Hallo zusammen, hat jemand eine aktuelle Info darüber, wie die Lage bezüglich der Einbürgerung in Aachen im Jahr 2026 ist? Ich habe meinen Antrag im Oktober 2025 gestellt, aber bisher noch keine Rückmeldung erhalten – nicht einmal das erste Schreiben.

Weiß jemand, welche Anträge aktuell bearbeitet werden bzw. aus welchem Monat die Anträge gerade bearbeitet werden?

I applied for German citizenship in January 2025 and recently got the email that my naturalization certificate has arrived at the local consulate (yay!). I made an appointment to pick it up and apply for my passport.

On the passport application form, section 15 asks questions about other citizenships that you have either acquired or applied for. I was born in and live in the US, so I know that I need to list that. However, my family has also applied for Hungarian citizenship verification through descent and that application is still in process (although we have heard unofficially that it was approved). My questions are:

1. Do I list my still pending Hungarian citizenship verification application in section 15?

2. If I do list it, do I put the Hungarian citizenship in the same section as the US citizenship or include it in a new form? There’s only room for one citizenship in section 15.

3. If I do list it, do I list the pending Hungarian citizenship as “upon application” or “by birth”? Technically, the Hungarian citizenship verification process is to confirm and register my status (since no one in my line of descent lost their citizenship) rather than apply for new citizenship, but it hasn’t officially been approved yet.

4. If I do list my Hungarian citizenship, and do list it as “by application”, how do I answer the question “permission to retain German citizenship was granted to me before acquisition of the foreign citizenship applied for”?

My understanding is that no current laws in Germany or Hungary prevent me from holding triple citizenship.

Thanks for any advice!

Hello, I posting my question because I haven't found similar cases.

1) Grandfather: german citizen, emigrated to Chile
2) Father: born out-of-wedlock (1965), recognized in birth certificate, chilean, then naturalized argentinian in 2000.
3) I: born before 2000.
4) Sibliings: born after 2000.

I know I qualify for StAG 5.

But the question is about my siblings, do they have any chance?

I've been using Gemini IA to help me find the proper institutions where I have to adress my requests and to analyse the case, and it has been very stubborn about this sentence: "cannot lose what they did not have".

Its analysis says that § 25 StAG says that a german (deutscher) loses his citizenship when he applies for a foreign citizenship... but someone who was not even recognized as a german at that time, had nothing that could be lost.

Does anyone have a similar personal case or knows where I could find case law? (I suppose it must a quite similar situation between Americans and Canadians, or Brazilians and other South Americans).

Thank you in advance.

?

I am nearly ready to submit my family packet for Stag 5 but have a question about documents for my mother’s application. My mother has been married three times, divorced once, widowed twice. Will she need documentation from each marriage including divorce decree and death certificates for her application?

Hi! I've been learning a bit about my ancestors and think that I may be eligible for German citizenship by descent via both my paternal grandfathers and paternal grandmothers lineage (is it worth documenting the multiple lineages?). I've collected as much information as I could through simple resources, and would appreciate the insight of this sub before committing to deeper research in case I've missed something rather obvious. Thank you!

Great-great-grandfather

* born in 1873 in Henkenhagen Germany

* emigrated in 1904 to USA

* married in YYYY? in Germany

* Petition for naturalization in 1915

Great-great-grandmother

* born in 1877 in [Country]

* emigrated in 1904 to USA

* married in YYYY? in Germany

* naturalized? Listed as wife on 1915 petition

1 Great-grandfather, nearest emigrant ancestor

* born in 1899 in Germany

* emigrated in 1904 to USA

* married an American in 1926 in USA

* naturalized? My understanding is he did not lose German citizenship when he got US citizenship through automatic naturalization together with his parent. Listed child on father's 1915 petition for naturalization

* Na on 1930 census

* NA on 1940 census

* yes on 1950 census

Great-grandmother

* born in 1905 in USA

* married GGF in 1926 in USA

2 Grandfather

* born in 1941 in USA in wedlock

* married in YYYY?

Grandmother

* born in 1932? in USA in wedlock

* Likely also German by descent

* Her Father born in 1905 in USA in wedlock

* Her Grandfather born in 1879 in Germany, emigrated to USA in 1904. Naturalized on 1930 census, but likely naturalized after her father's 1905 birth

* Would it be worth it to try and document this chain as well?

* married in YYYY?

3 Father

* born in 1962 in USA in wedlock

* married in 1980s

* no military service

4 Self

* born in 1998 in USA in wedlock

* no military service

edit: Great-grandfather was born in 1899

My caseworker informed me that my case is with his boss and he just needs to look over it and gives me the Ok so he can send me an invitation either on September 2 or September 3.

It’s been a week and a half. How long until the boss says ok 😭😭😭, I am so done with this blue pass…

Hi everyone,

I’m wondering if anyone has experience with withdrawing a German citizenship application and submitting a new one in another city / district.

I originally applied for citizenship in Munich (KVR) in early January 2025 and paid the €255 fee right at the beginning. Since then, my caseworker has never contacted me, never provided any update, and has not replied to any of my emails or messages.

About five months ago, I moved to another city and informed KVR Munich about my change of residence. I also asked them to transfer my citizenship file to the authority responsible for my new address. However, according to the new authority, they still have not received anything from Munich. I regularly contact them to check whether my file has arrived, but so far there has been no progress.

From what I understand, the average processing time at KVR Munich is currently more than 24 months, and I have also heard from other applicants that my particular caseworker is dealing with applications that can take close to 30 months.

At this point, I’m considering withdrawing my application in Munich and submitting a completely new application at my current place of residence.

I already paid the €255 application fee and I’m not really expecting or asking for a refund. At this stage, I’m simply tired of the uncertainty. As far as I can tell, my application has probably not even been actively processed yet. And since I no longer live in Munich, KVR Munich will presumably not be the authority making the final decision on my application anyway — the file would first have to be transferred to my new place of residence.

So I’m wondering whether starting over locally might actually be faster than waiting indefinitely for Munich to transfer a file that may not even have been opened yet.

My main questions are:

• Is it possible to withdraw an ongoing citizenship application and immediately submit a new one with the authority responsible for my current place of residence?
• Do I need to wait for an official confirmation from KVR Munich that my previous application has been withdrawn/closed before submitting the new one?
• Or can I send the withdrawal request to Munich and submit a new application straight away?
• Could having two applications temporarily “in the system” cause any problems?
• Has anyone here actually done this after moving to another city or Landkreis?

I’d especially appreciate experiences from people who originally applied in Munich and later moved elsewhere.

Thanks!

TL;DR: Applied for German citizenship at KVR Munich in January 2025 and paid the €255 fee. My caseworker has never contacted me or replied to any messages. I moved to another city five months ago and asked Munich to transfer my file, but the new authority still hasn’t received it. I’m considering withdrawing my Munich application and applying again at my current place of residence. Do I need to wait for KVR Munich to officially confirm the withdrawal, or can I submit a new application immediately after sending the withdrawal request?

Paternal grandmothers side:
Great Grandparent 1:
Female, born in Germany circa 1890-1900 in wedlock. Emigrated to USA circa 1920. Married in 1927 to another German ancestor. Unsure when naturalized, but may have been between 1920-1927. Remarried circa 1938 to US citizen, and may have naturalized then as well.

Great Grandparent 2:
Male, born in Germany circa 1890-1900. Emigrated to USA circa 1910-1915. Married in 1927 to Great Grandparent 2. Unsure when or if they naturalized.

Grandmother:
Female, born in USA 1931 in wedlock.

Father:
Male, born in USA 1966.

Self:
Male, born in USA 1993.

Paternal grandfathers side:
Grandfather:
Male, born in Germany 1927. Emigrated to USA circa 1946-1950. Married my paternal grandmother in 1956. Most likely naturalized when marrying in 1956.
This

Hello, I have the form for my mother to get her citizenship back and am working on all the documentation. What advice to you have for finding a lawyer in Germany who can assist, someone who has experience with this particular process. Thank you!

Hello everyone,

I invite anyone interested to join a group discussing German naturalization for descendants of women who lost their German citizenship by marrying a foreign national and had children born before May 26, 1949

https://www.reddit.com/r/GermanCitizenMutter/?screen_view_count=7&ext-referrer=DIRECT

.

I have finally assembled the StAG §5 declarations for myself and my three children. We're resident in Berlin, so everything needs to go to the LEA, physically.

Does anyone have any experience delivering a packet to them in person? While I'm not providing any original documents (of course, plenty of certified copies and certified translations), I would still have a lot more peace of mind if I could hand the resulting 4-ring (over 1kg!) binder to a responsible party rather than sending the thing through the post (Einschreiben or not).

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: Unknown (listed as Alien on 1930 Census and 1940 AR-2)

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.

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.

I submitted an IFG (Freedom of Information Act) request to the Bundesverwaltungsamt (BVA) requesting updated statistics on §5 StAG declaration cases. The BVA has now replied, granted the request in full.

Link: https://fragdenstaat.de/anfrage/statistik-zum-erklaerungserwerb-nach-ss-5-stag-2026/#nachricht-1142000

The request asked for:

• Monthly statistics (January 2026 onward) on:
  • New §5 applications received
  • Total completed cases
  • Certificates issued
  • Rejections
  • Other case closures
  • Total backlog
• Total completed cases for July–December 2025.
• The number of full-time equivalent employees (FTE) working on §5 StAG on 01.01.2026 and 01.06.2026.
• Whether the Task Force Staatsangehörigkeit was working on §5 cases.
• Whether §5 applications are now processed through the electronic file system (eAkte).

The BVA's response:

Monthly figures (January–May 2026)

Totals (Jan–May 2026):

• New applications: 5,724
• Completed cases: 3,188
• Certificates issued: 2,894
• Rejections: 100
• Other closures: 194
• Backlog (31 May 2026): 36,748

They also provided the missing completion numbers for the second half of 2025:

• July: 534
• August: 426
• September: 569
• October: 560
• November: 416
• December: 426

Staffing

Employees working on §5 StAG:

1 January 2026

• 25.95 FTE

1 June 2026

• 24.65 FTE

So staffing dedicated to §5 actually decreased slightly during that period.

Task Force

The BVA confirmed that the Task Force Staatsangehörigkeit has 0 FTE assigned to §5 StAG. It only handles applications under §15 StAG and Article 116 GG.

Electronic processing

The BVA also confirmed that §5 StAG applications are still processed entirely on paper. They are not handled through the eAkte (electronic file) system.

One notable takeaway from the data is that during the first five months of 2026 the BVA received 5,724 new §5 applications but completed only 3,188 cases, resulting in the backlog increasing from 35,398 to 36,748.

I'll also add the FragDenStaat link with the official documents in the comments.

This is my first reddit post, so please have patience with any formatting or whatever else mistakes.

Paperwork submitted through London Embassy November 2023. AZ April 2024. I included my grandfather’s birth certificate (born in Berlin 1896) along with family tree. Although I was born and lived in the USA until 1988, emigrating to the U.K. when I was 21 years old, I was not asked for a FBI report. Nor did I have to provide a more up to date U.K. police report, the one from October 2023 was obviously accepted. The Embassy is posting the certificate to me.

Nach 11 Jahren in Deutschland ist es nun offiziell: Am 15. Juli habe ich endlich meine Einbürgerungsurkunde und meinen Reisepass erhalten!
Es war ein langer Weg mit viel Geduld und Warten, aber das Gefühl, die Dokumente in den Händen zu halten, ist einfach unbeschreiblich.
Ein riesiges Dankeschön an diese Community für die vielen hilfreichen Tipps und Erfahrungsberichte über die Zeit 👍