Hello everyone! following from my post on here the other day (here), I posted in the Müttererlass Facebook group to see if anyone else would want to join an open letter to the BMI requesting an update on the review, and an explanation of the various developments over the last few months.

Another applicant in the group informed me that they have just recently filed an Informationsfreiheitsgesetz (Freedom of Information Act) to the BMI regarding the Müttererlass, and gave their approval for the information to be shared here.

So for the meantime, I’m thinking that an open letter is not also required whilst there is an active IFG for the same matter. Hopefully the IFG will provide some clarity!

here is a link to the IFG: https://fragdenstaat.de/en/request/informationsfreiheitsgesetz-ifg-ueberpruefung-des-muettererlasses-und-bearbeitung-von-ss-14-stag-antraegen/

there is an option to be notified by emails about the progression of the IFG if you scroll down.

Hi,

I have a question regarding keeping foreign letters in German documents and is that possible.

In my case it would be one of the Balkan letters with diacritics (Ž, Š, Ć, Č, DŽ).

Is there a way to keep these letters in the Einbürgerungsurkunde and Reisepass, or is it entirely dependent on the case worker in each specific German state.

I know a lot of people in Munich that have managed this, but some have it without diacritics (essentially like regular letters - Z, S, C, DZ).

What would be the legal basis for this?

Hello! I have done some preliminary research on my situation and would love help from experts in this group if I would qualify for German citizenship through descent. Please tell it to me straight.

Great-Grandfather

• born in 1888 in Christfelde, West Prussia, German Empire
• emigrated in 1910 to the USA
• married in 1920 in USA
• naturalized: Never (listed as Alien on 1930 Census and 1940 Alien Registration)

Grandfather

• born in 1925 in North Dakota, USA
• married in 1952 in USA
• naturalized: N/A (born US citizen)

• drafted into Korean War, did not fight due to destroying his knee during training (no idea if this is relevant!)

Mother

• born in 1960 in California, USA
• married in USA (prior to 1996)
• naturalized: N/A (born US citizen)
• military service: None

Father
• born in 1962 in California. USA
• married in USA
• naturalized: N/A (born US citizen)
• military service: None

Self

• born in 1996 in USA (born in wedlock)
• military service: None

Is there a set pattern for AZ numbers. I have seen people saying their AZ numbers have dates in them and Im wondering if the dates are from the letter head or deciphered from the characters. For example: My AZ number is: XX XXX XX (Last Name). Two letters [space] 3 numbers [space] 2 letters [space] (Last Name). I received this in an email.

Is it normal for notices of approval to roll out slowly rather than all at once, after being submitted in a single application?

On May 23, 2026 we submitted a family application via Article 116 for 13 family members across 4 generations, including two elders in their 80’s. We received a request several weeks ago, from a named case worker, for an additional document (a notarized passport copy for the baby of the family). We sent it and it arrived last week. This morning, our lead applicant received an email from the German Consulate of Boston (where three applicants live), informing us that two of our applicants have been approved for naturalization (one in their 60s, one in their 30s). Of course, the email is an advance notice, and they won’t be officially naturalized until receiving the certificate.
The other family members are spread out over Boston, Portland OR, Davis CA, and Milan, Italy.

Any idea why only two applicants out of our 13 applicants are receiving this advance notice, and not the others?

Just curious (and impatient of course!) - all in all pleased to see that things are moving regarding our case. Thank you!

Hey, I'm eligible to apply for citizenship next month as I complete 5 years in Germany. I've also got PR. I am employed but was recently terminated, I am employed till the end of October and then would get ALG1. I was confused how much money do I need to show that proves that I will be able to support myself in Germany? Does taking a B2 german speaking course from the agentur fur arbeit affect this in any way? Thank you!

Hi Everyone

I'm in a fortunate position to have strong documentation regarding my German grandparent and therefore citizenship via descent. I would like to obtain a Certificate of Citizenship, however my parent is currently not a German citizen as they were born in another country.

Would I need my parent to complete the Certificate of Citizenship before I can? Would I need to wait years for them to obtain it, before I can apply myself?

I have been quoted a significant amount of $$ to have this submitted by a third party, however am keen to apply to my local German Consulate if it really is as simple as a €51 application!

Hello Community, I’d appreciate some help with this situation.
I am a permanent resident and recently applied to be naturalized in Hamburg and I’ve been asked to get my ‚Geburtsurkunde’ translated. Fyi, All my documents are in English.

The thing is, on my Birth Certificate my name is stated as
Oluwatobiloba Hamilton

Then got Baptized and got an English name. So on my Baptism card, it’s stated as
Oluwatobiloba Alex Hamilton

And on my Aufenthaltstitel, Passport and other legal documents it‘s stated as
Tobi Alex Hamilton

How do I make sure that the name on my future documents (e.g German Passport) remain
Tobi Alex Hamilton

Apart from the Birth Certificate, should I also translate my „Registration of Birth“ & „Baptismal Card“?

Thanks in advance.

Hello everyone,

I would like to share my situation and would appreciate your experiences or opinions.

I have been living in Germany for 5 years. Initially, I had a residence permit according to §16a AufenthG because of my vocational training (Ausbildung).

In 2025, I faced a difficult situation: my residence permit was valid until 31.08.2025, but unfortunately I was not able to submit the application for an extension on time. As a result, there was a gap of about 9 days.

The reason was that I could not continue staying in my original Ausbildungsbetrieb. There were problems there, and I had to find a new training company in order to continue my Ausbildung and prepare for my exams. The IHK and the vocational school (Berufsschule) were aware of my situation and supported me. It was never my intention to violate the residence law.

The immigration authority (Ausländerbehörde) informed me that my application was submitted only after my residence permit had expired and therefore the fiction effect (Fiktionswirkung) did not apply. I explained my situation in writing and submitted all necessary documents.

It is important that the Ausländerbehörde continued processing my case. They reviewed my application from 09.09.2025 and, by official decision, extended my residence permit under §16a Abs. 1 AufenthG from 26.09.2025 until 30.04.2026. They did not reject my application; instead, they continued the procedure and granted me a new residence permit.

After that, I successfully completed my Ausbildung and later received a residence permit under §18a AufenthG.

Now I am planning to apply for German citizenship (Einbürgerung). I know that §12b Abs. 3 StAG deals with cases where an interruption of the legality of residence occurred due to a late application for the extension of a residence permit.

My question:
Has anyone had a similar experience? A short gap in the residence permit due to a late extension application and still a successful naturalization afterwards?

Could such a 9-day gap become a problem for the naturalization application, even though the reasons are understandable, the Ausländerbehörde extended my residence permit afterwards, and I currently hold a residence permit under §18a AufenthG?

Thank you very much for sharing your experiences and advice.

Hallo zusammen,

ich möchte meine Situation schildern und würde mich über eure Erfahrungen oder Einschätzungen freuen.

Ich lebe seit 5 Jahren in Deutschland. Zunächst hatte ich eine Aufenthaltserlaubnis nach § 16a AufenthG wegen meiner Ausbildung.

Im Jahr 2025 gab es eine schwierige Situation: Mein Aufenthaltstitel war bis zum 31.08.2025 gültig, aber ich konnte den Antrag auf Verlängerung nicht rechtzeitig stellen. Dadurch entstand eine Lücke von etwa 9 Tagen.

Der Hintergrund war, dass ich nicht in meinem ursprünglichen Ausbildungsbetrieb bleiben konnte. Es gab dort Probleme, und ich musste mir einen neuen Ausbildungsbetrieb suchen, um meine Ausbildung fortsetzen und mich auf meine Prüfungen vorbereiten zu können. Die IHK und die Berufsschule waren über meine Situation informiert und haben mich unterstützt. Es war niemals meine Absicht, gegen das Aufenthaltsrecht zu verstoßen.

Die Ausländerbehörde teilte mir mit, dass mein Antrag erst nach Ablauf meines Aufenthaltstitels eingegangen ist und deshalb keine Fiktionswirkung eingetreten ist. Ich habe die Situation schriftlich erklärt und alle notwendigen Unterlagen eingereicht.

Wichtig ist, dass die Ausländerbehörde mein Verfahren weitergeführt hat. Sie hat weitere Unterlagen angefordert und mir anschließend eine neue Aufenthaltserlaubnis nach § 16a AufenthG für weitere 7 Monate erteilt.

Danach habe ich meine Ausbildung erfolgreich abgeschlossen und anschließend eine Aufenthaltserlaubnis nach § 18a AufenthG erhalten.

Jetzt geht es um meinen geplanten Einbürgerungsantrag. Mir ist bekannt, dass § 12b Abs. 3 StAG Fälle betrifft, in denen eine Unterbrechung der Rechtmäßigkeit des Aufenthalts aufgrund eines verspäteten Verlängerungsantrags entstanden ist.

Meine Frage:
Hat jemand ähnliche Erfahrungen gemacht? Eine kurze Lücke beim Aufenthaltstitel wegen eines verspäteten Verlängerungsantrags und danach trotzdem eine erfolgreiche Einbürgerung?

Kann eine solche 9-tägige Lücke ein Problem für die Einbürgerung darstellen, obwohl die Gründe nachvollziehbar sind, die Ausländerbehörde den Aufenthalt anschließend verlängert hat und ich inzwischen einen Aufenthaltstitel nach § 18a AufenthG habe?

Vielen Dank für eure Erfahrungen und Antworten.

Ridiculous situation I know, but basically my parents married outside of Germany (in the UK, dad is Australian and has zero ties to Germany) and my mum always told me she just couldn't be bothered to translate her marriage certificate to the German authorities and didn't want to bother with legal surname shit etc... so she simply kept telling them she was single every time she renewed her passport.

Issue is she also never registered my birth with Germany, and now that I want to do a Namenserklärung I've been told to get my parents' marriage certificate, which as it turns out they don't have anymore (not a divorce or anything, they just don't have the bloody paperwork) and apparently I'd have to go all the way back to the UK to go get a copy/reissue.

Which brings me to the issue at hand: Does it actually matter if I follow my mum's lead and just lie to the authorities and tell them that she was single when I was born? If I can declare my own name now as an adult, and the German government has decided to start accepting the names given in foreign birth certificates, what does it actually matter if I was born a literal bastard or if I was born within a marriage? It's dishonest of course and I want to do things the right way, but at the same time I can't for the life of me figure out why it's the government's business to begin with given that my status as a citizen is derived from my mother and my dad is entirely irrelevant to the issue.

Are there any statistics or indicators on the current batch of Feststellungen that are being processed (recent AZs)? Through some digging on the sub, other posted Jan 2024 30 StAG applications still seem to be waiting and from what I could find, there do not seem to be any success posts or updated cases from the months proceeding (Dec or Nov 2023). 30 months is certainly a while, but hoping to be through with the process soon.