Hi everyone!
I started my German citizenship application in June 2026, and I wanted to ask if anyone has recently gone through a similar process in Landkreis Mainz-Bingen, specifically in Ingelheim.
Here’s my timeline so far:
June 2026: Submitted my citizenship application.
July 2026: Was asked to provide additional documents.
August 2026: Received the Loyalitätserklärung and an appointment for the end of October.
Late October 2026: Attended the appointment, answered questions to demonstrate my understanding of the declaration, and show original documents. Everything was stamped, and I was told that the next step is the background check (Background Check).
Now I just have to wait.
Has anyone recently reached this stage in Mainz-Bingen or another Landkreis in Rheinland-Pfalz? How long did it take to hear back after the background check started? And did you receive any updates in the meantime, or was it just radio silence until the final decision?
I’d really appreciate hearing about your recent experiences. Thanks!

Hi, everyone! Does anyone have experience with the processing time in Bremen? If anyone has applied recently, how long did it take for them to initiate the first response and have the case ID assigned?

Went to the Willkommenszentrum today to get some free legal advice about my citizenship application being rejected.

The office opens at 8:30 am, but apparently people had been queuing since 5 am. By the time I arrived, there were no appointments left.

Has anyone else experienced this? Is turning up at 5 am genuinely the only way to get free legal advice in Berlin, or is there a better alternative?

Just submitted my documents a few weeks ago and wanted to make this post as an FYI for anyone new applying through 10 StAG - the current wait times are expected to be 35 months.

Absolutely and utterly ridiculous. Be prepared.

Hello everyone,

I was fortunate to be able to be recognized as a German citizen earlier this year via my paternal GGF:
German ancestor (GGF, b. 1895) -> Paternal GF (b. 1920s) -> Father (b.1950s) -> Me (b. 1970s)

However, recently I unexpectedly connected with a second cousin, who has the same German ancestor, but is related through his maternal side instead. Would he be a potential Stag 5 candidate?

German ancestor (GGGF, b.1895) -> Maternal GGM (b. 1920s) -> Maternal GM (b.1950s) -> Mother (b. 1970s) -> Potential candidate (b. early 2000s).

To sum up, we have the same German ancestor, but he's related via the maternal side instead of paternal. However, since his maternal grandmother was born in the 1950s, after the May 1949 cutoff, does that make him a possible candidate?

That seems to track with some of the posts I've seen here, but wanted to make sure I understood it correctly.

Thanks!

Been living in Germany for 6.5 years now. Married to another EU Citizen and we both have been living in DE for 6.5 years now (while I could technically be naturalised through marriage to the country of my husband) but since it requires B1 language which I'm not there yet.. I thought it would make sense to maybe apply for the German Citizenship since I've been living here and speak the language (although I do not have a B1 cert yet).

For the first 5 years of livingin DE I was given the Aufenthaltkarte for 5 years straight (being married to an EU Citizen and both living in DE), followed by DA EU right away after 5 years of continuous living (Permanent resident status, without Leben in Deutschland test, which I thought was weird that they didn't ask me that..) but anyway.

I am now thinking of getting a German citizenship, I feel like it makes sense to do it now as a way to give back to Germany for all the opportunity this country has given me...

so my question, has anyone ever applied for German citizenship after living in Germany holding DA EU issued by Germany?

I currently live in Frankfurt (Which I heard is a nightmare for the backlog) I have always been working in Germany since I arrived, I have pretty good jobs, clean records, plan to stay for longer, 33yo...

Hallo zusammen! 😊

Gibt es hier jemanden, der kürzlich die Einbürgerung bei der Kreisverwaltung Mayen-Koblenz (MYK) durchlaufen hat?

Mein Mann und ich haben unsere Unterlagen vollständig eingereicht und hatten am 28.09.2026 unseren Termin bei der Einbürgerungsbehörde, bei dem wir die Loyalitätserklärung unterschrieben haben. Seitdem warten wir auf die nächsten Schritte.

Ich würde mich sehr über eure Erfahrungen freuen und hätte ein paar Fragen:

* Wie lange habt ihr nach der Loyalitätserklärung auf eure Einbürgerungsurkunde gewartet?
* Habt ihr während der Wartezeit eine Rückmeldung erhalten oder kam die Einladung zur Urkundenübergabe ohne weitere Nachricht?
* Hat jemand von euch die Einbürgerung in MYK im Jahr 2026 abgeschlossen?
* Wurden die Urkunden bei euch persönlich bei der Behörde oder im Rahmen einer gemeinsamen Einbürgerungsfeier übergeben?

Falls jemand von euch ebenfalls bei Herrn Koch war, würde ich mich besonders über eure Erfahrungen freuen. Natürlich helfen mir auch Erfahrungsberichte von anderen Sachbearbeitern in MYK weiter.

Vielen Dank im Voraus! 😊

I recently had my Einbürgerungsgespräch at Landratsamt Karlsruhe and successfully received my citizenship certificate!

Timeline:

• Documents submitted: November 2024
• Citizenship certificate received: October 2026
• Total processing time: Approximately 24 months

Overall, it was a very positive experience. The Sachbearbeiterin was extremely friendly and made the entire process comfortable and relaxed.

The interview focused mainly on the following topics:

• Staatsform: Germany's form of government and the meaning of democracy.
• Grundrechte: Basic rights protected by the Grundgesetz.
• Historische Verantwortung: Germany's historical responsibility.
• Gewaltenteilung: The three branches of government and why courts must be independent.
• Wahlgrundsätze: Practical questions about geheim, gleich, etc. The Sachbearbeiterin explained the five principles herself.
• Arten von Wahlen: Bundestagswahl, Landtagswahl, Kommunalwahl and Europawahl.
• Politische Parteien: Naming a few German political parties.
• Persönliche Motivation: Why I wanted to become a German citizen.

At the end, I signed the relevant form, read the feierliches Bekenntnis aloud, and received my Einbürgerungsurkunde.

My advice: Read the official FDGO and Verfassungstreue documents and practice explaining the concepts in simple German. The questions were more about understanding democratic principles than memorizing textbook definitions.

This was just my personal experience, so questions may vary depending on the Sachbearbeiter/in.

Hope this helps anyone preparing for their appointment at Landratsamt Karlsruhe. Good luck!

Anlage V is asking if my ancestors have a German Identity document. I know they did, but I don't have access to them. Do I just put yes and leave the "date of issue" and "name and location of authority in Germany" blank?

My parents are jewish and could move to germany until 2004 just based on that
They chose the other jewish place instead and im stuck in this shithole
thanks

People say just study, yeah good luck applying
Some people in germany told me to seek asylum because of the shitty wars here but i dont think theyd accept me
I have some diplomas but these are all non regulated jobs or something and i dont know what im supposed to do

Can i please just come and work at some supermarket? Or some lame job nobody wants? Germany gets my tax money and i live in the country i’ve dreamt about for years and was supposed to live in if my parents weren’t like this.

Hi everyone,

I'm a non-EU international student in Germany with a student residence permit.

Last year, I completed a six-month internship in another EU country. My official internship contract was for exactly six months, without exceeding that period. I also officially took a semester of leave (Urlaubssemester) from my German university while remaining enrolled, and kept my Anmeldung and accommodation in Germany throughout.

However, due to travel arrangements after the internship, my total time outside Germany ended up being approximately 6 months and 10 days.

I returned to Germany afterward and have since travelled in and out of the country multiple times using the same residence permit, without encountering any issues. So far, everything seems to be fine.

My main concern is about my future German citizenship application. Could the naturalization authorities request flight tickets or other travel records from several years ago and discover that I exceeded the six-month limit by 10 days? If so, could this affect the calculation of my continuous legal residence in Germany?

Has anyone experienced something similar? I'm particularly interested in hearing from people who exceeded the six-month limit by a few days or weeks and later applied for German citizenship.

I'd really appreciate any insights or personal experiences. Thanks in advance!

For this part of the applications, the "other", does that include all the antrag applications for me and my kids, plus all the documents included?

Does anyone know if I'm able to get Germany Citizenship by descent (jus sanguinis)?

3rd-Great-grandfather

-Born in 1829 in Bavaria Germany

-Emigrated in 1852 to US

-Married in 1857

-Cannot find any US naturalization records

2rd-Great-grandfather

-Born in 1861 in the US

-Married in 1887

Great-Grandfather

-Born in the US

-Married in 1913

Grandfather

-Born in the US

-Married in 1952

Mother

-Born in 1957 in the US

-Married in 1978

Me

-Born in 1985 US

I have discovered a Meldekarte for my mother that lists nationality as German and British. She married a British Citizen in the 60’s and registered as British under the scheme available to foreign wives available at the time. I was under the impression that dual nationality was not allowed at the time. What mechanism could she have used to retain her German citizenship? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Ich möchte meine bisherige Erfahrung mit euch teilen, vielleicht hilft die Timeline ja jemandem weiter:
● Ende April 2024: Ich habe meinen Einbürgerungsantrag bei der Stadtverwaltung gestellt.
● Anfang Mai 2024: Ich wurde zum Unterschreiben zur Stadtverwaltung eingeladen.
● Ende Mai 2024: Ich bekam eine E-Mail mit der Information, dass mein Antrag an das Regierungspräsidium Darmstadt weitergeleitet wurde.
● Mitte Mai 2025: Nachdem ich fast ein Jahr lang nichts vom Regierungspräsidium gehört hatte, habe ich bei der Stadtverwaltung nachgefragt. Bis dahin hatte ich nicht einmal eine Eingangsbestätigung oder ein Aktenzeichen erhalten. Daraufhin hat mir die Stadtverwaltung eine Bestätigung als PDF weitergeleitet.
● Mitte Juni 2026: Dann kam endlich ein Brief vom Regierungspräsidium. Darin stand, dass die Bearbeitung meines Antrags begonnen hat und ich die Gebühr bezahlen muss. Gleichzeitig wurde mir mitgeteilt, dass die Bearbeitung noch mehrere Monate dauern kann.
● Ende Juni 2026: Zu meiner großen Überraschung erhielt ich nur kurze Zeit später einen weiteren Brief. Darin stand, dass meine Einbürgerung beabsichtigt ist und die Einbürgerungsurkunde frühestens in zwei Wochen bei der Stadtverwaltung eintreffen würde.
● Ende September 2026: Ich bekam einen Termin zur Aushändigung meiner Einbürgerungsurkunde für Mitte Oktober.
● Mitte Oktober 2026: Einbürgerungsurkunde entgegengenommen
Insgesamt dauert das Verfahren von der Antragstellung bis zur geplanten Aushändigung ungefähr zweieinhalb Jahre.

Hallo zusammen!

ich wollte mal fragen, wie eure Erfahrungen mit der Einbürgerung in Bayreuth sind bzw. wie lange ihr auf eure Einbürgerung gewartet habt?

Danke euch !

Hello to everyone,

just informing about the latest news regarding the petition sent to the Bundestag by a group from Brazil called ,,Cidadania Alemã - Sem Matrícula Consular / Ohne Konsulatsmatrikel''. Their petition was denied.

As some may already know, this group's aim was to get a facilitated naturalization (A2) in light of the situation that arises from Section 21 BuStAG 1870 - AKA ,,the 10-Year-Rule''. Some people from other parts of the world were part of this group.

Well, those are the latest news. There is some closure to this topic at last.

Document of the Beschlussempfehlung:

Click to download files: https://file.kiwi/dcc54517#7GD-EGuDpzPy95w0SJLGhA

Hello. After 2 years, I finally received a message from the BVA. It seems they need a meldekarte or german exit document at the time of emigration - I don't have either of those. I included his pre-1914 birth certificate (born 1889 in Margonin, Prussia); is this not enough? Any insights on how to respond, or am I out of luck? I've searched far and wide for proof of citizenship, and it doesn't look like a meldekarte or proof otherwise exists. Would an exiting ship manifest work?

EDIT: He left Germany in 1912. I have a ship manifest from Hamburg reflecting this, but didn't include this in original application...not sure this would prove German citizenship anyway.

Guten Tag,

Ihre Erklärung zum Erwerb der deutschen Staatsangehörigkeit befindet sich bereits in Prüfung.

Zur weiteren Bearbeitung werden noch folgende Unterlagen benötigt (soweit nicht anders vermerkt, werden Unterlagen im Original oder in amtlich oder notariell beglaubigter Kopie, bei fremdsprachigen Unterlagen mit beglaubigter deutscher Übersetzung durch einen amtlich vereidigten Übersetzer):

• Nachweise zur deutschen Staatsangehörigkeit ihres Urgroßvaters (väterlicherseits) geb. 10.10.1889 zum Zeitpunkt der Ausreise (z.B Deutsches Ausreisedokument/Reisepass, Meldekarte des damaligen
Wohnortes)

Ich weise vorsorglich darauf hin, dass die einzureichenden Unterlagen Bestandteil der hier geführten Verwaltungsakte werden.
Ich behalte mir eine weitere Anforderung von Unterlagen vor.

Vielen Dank im Voraus.

Mit freundlichen Grüßen
Im Auftrag

CASE WORKER

Bundesverwaltungsamt - Abteilung TS
Referat TS II 3
Feststellung der deutschen Staatsangehörigkeit, Erklärungserwerb

Postadresse: Bundesverwaltungsamt, 50728 Köln
Servicezeiten: montags und mittwochs 10 Uhr bis 12 Uhr,
dienstags und donnerstags 14 Uhr bis 16:30 Uhr

---

Hello,

Your declaration for acquiring German citizenship is already under review.

To continue processing it, the following documents are still needed. Unless otherwise noted, documents must be submitted as originals or as officially or notarially certified copies. Documents in a foreign language must include a certified German translation by an officially sworn translator.

• Proof of the German citizenship of your great-grandfather (paternal side), born October 10, 1889, at the time he emigrated (e.g., a German exit document or passport, or a residence registration card from where he lived at the time)

Please note that any documents you submit will become part of the administrative file kept here.
I reserve the right to request further documents.

Thank you in advance.

Kind regards,
On behalf of the office

CASE WORKER

Federal Office of Administration (Bundesverwaltungsamt), Department TS
Section TS II 3
Determination of German Citizenship, Acquisition by Declaration

Mailing address: Bundesverwaltungsamt, 50728 Köln (Cologne)
Service hours: Mondays and Wednesdays, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.; Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. (German time)

Tag!

I’m already in the middle of the process of obtaining my StAG 5 (submitted 14 months ago), but I’d really like to help reclaim the same benefits on behalf of my 13 and 11-year old nieces (my younger sister’s girls).  As we know, the StAG 5 Nationality Act came into effect in 2021, however my sister passed away in May of 2017, and my nieces were born in 2013 and 2015, respectively.  I’ve been informed that they’re eligible for their German citizenship by descent, just as I am, even though my sister is no longer with us, because she passed before the laws came into effect, but they need my BIL’s permission to do so, as they’re minor children under 18.  He’s very interested in the idea because of all of the opportunities that it could offer them in the future, however he doesn’t want them to lose any of their Veteran’s Administration (VA) benefits, as he’s a retired US Marine which I completely understand. I wouldn’t want them to, either. He sacrificed a lot for those, and they're great benefits to pass on, both currently and into the future.

From what we’ve been able to find online, they wouldn’t lose anything, as they’d only be gaining citizenship by descent and not by naturalization.  They also wouldn’t be joining the military right now or moving abroad; this is just more something that we’d like them to have on-file and keep in the fire safe in order to be able to take advantage of later on for maybe grad school or for working internationally in the future – you never know what opportunities might present themselves. As parents, you want to set them up for success in every possible way, and as their uncle, my sister was my best friend, and these girls are my everything; there's nothing I wouldn't do to help them get ahead.  But I absolutely understand his reasoning in wanting to ensure that we’re also not taking anything FROM them at the same time.  Does anyone have any knowledge regarding military benefits in combination with StAG 5/citizenship by descent?  Any information would be REALLY appreciated.

Danke!

Hallo zusammen! Ich habe am 1.3.26 meinen Antrag bei LEA (S2) eingereicht und am 26.8.26. eine Mail bekommen, in der sie mich um Übersendung aktueller Unterlagen gebeten haben.
Das komische daran war, dass sie nicht nur mich (die Antragstellerin) nach üblichen Lohnabrechnungen, Arbeitsbescheinigung, aktueller Miete und Rentenversicherungsverlauf gefragt haben, sondern auch „alle berufstätige Personen im Haushalt“, sprich meinen Partner mit dem wir zusammen wohnen (nicht verheiratet und er ist deutsch).

Hatte jemand von euch ähnlichen Fall? Ich verstehe nicht ganz, warum sie auch nach seinen Unterlagen gefragt haben (er hat schließlich mit mir (bürokratisch) bzw. mit meinem Antrag nichts zu tun).

Die Unterlagen habe ich übrigens eine Woche später eingereicht und seitdem nichts mehr von LEA gehört (mittlerweile fast 2 Monate).

Habe im Juli meinen Einbürgerungsantrag gestellt und nach 3 Monaten freundlich unter Hinweis auf § 75 VwGO nach dem Bearbeitungsstand gefragt. Darauf kam die angehängte Antwort.
Hat jemand dieselbe Antwort erhalten? Ist das eine Standardantwort? Und wie lange hat es bei euch nach Erhalt des Aktenzeichens bis zur nächsten Rückmeldung gedauert?
Besonders Erfahrungen mit S3 Berlin wären interessant!

Hi everyone,

I recently became a German citizen in October 2026, and I have a question about my wife's future naturalization application.

OUR SITUATION:

- I've been living and working in Germany for over 6 years.

- I obtained German citizenship in October 2026.

- My wife has been living in Germany since July 2023.

- We are married and have a child who is also a German citizen.

- My wife has passed the B1 German exam and Leben in Deutschland test.

MY EMPLOYMENT SITUATION:

I've been employed by the same company for over 6 years.

Starting in December 2026, I plan to take 5 months of Elternzeit (parental leave).

After my parental leave, my employer plans to terminate my employment due to company restructuring.

I expect to receive Arbeitslosengeld I (ALG I) after my employment ends.

MY QUESTIONS:

1) Could my parental leave or receiving ALG I negatively affect my wife's citizenship application in 2028?

2) Since ALG I is an insurance-based benefit rather than Bürgergeld, is it considered acceptable income for naturalization purposes?

3) Does the fact that I'm already a German citizen make any difference to the financial requirements?

4) If I'm still receiving ALG I when she applies, could her application be rejected because I'm unemployed?

5) Would the situation be different under §9 StAG (spouse of a German citizen) compared to §10 StAG?

We live in Berlin.

I'm trying to understand whether I would need to find a new job before my wife applies, or whether receiving ALG I would be acceptable.

I'd really appreciate advice from anyone who has been through a similar situation or knows how the naturalization authorities handle these cases.

Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone. I've been reading this sub for a few months, and your posts have helped me a lot, so I wanted to share my own case in case it helps someone else.

Background: My paternal grandmother was born in East Prussia in 1925. In 1949 she had my father, out of wedlock, in what was then West Germany. In 1953 she married my grandfather, an American serviceman, and moved to the US. She naturalized in 1957, and my father became a US citizen derivatively through her. My grandfather adopted him the following year.

My father later served in the US Army in Germany, where he met my mother, who was also in the Army. They married in the States, and I was born the next year at a US Army hospital in Germany. My birth was never registered with German authorities. I only have a CRBA.

Documents: I'm lucky to have nearly everything in the original, including the family Stammbuch (over 100 years old, with stamps from East Prussian registry offices), my father's birth records, my grandparents' marriage records, my grandmother's naturalization certificate, my father's certificate of citizenship, and the marriage and divorce records.

The open question: I enlisted in the Air Force in the mid-90s for six years. In July 2000 I re-enlisted for four more, with no break in service. That falls after §28 StAG took effect on 1 January 2000, which provides for loss of German citizenship on joining foreign armed forces. The Houston consulate couldn't say whether a re-enlistment counts as Eintritt ("entry"). My view is that I entered in the 90s and simply continued serving, and the Bundeswehr also treats re-enlistment as continued service. The decision is up to the BVA, though.

A case that may help: In BVerwG, Urteil vom 30.03.2021 – 1 C 28.20, Rn. 39, the Federal Administrative Court held that loss under §28 requires that the person knew, or should have known, that they were German. The court carried over this principle from its long-standing case law on §25. You can't be expected to protect a citizenship you had no reason to know you had. In 2000 I had no idea. I believed my father had naturalized and lost it like my grandmother did, and I only understood otherwise this year, going through old family papers.

(I have a JD, so I may have thought about this more than is healthy.)

Status: I submitted everything through the Houston consulate last week. I was told to expect about three months before receiving my Aktenzeichen, so updates will be few and far between if the two to three year timeline holds. I'll post again when there's news.

Thanks to everyone here for sharing your experiences. They've been a huge help. Viel Glück to all of you waiting alongside me!

Hey there,

I have my appointment at my local Consulate in 2 days, I have my annex V/F forms that I’m filling out in blue ink tonight, along with my mothers German birth certificates, passports, and immigration documents, along with her marriage certificate and her Canadian Citizen card and my Canadian passport, birth certificate, and other IDs.

I was born in 1995, my mother naturalized in the 2000s well after I was born.

Is there anything I should know or am missing for my appointment

Hey guys,
Just got an update from my lawyer about my naturalization process.
The main news: My certificate has actually been printed/issued! It’s being sent to my local Standesamt, and I just have to wait a few weeks for them to invite me to pick it up.
However, since I had filed a lawsuit (Untätigkeitsklage), my lawyer gave me a heads-up on wrapping up the court case:
The court indicated that if they make a formal decision on legal costs, it will likely not go in my favor. Because of that, my lawyer suggests withdrawing the lawsuit as soon as I actually hold the certificate in my hands.
Withdrawing the lawsuit reduces the court costs significantly:
If court fees were already paid, 2/3 gets refunded.
If not paid yet, I only have to pay 1/3.
If we instead declare the case settled (Erledigungserklärung), the court decides on costs, and given their signal, I’d likely end up paying the full amount.
Once I pick up the certificate, I'll notify my lawyer to go ahead with the withdrawal. Just wanted to share the timeline and see if anyone else had the court signal a cost decision against them right at the finish line! Or did anyone got the ruling in their favour and what’s your case looked like
Thank you!

Here is the timeline:
Jan’25 - Sent the documents to Standesamt Frankfurt
Feb’26 - Documents verification, interview and issuing AZ
Aug’26 - Contacted Lawyer for Untätigkeitsklage
End of Aug ‘26 - Lawsuit filed
End of Sept’26 - Got confirmation on positive decision and certificate being printed.