Completing the German Citizenship Application Form 2026: Step-by-Step Guide to the BVA Form EB

German federal states and municipalities use different versions:

• BVA Form EB — available nationwide as a template from the Federal Office of Administration (Bundesverwaltungsamt, BVA); many municipalities adapt it slightly.
• EfA Naturalization NRW (MKJFGFI Form) — online form for North Rhine-Westphalia, introduced in 2024 as a "One for All" form for NRW municipalities. Available via the EfA-NRW portal with BundID login.
• Hamburg, Munich, Berlin each have their own digital online forms on their city service portals.
• Smaller municipalities often use the BVA form or a slightly modified version from district administration.

Which form applies in your specific case is shown on the local authority's website. City-specific overviews are available for Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Düsseldorf, and Frankfurt. What choice exists between online and paper applications is described in the article Online vs. Paper Application.

The BVA Form EB in its current 2026 version has the following main sections. We follow the structure of the nationwide template here; state variants differ slightly in sequence or detail.

Part 1 — Personal Details

Fields:

• First and last name (as in passport, with spelling variants)
• Name at birth (if different)
• Date of birth, place and country of birth
• Current citizenship(s) — all, if multiple nationalities
• Gender
• Marital status
• Current address with date of moving in

Documents: Original passport, birth certificate with Apostille and certified translation. Which passport requirements apply per country of origin is described in the article National Passport Requirements.

Part 2 — Periods of Residence in Germany

Fields:

• Date of first entry into Germany
• Residence permits with start and end dates (all permits in chronological order)
• Stays abroad exceeding 6 months since entry

This section is the deadline-relevant core section: from it, the authority derives lawful habitual residence for the 5-year requirement (§ 10 para. 1 no. 1 StAG).

Documents: All previous residence permits (copies in chronological order), an extended registration certificate (erweiterte Meldebescheinigung) from the residents' registration office, a social insurance record from the German Pension Insurance (Deutsche Rentenversicherung) as independent triangulation.

Part 3 — Education and Occupation

Fields:

• Schools (with start and end dates, degree)
• Vocational training or university studies
• Current employment status (employed with social insurance, self-employed, unemployed, student, parental leave, care leave, retired)
• Employers for the last 12 months

This section is relevant for (a) language certificate exemptions (school or vocational degree in Germany) and (b) proof of livelihood under § 10 para. 1 no. 3 StAG. For periods receiving Bürgergeld (citizen's allowance), honest disclosure is mandatory.

Documents: School and university certificates, vocational training certificates (journeyman's certificate, chamber of commerce certificates), the last 12 income tax certificates or tax assessments for self-employed persons, bank statements proving livelihood security.

Part 4 — Family Relations

Fields:

• Spouse (name, date of birth, citizenship, place of residence)
• Previous marriages with dissolution date
• All children with date of birth and place of residence
• Parents (name, citizenship, living/deceased)

For joint naturalization of spouse or children under § 10 para. 2 StAG, additional annexes are completed for each included person. Which three family constellations the StAG recognizes is described in the article Family Naturalization.

Documents: Marriage certificate with Apostille and translation, if applicable divorce decree with Apostille, children's birth certificates.

Part 5 — Language Skills

Fields:

• Level of German language skills (B1 or higher)
• Type of language certificate (telc, Goethe, ÖSD, DTZ, German school diploma, university studies in German, vocational training)

Which alternatives to the classic B1 certificate are recognized is described in the article B1 Certificate Without Exam.

Documents: Original language certificate or certified copy. For school diploma exemption: original diploma.

Part 6 — Citizenship Test

Fields:

• Passed yes/no
• Date and examination center

Documents: Original test certificate from BAMF. Which preparation is worthwhile is described in the pillar article Citizenship Test.

Part 7 — Livelihood and Social Benefits

Fields:

• Current employment status
• Income level (gross/net per month)
• Receipt of SGB-II (Bürgergeld) or SGB-XII (social assistance) benefits in the last 12 months
• Documents proving livelihood security for self and family

The authority examines livelihood under § 10 para. 1 no. 3 StAG: it must be secured without claiming Bürgergeld or social assistance, with exceptions for inability to work through no fault of one's own.

Part 8 — Criminal Record and Security Check

Fields:

• Convictions for monetary or imprisonment penalties
• Ongoing criminal proceedings
• Memberships in (anti-constitutional) associations or movements

Convictions below the de minimis threshold (monetary penalties up to 90 daily rates) are disregarded under § 12a StAG. Convictions above this typically lead to rejection or delay.

Documents: Certificate of good conduct (Führungszeugnis) from the German Federal Central Register; for relevant stays abroad, additionally from country of origin.

Part 9 — Declaration of Commitment to Democratic Constitutional Order

A written declaration of commitment is signed.

Part 10 — Loyalty Declaration

Since the StAG reform of June 27, 2024, the loyalty declaration is a mandatory component. It is given in person at the authority appointment — not in advance, but as part of the naturalization ceremony or an appointment at the naturalization authority.

1. Incomplete Residence Periods

Applicants forget brief address changes or stays abroad. Reference to an extended registration certificate solves this in most cases. Those with passport stamps that don't match the CV will be called back.

2. Incorrect Spelling of Names

If the passport has a different transliteration than other submitted documents (marriage certificate, birth certificate), a written declaration of spelling variants must be attached.

3. Incomplete Marital Status Information

Previous marriages are concealed, children from previous marriages forgotten. The authority checks marriage certificates, birth certificates, and possibly consular records — gaps will be found.

4. Social Benefit Periods Concealed

The risk: if the authority recognizes the Bürgergeld period from social insurance data, the procedure is burdened with suspicion of false statements. False statements can lead to a ban period under § 35a StAG — a ten-year application stop.

5. Loyalty Declaration Signed in Advance

Some applicants sign the loyalty declaration at home. However, it must be given in person at the authority appointment; pre-signed declarations are not accepted.

For joint naturalization of a spouse, the main applicant completes the full BVA Form EB; the spouse adds an Annex W (Wechselbeziehung/mutual relationship) with their own data on residence, language, livelihood, and declaration. For minor children, an Annex K is completed with birth data, school confirmation, and (from age 16) their own language certificate and citizenship test documents.

Instead of completing the form by hand, the civitas. Wizard can collect the data in 14 structured steps and automatically fill the BVA Form EB and all annexes. The Wizard deliberately does not provide legal representation or individual legal advice — it is an application assistance service that fills the form technically correctly and tailors the document checklist to the place of residence. Upon completion, an authority-ready PDF bundle is available for mailing or upload. Start Wizard.

Must I complete the form in German?

Yes. § 23 Administrative Procedures Act (Verwaltungsverfahrensgesetz) stipulates that the official language is German. The civitas. Wizard guides through the data collection process in six languages (DE, EN, TR, AR, RU, UK), but the final form completion is in German.

Where do I get the original form?

From the Federal Office of Administration at bva.bund.de or from the naturalization authority at your place of residence. Some municipalities offer an online application directly on their service portal — then the paper form is not needed.

Can I fill out the form halfway and complete it later?

With some online portals (EfA-NRW, Hamburg Service Portal) yes — the input is saved across multiple sessions. With the paper form: the completed form is submitted in one piece.

How long does completion take?

In practice: with careful preparation and complete documentation, 2–4 hours for a single person, 4–6 hours for a family with two children. With the Wizard, about 45–90 minutes — the time difference arises from automatic plausibility checks and pre-written help texts.

What happens after application submission?

The authority checks for completeness (1–4 weeks), requests additional information if necessary (1–6 months), then schedules the in-person appointment (loyalty declaration), and finally issues the decision. Processing time ranges in 2026: 6 to 18 months depending on municipality.

Those who have submitted the form and are now waiting for the decision can use the civitas. application tracker to monitor the processing time of the competent authority, plan deadline responses, and have authority letters automatically translated. Track Application →

Related Articles:

• Curriculum Vitae for Citizenship
• Online vs. Paper Application
• Family Naturalization
• National Passport Requirements

Legal Notice: This article describes administrative practice regarding BVA Form EB in its current 2026 version. It does not substitute legal advice in individual cases. civitas. is a private application assistance service and not an authority. Form versions vary by federal state; in individual cases, the requirements of the competent naturalization authority are authoritative.