Obtaining German Citizenship after 5 year 4 months of residency: Navigating the New 5-Year Rule
Disclaimer: This post is based on my personal experience, so things might be a bit different depending on where you live in Germany or your specific situation. Take it as a friendly guide!
Yesterday was the day after 5 years of living here, I officially became a German citizen! 🎉 Yep, thanks to the new dual citizenship law and new 5-year rule that passed on June 27. And I would like to share the journey, some tips, and the documents I had to gather along the way.
The Backstory (a.k.a. How I Got Here)
I first landed in Germany back in 2019 for my Master study and also found a Working Student job not long afterwards. Fast forward to 2021, I graduated, and immediately jumped into full-time work. I’ve been working nonstop ever since. When I applied for citizenship, I already had a Niederlassungserlaubnis (permanent residence permit).
The Application Process 🗂️
When I applied, I had all the documents lined up…except for Einbürgerungstest. But no worries — they said I could submit it later, so all was good! Pro tip: make sure your files are clearly labeled. None of that “Scan1, Scan2” nonsense. You want them to know exactly what they’re opening (trust me, it makes a difference).
Oh, and just to be extra, I threw in a few extra certificates from activities I did in Germany to show that I was well integrated. 😉
Here’s the list of what I submitted (as far as I can remember):
- Passport
- Current residence permit
- Proof of finances
- Employment contract + last 3 months of payslips (show them you’re financially stable)
- A letter from my company confirming I actually work there
- Bank statement
- Rentenversicherungsverlauf
- My Master’s degree + any other certificates I’ve collected in Germany
- Health insurance card
- Rental contract (making sure what you are paying for rent does not take up all of your income)
- B1 language proficiency proof
- Einbürgerungstest (you can book this test in any VHS — just be aware that the appointments are hard to find so plan your time!)
- Anmeldung
The Timeline:
- May 17: Submitted my online application. I hadn’t completed the Einbürgerungstest yet.
You can do so through this Berlin Service Portal. Heads up: the process can vary depending on where you are, so check what applies to you. - June 16: Nailed the Einbürgerungstest and submitted it
- July 17: Office S3 asked me to sign a Loyalitätserklärung (Loyalty Declaration). Signed, sealed, delivered on the same day via Contact Formula
- August 12: Received an invitation for my naturalization appointment on August 26. I asked to reschedule…and they moved it up instead. 😮
- August 16: The big day! I got my Urkunde (naturalization certificate), the whole thing was over in 10 minutes. They took away my Permanent residence card. (No need to sing the national anthem like I imagined). **After getting the Urkunde, you need to book appointment at Bürgeramt to request new ID card/Passport
And just like that, I’m officially German. 🎉 I even made a short vlog sharing my excitement on naturalization day (in Vietnamese, sorry!).
A Few Tips to Help You Along the Way:
- Double, triple-check your documents! Make sure everything’s crystal clear and properly labeled — it will make the process much faster.
- Have patience. After submitting the documents, you can forget it for a while and it might come faster than expected.
Thank you for reading and I wish all the best you your application 😊😊😊
Thanks for reading! 🍀
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