illness or disability, you cannot write by hand, address your authority about it.

What belongs in the CV for naturalization?

A CV for naturalization should show your personal data and your path up to today. These include school, training or studies, work, entry to Germany, places of residence, language courses and family. The cities of Cologne and Neuss also name clubs and voluntary work. Cologne wants, from the age of 16, all contact data: mobile number, e-mail and address.

Stay factual. Write what was – without evaluation and without exaggeration.

What does not belong in the CV?

Your life path belongs in the CV. Leave out details the authority does not ask for, for example religion, political opinion or particulars of your health. A photo on the CV is required by none of the ten authorities from our comparison. Income, criminal offences and passport photo have their own place in the procedure.

• Income: you prove your livelihood with your own documents, for example with salary slips.
• Criminal offences: as a rule the application form asks about this. Answer the questions there completely and truthfully. Convictions as well as ongoing investigation and criminal proceedings abroad must be stated in the application (§ 12a Abs. 4 StAG).
• Passport photo: if your authority requires a passport photo, it is a separate document. The city of Neuss requires it, for example, from all persons aged 14 and over.

How do you explain gaps and periods abroad?

Leave no period open. Write briefly what you did in this time, for example job search, parental leave, care of a relative, illness or language course. Give longer stays abroad with dates. For stays abroad of more than six months can interrupt the ordinary residence in Germany (§ 12b StAG).

This is how you explain gaps

A short, honest statement suffices. Examples:

• „03/2017 – 08/2017: job-seeking, applications as office worker“
• „01/2016 – 09/2016: asylum procedure, place of residence: communal accommodation in Neuss“
• „05/2023 – 04/2024: parental leave after the birth of my daughter“

Check whether every month is covered. The authority should be able to follow your path if possible without queries.

What applies to periods abroad?

For stays abroad, § 12b StAG applies:

• Individual stays abroad of up to six months do not interrupt the ordinary residence.
• For longer stays it continues to exist if you return within the deadline that the foreigners authority has set.
• The sum of all stays abroad is also important. If it is greater than half of the necessary duration of residence, the ordinary residence as a rule no longer continues. This also applies in the case of several short stays. At five years the limit is at two and a half years.
• If the residence is interrupted, the authority can count earlier periods in Germany of up to three years.
• For nationals of EU and EEA states and their family members, special rules apply.

Were you abroad for longer than six months at a stretch? Or very long in total? Then have your period of residence checked before the application. Which proofs you need besides the CV is shown by our checklist of documents for naturalization.

Example: CV for naturalization to print out

The following example shows a tabular CV. It has nine sections and ends with place, date and signature. The person is fictitious. Adopt only the structure and insert your own data. If your authority requires a handwritten CV, write it according to this structure by hand.

Print template

With „Print template“ you can print out the example or – depending on the browser – save it as PDF. Sections that do not apply to you, you leave out.

Step by step: this is how you create your CV

Plan some time for the CV, especially if you have to write by hand. The following seven steps help not to forget anything and to avoid queries from the authority as far as possible. Most important is the first step: check your authority's requirements before you begin.

1. Check the requirements. Read your authority's list of documents: table or text? By hand or on the computer? With signature?
2. Gather documents. Have certificates, employment contracts, registration certificate, pension insurance record and passport ready. There you find the exact data.
3. Order the periods. Write all time periods from earlier to today beneath one another. Check whether a month is missing.
4. Write a draft. Use the example above as a framework. Write briefly and clearly.
5. Compare. The data in the CV should match your proofs and the application form.
6. Copy out and sign. Write the final version – by hand, if the authority requires it. Put place, date and signature beneath it.
7. Keep a copy. Keep a copy for yourself. Processing can take many months. More on this you read in the guide How long does naturalization take after the application?

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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