FAQ

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Is naturalization possible without giving up the previous citizenship in any case?

Yes, at least as far as German citizenship law is concerned. In principle, dual citizenship has been open to all foreigners, regardless of their country of origin, since June 27, 2024. However, there may be laws in the country of origin that stipulate the loss of citizenship in the event that a citizen is granted citizenship of another country. Such laws exist in countries such as China, Austria, Lithuania, Estonia and the Netherlands. In any case, we advise you to obtain information in the country of your previous citizenship.

Published: September 26, 2023
Updated: March 14, 2025

Further FAQs on the topic: ,

The Act on the Modernization of Citizenship Law was passed by the Bundestag at the end of January 2024 and has also passed the Bundesrat. It came into force on June 27, 2024, three months after it was promulgated in the Federal Law Gazette. Since this date, everyone has had the option of dual citizenship under German law.

Good news for foreigners who would like to be naturalized in Germany: Since the summer of 2024, Germany has offered the possibility of dual citizenship. Anyone who wants to be naturalized in Germany no longer has to give up their previous citizenship - at least under German law.

However, the law of the country of origin must also allow dual citizenship. This is the case in most countries in the world, but not in all. Some countries have laws that allow the voluntary acquisition of citizenshipcitizenship of another country to automatic loss of the original nationalitynationality leads to. Although people from these countries can acquire German citizenship through naturalization, they cannot acquire dual citizenship.

To give you an overview, we have compiled the following list of all countries in the world countries. For each country, we have researched which regulations the national citizenship law makes regarding dual citizenship. So you can see at a glance the countries with which dual citizenship is possible in Germany in 2025.

Please note, however, that as lawyers admitted to practice in Germany, we can only advise on German law. German law. We can therefore assume no liability for the timeliness or accuracy of the following information. In addition, many countries have exceptions for certain persons (e.g. minors) or for certain situations (e.g. naturalization due to marriage to a German or dual citizenship by birth in Germany). dual citizenship by birth in Germany). Furthermore, dual citizenship is only possible with some countries if certain obligations are met. We therefore advise you to always consult a lawyer in your a lawyer in your country of origin for comprehensive information.

Search the list for a country.

Countries Status
Afghanistan (officially, dual citizenship is not recognized under the Law on Citizenship; in practice, however, it is; only certain offices are incompatible with dual citizenship) ✅
Albania ✅
Algeria ✅
Angola ✅
Antigua & Barbuda ✅
Argentina (basically allows double SBS; unlike with other countries, there is no special agreement with Germany; the possibility of double SBS therefore depends entirely on German law) ✅
Armenia ✅
Australia ✅
Bangladesh (application for Dual Nationality Certificate required) ✅
Barbados ✅
Belgium (permitted since 2008, citizenship previously lost can be regained by application) ✅
Belize ✅
Benin ✅
Bolivia ✅
Bosnia & Herzegovina ✅
Brazil ✅
Bulgaria ✅
Burkina Faso ✅
Burundi ✅
Chad (neither legally recognized nor prohibited) ✅
Chile ✅
Costa Rica ✅
Denmark ✅
Dominica ✅
Dominican Republic ✅
Djibouti ✅
Ecuador ✅
El Salvador (only for native citizens) ✅
Eswatini (only for native citizens) ✅
Fiji ✅
Finland ✅
France ✅
Gabon ✅
Gambia (only for native citizens) ✅
Ghana ✅
Grenada ✅
Greece ✅
Guatemala ✅
Guinea-Bissau ✅
Haiti ✅
Honduras (only for native citizens) ✅
Iraq ✅
Ireland ✅
Iceland ✅
Israel ✅
Italy ✅
Jamaica ✅
Yemen ✅
Jordan ✅
Cambodia ✅
Canada ✅
Cape Verde ✅
Kenya ✅
Kyrgyzstan ✅
Kiribati (only for citizens of I-Kiribati descent) ✅
Colombia ✅
Kosovo ✅
Croatia ✅
Cuba ✅
Lesotho ✅
Latvia ✅
Lebanon ✅
Liechtenstein ✅
Luxembourg ✅
Malawi (only for native citizens) ✅
Maldives ✅
Mali ✅
Malta ✅
Morocco ✅
Mauritius (only for native citizens) ✅
Mexico (only for native-born citizens or children of Mexican parents born in Germany) ✅
Micronesia ✅
Moldova ✅
Mongolia ✅
Mozambique ✅
Namibia (only for native citizens) ✅
Nauru ✅
New Zealand ✅
Nicaragua (only for native citizens) ✅
Niger ✅
Nigeria (only for native citizens) ✅
North Macedonia ✅
Norway ✅
East Timor (Timor-Leste) ✅
Pakistan ✅
Palestine ✅
Palau ✅
Panama (only for native citizens) ✅
Papua New Guinea ✅
Peru ✅
Philippines (only for native citizens) ✅
Poland ✅
Portugal ✅
Republic of Congo ✅
Rwanda ✅
Romania ✅
Russia ✅
Solomon Islands ✅
Samoa ✅
São Tomé & Príncipe (only for native citizens) ✅
Sweden ✅
Switzerland ✅
Senegal (tolerates dual citizenship in practice, but officially only recognizes Senegalese citizenship) ✅
Serbia ✅
Seychelles ✅
Sierra Leone ✅
Zimbabwe (only for native citizens) ✅
Slovenia ✅
Somalia ✅
St. Kitts & Nevis ✅
St. Lucia ✅
St. Vincent and the Grenadines ✅
Sudan ✅
South Sudan ✅
Syria ✅
Taiwan (only for native citizens) ✅
Thailand ✅
Togo (only for native citizens) ✅
Tonga ✅
Trinidad & Tobago (only for citizens by birth or descent) ✅
Czech Republic ✅
Tunisia ✅
Turkey ✅
Tuvalu ✅
Uganda ✅
Hungary ✅
Uruguay ✅
Vanuatu ✅
Venezuela ✅
United States of America (USA) ✅
United Kingdom (UK) ✅
Vietnam ✅
Cyprus ✅
Egypt (dual citizenship is only permitted with the permission of the Ministry of the Interior; in practice, however, the lack of permission often has no consequences) ❌
Andorra ❌
Equatorial Guinea ❌
Azerbaijan ❌
Ethiopia ❌
Bahamas ❌
Bahrain ❌
Bhutan ❌
Botswana ❌
Brunei ❌
China ❌
Democratic Republic of the Congo (COD) ❌
Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) ❌
Eritrea ❌
Estonia (not legally permitted, but native Estonians are not deprived of their citizenship in practice) ❌
Georgia (unless Georgian citizenship has been granted by presidential decree) ❌
Guinea ❌
Guyana ❌
India ❌
Indonesia ❌
Iran (does not recognize dual citizenship, but does not automatically forfeit Iranian citizenship) ❌
Japan ❌
Cameroon ❌
Kazakhstan ❌
Qatar ❌
Comoros (loss of native citizenship prohibited by the constitution; however, loss of citizenship in case of voluntary acquisition of foreign citizenship simply regulated by law) ✅
Kuwait ❌
Laos ❌
Liberia ✅
Libya ❌
Lithuania ❌
Madagascar ❌
Malaysia ❌
Marshall Islands (only with the permission of the Cabinet) ❌
Mauritania ❌
Monaco ❌
Montenegro ❌
Myanmar ❌
Nepal ❌
Netherlands ❌
North Korea ❌
Oman (except with permission by royal decree of the Sultan) ❌
Austria ❌
Zambia ✅
San Marino ❌
Saudi Arabia (except with the permission of the Prime Minister) ❌
Singapore ❌
Slovakia ❌
Spain ❌
Sri Lanka (application for retention required) ❌
South Africa (except with a permit from the Ministry of Home Affairs) ❌
South Korea (Republic of Korea) ❌
Suriname ❌
Tajikistan ❌
Tanzania ❌
Turkmenistan ✅
Ukraine (Ukrainian citizenship can be revoked ex officio upon naturalization in Germany, but this rarely happens in practice) ❌
Uzbekistan ❌
United Arab Emirates (UAE) ❌
Central African Republic ❌

The question of dual citizenship depends on the legal situation at the time you receive your naturalization certificate. If you meet all the requirements, you will initially only receive an assurance of naturalization from the authorities, in which you will be asked to renounce your previous citizenship.

This assurance of naturalization is usually valid for two years. As the new law comes into force on June 27, 2024, you can then be naturalized without having to give up your previous citizenship.

In principle, yes. Since German law is to permit multiple nationality in the future, there is nothing to prevent this from the German side. However, the decisive factor is the law of the state whose citizenship one wishes to regain.

The general period of residence that must be fulfilled for naturalization is five years. In the past, it could be shortened by up to two additional years in the case of special integration achievements, for example in work, school or voluntary work. This meant that naturalization was possible after just three years of residence. However, the Bundestag decided on 8 October 2025 to abolish naturalization after three years. Naturalization after three years with special integration achievements is therefore no longer possible.

In principle, you must not have a criminal record if you want to be naturalized. However, not all previous convictions are really relevant. For example, convictions or penalty orders of no more than 90 daily rates as well as convictions for prison sentences of up to three months that were suspended and not enforced are not taken into consideration. The same applies to previous convictions that are no longer listed in the Federal Central Criminal Register. You can find out more about exemption from punishment for naturalization here.

The new law on citizenship comes into force on 27 June 2024, but the processing time for an application for naturalization is usually around 12 months. The decisive factor for your application is the legal situation at the time when the authorities make a decision. It is very likely that this will not be until after June 27. This means that you can, in principle, submit an application for naturalization now, which will then be decided according to the new legal situation. If a decision is made on your application before June 27, 2024, you will first be asked to provide proof that you have been released from your existing citizenship. If you do not do this by June 27, you will be able to benefit from the new law after this date and retain your citizenship.

However, this varies from authority to authority and also depends on how long you have been in Germany. Our lawyers will be happy to advise you on your personal situation.

Anyone wishing to acquire German citizenship must be able to prove that they can support themselves and their dependents. to support themselves and their can support themselves. They must not be receiving benefits under the Second or Twelfth Book of the German Social Code (SGB II or SGB XII). be received. These include, for example, unemployment benefit II, basic income support in old age or in the event of reduced earning capacity and social assistance.

However, according to the new law , there are exceptionsIf you have been in full-time employment for 20 months within the last 24 months within the last 24 months, receiving state benefits is not harmful. The same applies if your spouse or registered partnerwho lives with you and a child has been in full-time employment for 20 months within the last 24 months. And also for former guest workers and contract workers and their spouses who have joined them are also exempt from receiving state benefits such as social assistance if they are not responsible for this.

Whether you can get back your old citizenship, which you gave up for naturalization, depends on on the Rright of your originstaates from. According to German law, from June 27, 2024, when the the new Citizenship Act comes into force, there will be nothing to stop it.

The modernized Citizenship Act (StAG) came into force on 27 June 2024. Since this date, the new legal situation has applied, according to which renunciation of current citizenship is no longer required for naturalization in Germany. In principle, the new legal situation applies to you if you are issued a naturalization certificate after 27 June 2024.

Before the naturalization certificate is issued, you will first receive an assurance of naturalization, which is usually valid for 2 years. Before 27 June, when the assurance of naturalization was issued, you were asked to submit proof that you had renounced your current citizenship so that the naturalization certificate could then be issued. You had time to do this as long as the assurance of naturalization was valid. This is no longer necessary under the new legal situation.

If you have received an assurance of naturalization before 27 June 2024, you should ask for a date to be set after this date to receive your naturalization certificate without renouncing your current citizenship. Our lawyers will be happy to advise you on this.

The Bundestag has passed the law on the modernization of citizenship law. When it comes into force on 27 June 2024, naturalization will be possible even if you want to keep your old citizenship. However, the law of the country of origin must also allow dual citizenship.

If you want to check whether your naturalization application would be successful, you can do our naturalization check. However, this check only gives you a first overview. If you still have detailed questions or are unsure, then it is best to contact our lawyers.

To the naturalization check

Strictly speaking, the forthcoming law on citizenship will not allow dual citizenship, but will lift the general ban on multiple citizenship. If this ban is lifted, it will also be possible under German law to have more than two nationalities. Multiple citizenship will then be possible without further ado.

According to the legal situation before June 27, 2024, you generally lost your German citizenship if you naturalized in another country. This could only be prevented by obtaining a retention permit. Since the new Citizenship Act came into force on June 27, 2024, this is no longer the case. Germany now generally allows multiple nationalities. You can find more information on this on the website of the Federal Office of Administration.

Since the new Naturalization Act came into force on 27 June 2024, those wishing to naturalize no longer have to give up their old citizenship. According to the new legal situation, anyone can obtain dual citizenship - provided the country of origin also allows it. You can find a list of countries that do not allow dual citizenship here.

YesThe new law does not change the rules for the naturalization test. However, as before, you do not have to take the test if you are at least a German school-leaving qualification (qualificationRealschule, Abitur etc.)a completed vocational training with a grade in the subject of social studies or a degree in the fields of law and social sciences, social sciences or politics naor politics.

Since June 27, 2024, when the new Citizenship Act came into force, children born in Germany to foreign parents automatically receive German citizenship if one parent has been living legally in Germany for more than five years and has an unlimited right of residence. For children born before June 27, 2024, this period is still eight years according to the old legal situation.

The new Naturalization Act (Act on the Modernization of Citizenship Law) comes into force on June 27, 2024 in force, three months after its promulgation in the Federal Law Gazette. From then on dual citizenship in principle under German law possible for all, and will in particular the minimum period of residence to five years to five years. You can read more about the details of the new law here.

According to the new Citizenship Act, since June 27, 2024, anyone who wants to be naturalized in Germany can now retain their previous citizenship under German law.

However, the country of origin must also allow dual citizenship. In some countries, such as Austria, China, India and South Korea, citizenship is automatically lost if you naturalize in another country.

A detailed list of countries with which dual citizenship is not possible can be found here.

Tip: Before starting the naturalization process, always check whether the previous citizenship may be retained under foreign law. You can inquire about this at foreign missions, for example. German lawyers are generally unable to provide information on foreign legal issues.

Since the new Citizenship Act came into force on June 27, 2024, the minimum period of residence in Germany is now only five years.

We have explained this in detail in our article on naturalization.

Alternatively, you can complete our Naturalization Check.

To the naturalization check

Naturalization in Germany gives you a number of advantages.advantages. Naturalization in Germany gives you a number of advantages.n advantages. Freedom of movement in Europe, the possibility of visa-free entry into many other countries with one of the "strongest" passports in the world and protection by the institutions of the German state even when traveling abroad are just some of the many advantages of German citizenship. In addition, German citizens enjoy unrestricted access to the labor market of all EU countries, including the possibility of becoming a civil servant, as well as a lifelong right of residence in Germany and the EU, which does not expire even during longer stays abroad.

In principle, language skills at level B1 or higher are required for naturalization. If you can prove a higher language level, you may be able to naturalize earlier. Theoretically, naturalization is also possible with a lower language level than B1. However, this still requires a certain knowledge of the language, as your integration into the German way of life must be guaranteed. In addition, there must be a public interest in you receiving German citizenship.

The authorities often take a very long time to process a naturalization application due to the many documents involved. Processing times of several months to well over a year are the rule. Since the Act on the Modernization of Citizenship Law came into force on 27 June 2024, it can be assumed that waiting times will be considerably longer again because many new applications will be submitted. To help you obtain your rights more quickly, it may be advisable to file an action for failure to act. Our experienced lawyers will be happy to advise you on this. Just ask us.

Even now, it usually takes up to 12 monthsuntil a decision is made on an application for naturalization. When the new law comes into force on 26 June 2024, the number of naturalization applications is expected to increase significantly will increase significantly. This will probably also increase the processing times by several months. If the authorities do not make a decision on your application for too long, it may be advisable to file an action for failure to act action for failure to act. Our lawyers will be happy to advise you on this.

The naturalization test consists of 33 multiple choice questions, of which you must answer at least 17 correctly in order to pass. It takes one hour to complete and costs 25 euros. To prepare, you can simulate the test online or view the entire catalog of all possible questions. Where exactly you can register for the test and take it varies from region to region. We have created a corresponding overview for each federal state:

In principle, you are not obliged to take the naturalization test in your home federal state. Instead, you can take the test at any test center in Germany. However, some of the questions always relate to your home federal state, even if you take the naturalization test in another federal state.

A fee of 255.00 euros is payable for a naturalization certificate for adults. The fee for a rejection notice is between 25.00 and 255.00 euros. A naturalization certificate for a minor child (i.e. up to the age of 18) who is naturalized together with someone else (co-naturalization) only incurs a fee of 51.00 euros.

In Germany, you can register for and take the naturalization test at all participating institutions. These institutions differ regionally within Germany. We have sorted all institutions by federal state for you:


Tip:
You can register for the naturalization test throughout Germany, but answer the questions of the federal state in which you live.

Where you have to apply for naturalization depends on where you live. If you are in Germany, you must apply to the naturalization authority responsible for your place of residence. You can find out which authority this is from the foreigners authority in your town or municipality or from the district or city administration. Naturalization applications from abroad, which are processed by the Federal Office of Administration, must be submitted to the responsible German mission abroad, i.e. the German embassy or a (general) consulate.

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