Citizenship

Since year 2000, the following applies: When a child is born to foreign parents in Germany, it acquires German citizenship, if 

• one of the parents has legally lived in Germany for at least 8 years and 
• holds a permanent residence permit.

When the child turns 18 years old, it will be determined if both citizenships can be retained, or if the child will have to choose between the two nationalities, relinquishing one of them.

If you do not have German citizenship, you can be naturalized under the following circumstances: 

• You have a permanent right of residence or a qualified residence permit in Germany. 
• You have legally lived for at least eight years in Germany. 
• You support yourself and your family without social assistance or unemployment benefits. 
• You have sufficient German language proficiency (B1). 
• You have passed a citizenship test on the German legal and social systems. 
• You have not been convicted of any criminal offence. 
• You pledge allegiance to the German constitution. 
• You have lost or you relinquish your old citizenship.

You must enquire at the citizenship office (Staatsangehörigkeitsbehörde) in Heilbronn to learn which documents are required in your individual case. Naturalization generally costs €255 per person. The fee for dependent minors without an income is €51.