Country guide · Germany

German citizenship by marriage: the spouse rule explained

Citizenship-by-Descent.com·Last reviewed November 2026

Educational information only — not legal advice. Always verify with the relevant authority, consulate or registry office.

If you’re married to a German, you can apply for German citizenship after three years of living legally in Germany, once you’ve been married for two. That’s two years sooner than the normal five. You need B1 German, the naturalisation test, and enough income to live without benefits. Germany doesn’t ask you to give up your current citizenship. The catch for couples living outside Germany: this is a route for people who live in Germany. There is no spouse route you can use from abroad just by being married.

If you have German ancestry yourself, read the German citizenship by descent guide first. You may already be German, or able to claim it from abroad, which is far easier than naturalising.

The rules at a glance

  • Marriage: at least 2 years, to a German citizen. Registered partnerships count too.
  • Residence: 3 years of lawful habitual residence in Germany. It can be shortened in the public interest if you’ve been married 3 years.
  • Language: German at B1.
  • Test: the naturalisation test, 33 questions, 17 correct to pass, EUR 25.
  • Fee: EUR 255.
  • Where: the citizenship authority of your city or district in Germany.
  • Dual citizenship: allowed since 27 June 2024.

Who qualifies

Section 9 of the Nationality Act (Staatsangehörigkeitsgesetz, StAG) says spouses and registered partners of Germans “should” be naturalised if:

  • you have had your lawful habitual residence in Germany for 3 years;
  • the marriage or registered partnership has lasted 2 years; and
  • you meet the conditions of section 10(1), listed below.

“Should” (soll) is strong in German administrative law: if you meet the conditions, you will normally be naturalised. The two periods run at the same time. A couple who married abroad and then moved to Germany can apply once they’ve lived there 3 years, as long as they’ve been married at least 2.

The residence period can be cut short “for reasons of public interest” if the marriage has lasted 3 years. That’s a decision for the authority, not a right, and there’s no fixed shorter period in the law.

Short trips abroad don’t break your residence. Under section 12b, stays outside Germany of up to 6 months don’t interrupt it. Longer absences can, unless the immigration office set a deadline for your return and you came back in time.

Children. Your minor children can be naturalised with you, even if they haven’t lived in Germany for 3 years yet. A child under 16 needs only age-appropriate German.

The conditions in section 10(1)

The spouse route borrows almost all the conditions of ordinary naturalisation. You must:

  • Have a clear identity and nationality. Your passport and civil records have to establish who you are.
  • Commit to the free democratic basic order of the Basic Law, and declare that you don’t support activities against it. You also have to acknowledge Germany’s historical responsibility for the Nazi regime, including the protection of Jewish life, and the ban on wars of aggression.
  • Hold the right residence status. A permanent right of residence, an EU Blue Card, or a residence permit for a purpose not on the law’s excluded list. Permits for study are excluded, for example. The family-reunion permit for spouses of Germans (section 28 of the Residence Act) is not on the list.
  • Support yourself and your dependants without unemployment benefit (Bürgergeld) or social assistance. The law makes an exception if you have worked full time for at least 20 of the last 24 months, or if you live with a minor child and a spouse who has.
  • Have no criminal convictions, within the limits explained below.
  • Speak German at B1 and know the legal and social order, shown by the naturalisation test.

Before you receive the certificate you make a formal declaration that you’ll respect the Basic Law and the laws of Germany. You become German on the day you’re handed the naturalisation certificate.

B1 German and the naturalisation test

You meet the language condition by passing a language exam at B1, the middle of the European scale: you can handle everyday conversations and describe experiences and plans. The law doesn’t name one exam, so ask your citizenship authority which certificates it accepts before you book. If you can show that serious, sustained effort still hasn’t got you to B1, the authority can accept spoken everyday German to avoid hardship.

The naturalisation test (Einbürgerungstest) is run by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF). It has 33 multiple-choice questions in 60 minutes: 30 on democracy, history and responsibility, and society, and 3 on the state you live in. You need 17 right. It costs EUR 25 and you can retake it. You’re exempt if you have a German school leaving certificate, and an integration-course certificate with at least 17 points on the “Life in Germany” test also counts. Our language requirements guide compares Germany’s rules with other countries.

Both conditions are waived if an illness, a disability or your age makes them impossible to meet.

Criminal records

Section 12a lets the authority overlook minor convictions:

  • juvenile court educational or disciplinary measures;
  • fines of up to 90 daily rates; and
  • suspended prison sentences of up to 3 months that were remitted after probation.

Several sentences are added together. None of these exceptions applies if a court found the offence was antisemitic, racist or otherwise contemptuous of human dignity. Foreign convictions, from any country, count if the act is a crime in Germany and the trial was fair, and you must list foreign convictions and pending cases on the application. If you’re under investigation, the decision waits until the case ends.

The 2025 reform didn’t touch the spouse route

The 2024 reform added a fast track: naturalisation after 3 years for people with special integration achievements, under section 10(3). The cabinet agreed to scrap it in May 2025, and the Act of 27 October 2025 deleted section 10(3). It was published on 29 October 2025 and took effect the next day, 30 October 2025. The general minimum is now 5 years.

Section 9 never relied on section 10(3). It has its own 3-year rule and refers only to section 10(1) and the language and test provisions. So spouses of Germans can still apply after 3 years in Germany. If you read that “3-year citizenship is gone”, that refers to the fast track, not to you.

If you live outside Germany

Section 9 requires 3 years of residence in Germany, so it doesn’t work from abroad. The Foreign Office describes naturalisation in Germany as the normal case and naturalisation abroad as an exception.

The exception is section 14: someone living abroad can be naturalised if they have ties to Germany that justify it. For spouses and registered partners of Germans, the law adds that this is also possible when one partner’s stay abroad is in the public interest. The Federal Office of Administration (BVA), which decides these cases, gives examples such as a spouse in the German diplomatic service or a partner posted abroad by a German employer.

The BVA is clear that this is discretionary and there’s no right to it. It normally expects:

  • a public interest in your naturalisation;
  • ties to Germany, such as close long-term contact with family there, regular stays, or property;
  • the means to support yourself and your family where you live, with adequate insurance;
  • German at B1, spoken and written;
  • no criminal record; and
  • usually, the naturalisation test.

You hand in the application in person at the German embassy or consulate for your area, which adds its opinion and forwards it to the BVA. Being married to a German, on its own, isn’t enough. For most couples living abroad, the realistic path is to move to Germany and use section 9.

Widowed or divorced with a German child

Section 9(2) keeps the route open if your German spouse dies or the marriage ends by a final court decision, as long as you apply within one year and you have custody of a minor child from the marriage who is already German and lives with you. All the other conditions still apply.

Same-sex couples

German law defines marriage as a union of two people “of different or the same sex”. Same-sex marriage passed the Bundestag on 30 June 2017 and took effect on 1 October 2017. Section 9 also names registered partners, so couples in a registered partnership from before then are covered too.

Applying, step by step

  1. Live in Germany on a qualifying permit. Spouses of Germans usually start with the family-reunion permit.
  2. Pass a B1 exam and the naturalisation test. Your local citizenship authority can point you to test centres.
  3. Contact your citizenship authority (Staatsangehörigkeitsbehörde or Einbürgerungsbehörde) at your city or district office. BAMF recommends an advice appointment before you apply.
  4. Gather documents. Expect your passport, residence permit, marriage certificate, proof of income, and your B1 and test certificates. Records from abroad usually need an apostille (US records, for example) and a German translation: see our apostille guide and certified translation guide. Each authority sets its own list.
  5. Apply and pay the EUR 255 fee.
  6. Make the declaration and collect your certificate. You become German when it’s handed to you, often at a public ceremony.

There’s no official figure for how long the authorities take, and it varies from city to city.

Cost

  • EUR 255 naturalisation fee.
  • EUR 51 for each minor child naturalised with you who has no income of their own.
  • EUR 25 for the naturalisation test.
  • Your own costs: the B1 exam, apostilles, translations and certified copies.

The authority can reduce or waive the fee on grounds of fairness or public interest.

Can you keep your current citizenship?

Since 27 June 2024 Germany accepts dual citizenship with every country, so you don’t have to give up your current citizenship to naturalise. Whether you keep it also depends on your other country’s law: some countries end citizenship when you voluntarily take another, so check yours. The US, for example, doesn’t take away your citizenship for naturalising in Germany unless you do it intending to give it up. Our German dual citizenship guide covers the details, and our citizenship by marriage comparison shows how Germany stacks up against other countries.

Frequently asked questions

How long do I have to be married to a German to apply?

Two years of marriage or registered partnership, plus three years of lawful habitual residence in Germany. The two periods can overlap. If you've been married for three years, the authority may shorten the residence period, but only where your naturalisation is in the public interest.

Can I apply from abroad?

Not under the spouse rule. Section 9 requires three years living in Germany. If you live abroad, the only option is discretionary naturalisation under section 14, through the Federal Office of Administration. It needs real ties to Germany, and for spouses the law points to cases where one partner's stay abroad is in the public interest, such as a German posted abroad by the government.

What German level do I need?

B1 on the European scale, proven by passing a B1 language exam. You also need to pass the naturalisation test, unless you have a German school leaving certificate. Both can be waived if illness, disability or age makes them impossible.

How much does it cost?

The naturalisation fee is EUR 255. A minor child naturalised with you who has no income of their own pays EUR 51. The naturalisation test costs EUR 25. Add the cost of the B1 exam, document fees and translations.

Did the 2025 reform make it harder for spouses?

No. The 2025 law deleted the 3-year fast track in section 10(3), in force from 30 October 2025. That rule was never part of the spouse route. Section 9 still lets spouses apply after three years in Germany instead of the usual five.

Do I have to give up my current citizenship?

Not for Germany. Since 27 June 2024 Germany no longer requires anyone who naturalises to give up their old citizenship. Whether you keep your other citizenship also depends on that country's law: some countries end citizenship when you voluntarily take another, so check yours. The US, for example, doesn't take away your citizenship for naturalising in another country unless you intend to give it up.

Does a same-sex marriage count?

Yes. German law has allowed marriage between two people of the same sex since 1 October 2017, and section 9 also covers registered partners of Germans.

What if my German spouse dies or we divorce?

Normally the route ends. There's one exception: you can still apply within one year of the death or the final divorce decision if you have custody of a minor child from the marriage who is German and lives with you.

Official sources

Checked against these sources on 11 November 2026. Each city or district sets its own document list and appointment process, so check with the citizenship authority where you live.