The digital path to German citizenship.
civitas. guides you through every step in a structured way, from renewing your residence permit to the naturalization certificate. Multilingual, pausable and authority-ready, at a fixed price.
Free, no registration, in six languages. You only decide on a package after you have seen the result.
Your path starts earlier.
Renewing your residence permit is one stage on the way. At every stage civitas. prepares the official application ready for submission. You choose, you answer, you submit.
After the application: the application tracker. Waiting time around 6 to 36 months depending on the authority, deadline reminders, translation of official letters.
Calculate waiting timeSince when have you been entitled?
Many people do not know that their entitlement has long existed. Set your year and the axis calculates your case. Every bar is one year.
My residence permit is valid until.
I have lived in Germany since 2018 and I am/married to a German citizen.
I filed my application in.
For 3 years you have held a right you did not know about.
Your entitlement under § 10 StAG has existed since 2023. Every one of those years was a year in which you could have filed.
Six questions, three minutes, no registration.
Basis: § 10 StAG requires five years of lawful residence, § 9 StAG three years with a marriage that has existed for at least two years.
A procedure under structural strain.
Germany fundamentally reformed its citizenship law in 2024. The legal hurdles are lower than ever, the administrative ones have stayed.
People with foreign citizenship and lawful residence who are in principle eligible for naturalization.
Between filing and decision. In large cities sometimes more than 30 months, prolonged by incomplete applications.
Municipal naturalization forms are predominantly monolingual, which is paradoxical for people seeking naturalization.
Legal representation costs €1,500 to €3,500, although most procedures do not require a law firm.
Three steps to your application.
You choose. You answer. You submit.
From the first eligibility check to the authority-ready PDF. No advisory appointments, no waiting, no duplicate registrations.
The result names both. What counts and what is missing.
The check sorts your answers along the statutory requirements. You see which points are met and which one still needs clarifying.
Try it here.
The check takes the length of residence from your input above. You can tap the remaining points and immediately see how your assessment shifts.
Start the full checkSix questions, seven criteria, three minutes, no registration.
points with no open question
Preliminary assessment along the typical requirements of § 10 StAG.
Four paths in the Citizenship Act.
All lead to the same goal, German citizenship. Which path applies to you depends on your personal situation.
Naturalization by entitlement
5 years of residence, permanent permit, B1 German, naturalization test, no criminal record, secured means of subsistence. About 85 percent of all naturalizations.
Naturalization of spouses
3 years of residence, of which 2 years married or in a registered civil partnership. Shortened periods, otherwise the same requirements as § 10.
Discretionary naturalization
Eight years of residence in administrative practice, decided case by case. Higher hurdles, suitable for constellations outside the standard case.
Accelerated paths
Late repatriates, Germans living abroad, re-naturalization. Each with its own periods and criteria.
For the discretionary paths (§ 8 as well as §§ 13, 14 StAG) civitas. prepares the application mechanics. Assessing the individual case remains a matter for legal advice.
Requirements in detailAll questions in the order the authority asks them.
Official terms, no interpretation, no recommendation. Progress is saved automatically, you can stop at any time and continue on another device.
Three real questions, to click through.
This is what the assistant looks like from the inside. The same system carries the naturalization application and the permit renewal.
Start application, from €149In 14 steps, pausable, in six languages.
Legal basis
Under which provision are you applying?
Four application packages for naturalization.
One-off flat prices for the naturalization application, depending on your situation. You start free of charge with the eligibility check and decide afterwards. The residence-permit renewal is a separate product with its own price.
Basis
For simple constellations without special cases. Assistant and authority-ready PDF.
Plus
The standard scope for individual applicants, with priority email support.
Familie
Up to 4 people in total, for example you, your spouse and two children. One application for everyone involved.
Premium
On request, postal dispatch to the authority on your behalf, plus prioritized email support.
Renewal
A separate product with its own price. Your official renewal application, filled in ready to submit.
Settlement permit
Your application for the permanent settlement permit under § 9 AufenthG, official form, prepared ready for the authority.
Application tracker
Your authority's waiting time, reminders for deadlines and translation of official letters.
The statutory authority fee under § 38 StAG — 255 € per adult, 51 € per child included in the application — is not a civitas. service. You pay it directly to the naturalization authority. Certified translations, language certificates and the naturalization test are not included. We tell you in the assistant which ones you need and where to get them.
Compare all servicesInfrastructure instead of advice.
civitas. turns the procedure into plain questions and your answers into the official German form — and the price is fixed in advance.
Operated from Düsseldorf.
More about the companyThree worlds on one platform.
civitas. is not only for private individuals, but also for naturalization authorities, law firms and migration advice centres. Three independent interfaces on a shared technical core. Multi-tenant, GDPR-compliant, hosted in Germany.
Three points people often ask about.
The 30 most frequent questions on naturalization, on civitas. and on the application process are answered in five categories.
What exactly do I get for my money?
Your fully completed official application, a document list tailored to your case, and your competent authority with address and filing route — at a fixed price.
How long must I have lived in Germany?
Since the StAG reform of 27 June 2024, 5 years of lawful residence is the standard. The earlier reduction to 3 years for special integration achievements was abolished without replacement on 30 October 2025. Naturalization after 3 years remains possible for spouses of Germans: § 9 StAG requires 3 years of residence with a marriage of at least 2 years.
Is dual citizenship allowed?
Yes. The 2024 reform abolished the general obligation to give up your previous citizenship. You keep your previous citizenship and additionally receive the German one. Whether your country of origin permits multiple citizenship is governed by the law there.
Track your application.
Depending on the authority, the waiting time between application and naturalization certificate is typically around 6 to 36 months. The civitas. application tracker shows the waiting time for your authority, reminds you of deadlines and translates official letters.
Naturalization is a right.
Three minutes, six questions. At the end you know whether your path is open and which legal basis applies to you.
The information on this page is for orientation and does not replace an examination of the individual case.