🔥 Find out if you qualify for German citizenship by doing this free test from our partners Migrando: www.simplegermany.com/migrando-test-yt-naturalization/
Super informative video as always :) There are a few small variations in Berlin, maybe they’re helpful to some people - In Berlin, the application is made at the Bürgeramt and not the Ausländerbehörde. For the language test, you can request (on your Erstberatung) for the ‘Deutschkurs für Einbürgerung’ - a German Language test at the Volkshochschule (local community college) especially developed for naturalisation applicants. It’s a lot simpler and straight forward than other tests like Göthe. Lastly, in Berlin again, they don’t ask for the Criminal record (the Bürgeramt would already have that info ) and you can just give them your Anmeldung instead of your rental contract.
Great video! The only thing is you might have mentioned Art 116 Naturalization, the way I entered the country. You can bypass the entire process if your family was deprived of German citizenship by the Nationial Socialist government. A lot of people don't know about that route, that probably deserve to have their citizenship reinstated.
Yes, very true. This is a very specific exception. There are other exceptions too, which would have been too detailed for the video. But glad you were able to reclaim your citizenship! 😊
Achtbare Leistung, well done! You are 100% correct, make yourself easy to help. For U.S. citizens, there is an interesting exemption, at any rate if you are applying in Munich (when I looked into this in 2018, after having moved to Munich in 1989, i.e. 29 years after arrival). Then (still?) if you demonstrated hardship from giving up your U.S. citizenship, you could retain it. The good news, to my pleasant surprise, was that my modest business interests in the U.S. were acceptable as a "tax hardship" for retaining my US citizenship, the German-U.S. bilateral tax agreement notwithstanding. The bad news was the requirement for health insurance, which I have with the unlimited coverage required by German law. BUT my insurance coverage was not the public German insurance or private insurance from a German company, instead being private insurance from CIGNA, a US company. That insurance coverage was rejected, unacceptable. I may give German citizenship a second shot in 2023, perhaps in another jurisdiction. As far as reaching B1 is concerned: The courses for A1, A2 and B1 each take 80 sessions of 45 min. apiece at a Goethe Institute. If taken full time, they last two to three weeks per course. So from zero German you can theoretically reach a decent B1 level in one summer. Of course to reach a usable level (e.g., to understand university courses) takes longer, at least a year of intense study (unless you are gifted) and, in my case, another six years after that of on-going evening courses to internalize the endings and improve my writing skills. Goethe, Faust: ". . . durchaus studiert, mit heißem Bemüh´n. Da steh´ ich nun, ich armer Tor! Und bin so klug, als wie zuvor …"
Great video, glad I found you two,I became a German citizen in January of this year,luckily didn't had to gave up my Cuban citizenship, yes I have 2 Citizenship, it was a long long very damn long process since I had to get some papers from Cuba and it happened at the beginning of covid +the German embassy in Havana also took his sseet time on delivering the papers back to germany
Even if y renounced your Cuban citizenship, the Cuban government doest accept it. I was born in Cuba and left the country when I was 4 years old( I’m in my 40s now) , I returned to Cuba for the first time since I left , in 2014. I had to travel there on Cuban passport I have two others citizenships ( other than me cuban )
Hey there ! Good to have discovered your channel! I have found all your videos more than interesting about life in Germany. My dream is to move there any time next year and you have given me a very good vision about how life is there. Congrats and keep sharing this valuable information! Tchuss!
It will be cool if you guys make a video where you go through each question of the citizenship test and add your opinion on each of them and explain a little more about them.
@@simplegermany And such a great idea! 😅I don't think I've seen anything like it, as described in the comment. But I did try the examples, and it turns out I would have passed it, if it were for real. I did help myself once in a while by looking up words, but that alone wasn't how I gave correct answers, it's some knowledge of the constitution and what priorities it is built upon. Then of course history, current states and governance, separation of powers.. and from there on common sense can kick in pretty well to help you give correct answers. Many of the questions consist of options, all 4 of which appear true, or at least make sense, but you have to think priorities according to the legislative system.
@@simplegermany may be you can make a short video for each question and release it as one question video on daily basis. Then it's 300 days, I hope this way you won't feel it too much.🤣🤣
Hey! Thanks for the video, I enjoyed it a lot for some odd reason since I actually just received my citizenship last week. In my case I only needed to hand in my last 3 pay slips, no employment contract needed, no Rentensversicherungsverlauf and no bank statements, I'm not sure if those are ever actually required or if it's a case by case basis. It also doesn't matter at all if your work contract is unlimited or not, just that you have a job at the moment and you've had one for long enough (as I understand, you must have paid into the pension system for at least 5 years). I luckily also didn't have to renounce my citizenship as I come from Costa Rica :) and in my case, living in a small city in NRW the process was very easy because I could talk easily with the workers. It took around 7 months for me. Edit: I didn't even get an envelope for my Urkunde :( Edit 2: In DM you can get passport photos taken directly there by an employee and printed on-the-spot, not sure if the service is available everywhere, but it worked for me and it was only 8 Euros.
Thanks for sharing your experience! Super interesting to hear the differences. Each Immigration office / worker seems to change the requirements based on the specific case. We don't have any passport photographers in Düsseldorf. Cool that you have such a service.
#4+5 is a no brainer for most teenagers: you are able to apply as soon you turn 16 and if you solved your german school it counts for #4 and at such young age you cannot sustain yourself, thus #5 is off the table afaik :)
Hi guys! Love your channel, it’s so informative and entertaining! Can you talk a bit more about the kinds of activities you can do to be able to apply for naturalisation earlier? Would you need certification for those activities? Any idea on what the process is like? Thanks!
I love your videos, watched almost all of them, but noticed one thing: Jan said, that her Guate passport is expired and she entered Guate with the German passport. I also have two passports and was checking the rules, which state that, if you have a country’s passport you have to enter it with this passport. So like I have both Moldovan and Russian, but I can’t enter Russia with Moldovan (although it is possible, if I were Moldovan citizen only). Just wanted to check, if this requirement stays of you have Russian as one of your passports, or for all 🤔
You're right, it just sounds like a joke and not highly developed. That's why the higher developed life forms, which were born south of the line separating the lower from the higher life forms, speak ISO 639-3 "bar" and not ISO 639-3 "deu".
It took me a year of sending emails every month before they send me the documents by mail with all the documents that I need to fill and also present ❤️ am now in the process of getting everything together before the Erste-Beratung, However upon research of how to renounce my Jamaican 🇯🇲 citizenship I found out I will have to pay a thousand euros when the time comes 🙄😔
Thank you for sharing such informative videos. Would it be a good idea to apply for a citizenship via a lawyer to help with the procedure and make the process quicker?
That is your own decision, but of course it makes things smoother and more effortless for you. If you are interested you can take a look at the website from Migrando: migrando.de/
Great video, thanks! Just clarifying a small bit: the law only requires a level of german higher than B1 for the 6 years citizenship, the "special integration" is mostly an interpretation some goverment agents might have of the law, which is not the reality. Remember to print the law and take it with you so that you show you've done your research and you will be fine. Otherwise, there are agencies specialised in dealing with these goverment agencies and they can support you to be treated equality by the law.
in if sentence wird nie ge-"would"-st(ist ein hessiches sprichwort :) ). 1:16 better: "if i knew, i would have..."(conditional sentence typ 2) instead of "if i would have known..." it sounds very german -> if i would ...
Hi thank you very much for this video! Unfortunately we are in the same situation waiting for already 2(!) years with no reply. And feel exactly the same - stuck :( Could you elaborate more on what did you write in the letter that made the authorities move in your case?
Oh no, so sorry to hear! In Germany, there is a law that after 6 months of processing a governmental institution needs to update you about the status. If that is not the case, one can file a Untätigkeitsklage (action for failure to act ). So what we did is we send a friendly but insisting letter, threatening with such a law suit and saying it is probably not in their interest, so we request a status update until x. We gave them a 2 week deadline. And we received a letter from them 2 weeks later. We had to do that twice, once for an update and once for actually getting an appointment, as the update just said they are in the final stages. Hope this helps! 😊
Not all details are refined yet, but it should work similarly to the 9 euro ticket from the summer, which we briefly talk about in this short: th-cam.com/users/shortsq5o7CFdBAd0
Great video, thanks. I have two questions, it'd be great if you could clarify 1. I am preparing for Leben In Deutschland test to apply for early PR. will this test have any expiry date or its always valid irrespective of duration ? 2. I read somewhere that if i take the LiD test and B1 test, i can get this converted to Integration course certificate at BAMF. Is this possible and i hope it doesn't expire and in future it will help me to apply for citizenship. Thanks in advance
Thanks! 😊 To be honest, it is best to direct your questions to the institute where you will take this test. We can't tell you whether it will expire or not. But hypothetically speaking, when you do an integration course right after moving to Germany, it still counts 8 years later when applying for the citizenship.
A wait time of 8 years would be a big vill to climb. Also, what happens to retirement benefits from the immigrants home country, e.g., social security or Medicare?
Does Germany recognize foreign marriage if you immigrate as a married couple? Trying to decide if it would be better to be married before or to become a citizen and then marry. Amazing video also!
I'm starting the process of citizenship by descent, but it's a complicated case. It sounds like I would skip most of these requirements in this process, is that true? How weird would it be for me to show up to Germany for the first time and be a citizen, but speak essentially no German?
You wouldn't be the only one! We have many smoothlers in our community that have a German passport from decent but have never been to Germany nor speak German 😊
Study years counts but u should know 4yrs counts for only bachelors and 2yrs count for only Masters, no Matter how long you took to complete it...e.g if you finished your bachelors in 7yrs,it count as 4yrs OR if u took ur time and finish your Masters in 5yrs, it will count as 2yrs.... However, when u apply for citizenship you cannot use your study permit residence, only your EU blue card, ordinary work permit or PR.
great video! always so helpful! Will my contributions to the pension system as a working student count towards the requiremente for the permanent residence? I hope somebody in a similar case can share the experience.
Great informations, and thanks for that, but I have few questions. How about blue card owners. Do they have any exceptions? And if I have permanent(Niederlassungserlaubnis) recidency then can I apply earlier?
Thanks! 😊 Blue card owners have advantages to get the permanent residence permit, which we explain in our guide: www.simplegermany.com/permanent-residence-germany/. But for the citizenship by naturalization in makes no difference, as far as we know.
Was born in Augsburg, mother is German and father was US. Left when I was 2 years old and currently am a Naturalized US Citizen. Is it possible to obtain Dual US-German citizenship ?
Dears, I am a Polish citizen who has been living in Germany from February 2022. I have joined integrations course and I have passed B1 Telc exam. Now I am studying to pass B2 Telc exam. I will enter citizenship exam within next year. I am not taking any support from goverment. I am working in Luxemburg but living in Germany Trier. I have made my registration in goverment. In this case how long I need to wait to be a German citizen regarding new law? Greetings from Trier.
Hallo! Just like to ask, if you also change last names? Because as married couple and now as a German Citizen. You can have one last name as a married couple. Thank you for answering! 😊
That a lot for your great and so cooool video :) I have all document that you refred in your video! but recently I have changed my job and I am in Probezeit :( i wanna know that can I apply for german citizenship during my probation time? Many thank :)
We don't see why not, but then again we are not your case worker at the immigration office ;). Go get your Beratungstermin and they will tell you. From there to your actual application some months will pass most likely anyways, by which you might be out of your Probezeit already 😉
Could you please specify what exactly you are referring to? Do you have an example? Like you would call the police, for example, in case of an accident, or a burglary, or in certain instances for extreme noise pollution.
@@simplegermany Hi Thanks for replying. Yes exactly, incase of an accident/incident/disputes how and when am i suppose to call a police. Also in case of a legal dispute with a neighbour/someone else how can i get help from a Lawyer or German Court of law. As a Ausländer what are my rights in there etc.
In case of a dispute with someone, you can always consult a lawyer. The court will only help you, once you decide to file a suit. And in case of an accident you can call the police at 110. You have the same rights in any case as a German citizen.
You can find the catalog of questions in the German Immigration Office's website: www.bamf.de/SharedDocs/Links/DE/O/oet-bamf-interaktiv_einbuergerungstest_fragenkatalog.html?nn=282388
so if my amarican fiance comes here with an mastered a2 level and we only talk german and he does all the b1 and even b2 courses while he is at work where he probaply also speaks german and we marry asap as he come here these 3 years should be enough for him to get there i assume
When I came to Germany I was somewhere between a1 and a2. I've passed b1 and citizenship exams exactly a year later without having any help at home. Only integrationcourse. So if he has no great problems with learning, has enough time and energy I think in 3 years he can feel very confident with his german.
Hi..First of all thanks for this informative video. I live in Germany for 10 years and as well as I have finished my university degree too. I took work permit visa but I couldn’t manage my related field work till now. Right now I work in a supermarket as a Verkäuferin. My question is that am I eligible for naturalization? Because I live in Germany since quite longer period. Thanks in advance please if you can give me any idea.
Then you're not learning German. It's good as an initial kick in the butt to get you started, but it's essentially a game, not a language learning tool. It gives you _some_ vocabulary, some of it outdated, some of it outright wrong, and it gives you some ready-made sentence structures without real explanation how and why they work the way they work. It's basically a pile of Duplo blocks with time trial challenges, figuratively speaking. If you can't afford a human teacher, at least watch Easy German and Learn German with Anja videos and try to comment in German on their videos, preferably newest ones so that you're more likely to get a response from someone.
*as Jason* Omg, old man, can you be any more dramatic? I get the Brucie act's essential and all that crap, but maybe try, idk, looking at them with at least half the intensity you give your batarangs?
Renouncing the current citizenship is a hard one for me. I am unsure if I would, because burning the bridges behind me is not something I like and I don't particularly dislike my current country (Georgia) to the point I want to have nothing to do with it anymore. But maybe after 8 years of living in Germany, I would have an answer by then.
Yes, we totally understand where you are coming from and yes thoughts might adapt after years of living in Germany or any other country for that matter.
I can relate to it with the German citizenship I have since I'm 5 years old. It's quite young but the Eritrean part is undeniable for me to this day. Like an invisible string pulling from somewhere.. Germany is awesome, hope you'll have an answer asap. Edit: arrived in Ger 5 years old, naturalized a couple of years later.
Not much relevant to this video. But when the Indian Embassy refused my daughter dual citizenship despite her being eligible, I lost interest in holding Indian nationality. If my country can't be bothered with my daughter, neither am I bothered to develop any bonds with it. I am in Austria and will take me over an year even to be eligible for nationality. The military service had kept me on the fence. But the Indian government's action pushed me off of that.
@@SolomonSunder Yeah, obligatory military service puts everyone on the fence. I wouldn't say doing it is a bad thing if you body is in shape and you are heathy enough, you'll basically get free military training, I don't want to get into politics, but just in case of war in EU, it will help you survive. Another option would have been to wait until the age you are no longer required to do military service and apply for citizenship then but it seems like the upper range of military age in Austria is 50 years which is much higher compared to Switzerland which has 35.
University degree, don't get so pompous, a completed, good German job training is also enough. It is also enough to have successfully completed four years of German-language school, i.e. to have been promoted to the next grade. A secondary school leaving certificate or promotion to the tenth grade of a German-language secondary school (Realschule, Gesamtschule, Gymnasium).
I have been waiting for my German naturalization for 4 years now although I was born and raised in Germany. After my application, I was informed by the Foreigners Authority in Stuttgart that I also have Bosnian citizenship in addition to Croatian citizenship, although I knew nothing about it. My parents were born in the former Yugoslavia in Bosnia and therefore I have inherited the nationality from them. That is what I was told. A denaturalization from Bosnia Herzegovina would cost me a total of 3000€ according to my research. The woman in the authority told me that I would not be a full-fledged German even after the naturalization because I need a citizenship card. This is a yellow piece of paper that only people get who are German for 5 generations. They call this yellow piece of paper „Staatsangehörigkeitsausweis“. For me, the naturalization is done
First of all, never heard of that "Staatsangehörigkeitsnachweis" before. I'm German, with no "Migrationshintergrund" whatsoever. Second, what you said you were told is completely wrong. Just read the Wikioedia article. You need this yellow paper only if there is reason to doubt your German citizenship. Your "Einbürgerungsurkunde" is enough of a proof of being a German citizen. If you need the "Staatsangehörigkeitsnachweis" you can get it with the naturalisation papers. Period. Only if you can't proof your citizenship by your birth certificate the authorities will than look at your parents status, if theirs questionable, than it's the grandparents or even further back till 1914. But that's almost never the case to have to look this far back in time. Mostly for descendants of German citizens, like grand- and greatgrand children of emigrated Jews or other Emigrants between 1933 and 45 which have the right of German cititenship by the Grundgesetz. Most important, you have all the rights of a German citizen (and all the duties!) the moment you get the "Einbügerungsurkunde". There is no first and second class citizenship defined by ancestry or anything else.
„Der Staatsangehörigkeitsausweis ist das einzige Dokument, mit dem das Bestehen der deutschen Staatsangehörigkeit in allen Angelegenheiten, für die es rechts- erheblich ist, verbindlich feststellt wird (§ 30 StAG). Der deutsche Reisepass und Personalausweis sind kein Nachweis für die deutsche Staatsangehörigkeit, sie begründen nur eine Vermutung, dass der Inhaber die deutsche Staatsangehörigkeit besitzt.“ This is what they told me
EVERY German citizen can get the yellow citizenship card Staatsangehörigkeitsausweis, completely regardless if you have had the citizenship for 5 generations or only five weeks. Besides normaly no person ever needs this piece of paper
well damn i didn't expect that. I'm currently an exchange student in Germany but it's really not that hard! I'm from Egypt, so it's REALLY tough getting visas to the EU, and getting a german citzenship is only a couple of steps harder than applying for a visa to Germany. glad to have watched this video! see you in a decade, german passport >:)
Great video guys!!! Really useful info!!!. For me renouncing to my birth citizenship for sure is not gonna be a problem, but like you Jen, according to the list you showed, won't need to 😜😜😜 since I'm from Bolivia!!!
I am living in germany 13 years now (now in the cost of nord germany) and was always insecure about doing the second nationality (im from spain). Thanks to your video I got the "lets do it!" vibe and i am already starting the process. Thanks, really :)
Great video! Providing many details on different parts of the process and at the same time fun to watch. Can I ask which steps are generally taken to renew temporary residence permit in the middle of the naturalization process? You mentioned you've had a permanent one. But just wanted to learn what potential issues can happen. Danke schön!
Germany will let you have dual citizenship. My sister is German and she just got her American citizenship and Germany let her keep her German Citizenship.
I have heard that having a high level of German could help shorten the time you need to have lived in Germany to 6 years, for example C1. Is this true or is it C1 plus the integration course? Are the study years counted too as part of the time one has lived in Germany? Additionally, is it possible to do the integration course in the evenings after work or it is a full time thing? I have C1 level of German and would have lived in Germany for 6 years by mid next year, so I want to start planning accordingly. Thanks for the answer.
The best thing to start planning for you is to make an appointment at your Ausländerbehörde, as only they can advise you in your specific case. Just make sure that you fulfill all the other requirements. Regarding the integration course, best google for it for your city to find out specifics.
If you have already a C1 level of German there's no point in doing the Integrationskurs, which consist of German language classes until B1 and the Leben in Deutschland course. The LiD is only 2 weeks if I remember correctly; there you learn for the naturalization exam.
Integration course is from nothing to B1 so to get C1 it's not enough. And yes, you can do it in the evenings after work. It depends on the school and where you work. I chose a morning course (5 times a week, 4 hours every day) and worked in the evenings (as a foodcourier, highly recomend this one during the course) but my fiance took 'intensive' integration course only 3 times a week (4h a day too) and only 3 modules (300h) instead of my 6 modules. also she had the LiD part shorter (30h instead of 100). And she asked her boss to have these 3 afternoons free every week so it was possible to work and learn too.
I would definitely give up my South African citizenship. My husband and daughter both have German, and I'd sleep easier knowing we're all on the same paperwork.
Lol from one South African to another I understand. I find it is so hard to travel with a South African passport. Firstly one needs a visa for most countries which can be an expensive and time costing exercise. Also one is always met with suspicion when the authorities see the passport 😂😂.
@@karalove3786 that's one part of it, yes 😊 other than that, I think the last three years have shown how quickly the world can change or lose its mind. If things ever happen to go pear shaped it would be great if we can all at least move in the same direction.
Sometimes the pronunciation of umlauts can change the meaning of a word. Geachtet and geächtet would be one example. First means accepted, respected, second being an outlaw, people think you're an evil person. Or someone pronounced the German word for disciple "Junger" what sounds like the German word for boy. It took a while to recognize, that he doesn't speak about a boy, but someone who had Jesus as teacher.
I was born in Germany when my father was in the military but was brought to the United States and have lived here ever since my mom told me i have duel citizenship,im 49 and would like to move to Germany and live there for the remaining of my life,am i allowed and how do i find out if i still have duell citizenship my mom has since passed away so i can't ask her! Any help would be great, thanks and have a great day!
I don't see it in your list of requirements. I might be wrong but "valid residence permit" is not enough, the permit must not only be valid but also permanent.
![What to WEAR for German winters [so you don't FREEZE] 🥶](/img/n.gif)
🔥 Find out if you qualify for German citizenship by doing this free test from our partners Migrando:
www.simplegermany.com/migrando-test-yt-naturalization/
Super informative video as always :) There are a few small variations in Berlin, maybe they’re helpful to some people -
In Berlin, the application is made at the Bürgeramt and not the Ausländerbehörde.
For the language test, you can request (on your Erstberatung) for the ‘Deutschkurs für Einbürgerung’ - a German Language test at the Volkshochschule (local community college) especially developed for naturalisation applicants. It’s a lot simpler and straight forward than other tests like Göthe.
Lastly, in Berlin again, they don’t ask for the Criminal record (the Bürgeramt would already have that info ) and you can just give them your Anmeldung instead of your rental contract.
Oh wow, super interesting! Thanks so much for sharing!! 😊
"Göte" ist die richtige Schreibweise...
@@rosshart9514 göte wälitalo, oder was?
Thanks!!! I will apply in berlin, very helpful to know that before hand
@@alinemattosw I'm afraid that it's possible you have to apply in the land where you live.
Great video! The only thing is you might have mentioned Art 116 Naturalization, the way I entered the country. You can bypass the entire process if your family was deprived of German citizenship by the Nationial Socialist government. A lot of people don't know about that route, that probably deserve to have their citizenship reinstated.
Yes, very true. This is a very specific exception. There are other exceptions too, which would have been too detailed for the video. But glad you were able to reclaim your citizenship! 😊
Achtbare Leistung, well done! You are 100% correct, make yourself easy to help. For U.S. citizens, there is an interesting exemption, at any rate if you are applying in Munich (when I looked into this in 2018, after having moved to Munich in 1989, i.e. 29 years after arrival). Then (still?) if you demonstrated hardship from giving up your U.S. citizenship, you could retain it. The good news, to my pleasant surprise, was that my modest business interests in the U.S. were acceptable as a "tax hardship" for retaining my US citizenship, the German-U.S. bilateral tax agreement notwithstanding.
The bad news was the requirement for health insurance, which I have with the unlimited coverage required by German law. BUT my insurance coverage was not the public German insurance or private insurance from a German company, instead being private insurance from CIGNA, a US company. That insurance coverage was rejected, unacceptable. I may give German citizenship a second shot in 2023, perhaps in another jurisdiction.
As far as reaching B1 is concerned: The courses for A1, A2 and B1 each take 80 sessions of 45 min. apiece at a Goethe Institute. If taken full time, they last two to three weeks per course. So from zero German you can theoretically reach a decent B1 level in one summer. Of course to reach a usable level (e.g., to understand university courses) takes longer, at least a year of intense study (unless you are gifted) and, in my case, another six years after that of on-going evening courses to internalize the endings and improve my writing skills. Goethe, Faust: ". . . durchaus studiert, mit heißem Bemüh´n. Da steh´ ich nun, ich armer Tor! Und bin so klug, als wie zuvor …"
I live in Germany under the Status of Forces Agreement. I would love to give that card and my US passport back. Great info.
Great video, glad I found you two,I became a German citizen in January of this year,luckily didn't had to gave up my Cuban citizenship, yes I have 2 Citizenship, it was a long long very damn long process since I had to get some papers from Cuba and it happened at the beginning of covid +the German embassy in Havana also took his sseet time on delivering the papers back to germany
How is this possible?
Even if y renounced your Cuban citizenship, the Cuban government doest accept it. I was born in Cuba and left the country when I was 4 years old( I’m in my 40s now) , I returned to Cuba for the first time since I left , in 2014. I had to travel there on Cuban passport
I have two others citizenships ( other than me cuban )
That was awesome! Very detailed and helpful :-)
I think with the new online application process could simply things a lot.
Hey there ! Good to have discovered your channel! I have found all your videos more than interesting about life in Germany. My dream is to move there any time next year and you have given me a very good vision about how life is there. Congrats and keep sharing this valuable information! Tchuss!
Congratulations! Love your channel! You are a mood lifter always! :)
wow,such detail and informative.Thank you.
Congrats! All the best to both of you.
I never get over how Yvonne looks at Jen with love and all the good things.😍
Both actually. Lovely couple
It will be cool if you guys make a video where you go through each question of the citizenship test and add your opinion on each of them and explain a little more about them.
Wow, that would be a whole channel of its own with over 300 questions 😅
@@simplegermany And such a great idea! 😅I don't think I've seen anything like it, as described in the comment. But I did try the examples, and it turns out I would have passed it, if it were for real. I did help myself once in a while by looking up words, but that alone wasn't how I gave correct answers, it's some knowledge of the constitution and what priorities it is built upon. Then of course history, current states and governance, separation of powers.. and from there on common sense can kick in pretty well to help you give correct answers. Many of the questions consist of options, all 4 of which appear true, or at least make sense, but you have to think priorities according to the legislative system.
@@simplegermany may be you can make a short video for each question and release it as one question video on daily basis. Then it's 300 days, I hope this way you won't feel it too much.🤣🤣
Very true! 😊
Hey! Thanks for the video, I enjoyed it a lot for some odd reason since I actually just received my citizenship last week. In my case I only needed to hand in my last 3 pay slips, no employment contract needed, no Rentensversicherungsverlauf and no bank statements, I'm not sure if those are ever actually required or if it's a case by case basis. It also doesn't matter at all if your work contract is unlimited or not, just that you have a job at the moment and you've had one for long enough (as I understand, you must have paid into the pension system for at least 5 years).
I luckily also didn't have to renounce my citizenship as I come from Costa Rica :) and in my case, living in a small city in NRW the process was very easy because I could talk easily with the workers. It took around 7 months for me.
Edit: I didn't even get an envelope for my Urkunde :(
Edit 2: In DM you can get passport photos taken directly there by an employee and printed on-the-spot, not sure if the service is available everywhere, but it worked for me and it was only 8 Euros.
Thanks for sharing your experience! Super interesting to hear the differences. Each Immigration office / worker seems to change the requirements based on the specific case. We don't have any passport photographers in Düsseldorf. Cool that you have such a service.
And in which city in NRW was it ? I also live in that state.
@@yasminez2690 that was in Jülich.
I had to give up my Venezuelan citizenship in order to be German. You're very lucky that you could keep yours.
Always fun to watch your vids. You've always been very helpful! (6 monate in Deutschland! - My German sucks tho, haha)
Congratulations, big one!
Less than seven years left and I will have the honour to be a german citizen and you will have a contribution to that. Thank you 🙏🙂
#4+5 is a no brainer for most teenagers: you are able to apply as soon you turn 16 and if you solved your german school it counts for #4 and at such young age you cannot sustain yourself, thus #5 is off the table afaik :)
Hi guys! Love your channel, it’s so informative and entertaining! Can you talk a bit more about the kinds of activities you can do to be able to apply for naturalisation earlier? Would you need certification for those activities? Any idea on what the process is like? Thanks!
Hi Jen & Yvonne, please could you make the same video with the new law update.. Thanks
We have one :) You can find it here: th-cam.com/video/VgFfkhQT9zg/w-d-xo.htmlsi=beFwIOHANOWOpWNB
In some villages, it only took less than 4 weeks
I love your videos, watched almost all of them, but noticed one thing: Jan said, that her Guate passport is expired and she entered Guate with the German passport. I also have two passports and was checking the rules, which state that, if you have a country’s passport you have to enter it with this passport. So like I have both Moldovan and Russian, but I can’t enter Russia with Moldovan (although it is possible, if I were Moldovan citizen only). Just wanted to check, if this requirement stays of you have Russian as one of your passports, or for all 🤔
And you also have to renounce to your current nationality (exception for EU and some specific countries)
Thanks a million
I love the German language, I think it sounds very funny...I was in Hamburg and Stuttgart I luv it especially the people.
You're right, it just sounds like a joke and not highly developed.
That's why the higher developed life forms, which were born south of the line separating the lower from the higher life forms, speak ISO 639-3 "bar" and not ISO 639-3 "deu".
We want an update of this pls
I really like the CV template - also for other German stuff apart from citizenship - prima
Super happy to hear! 😊
It took me a year of sending emails every month before they send me the documents by mail with all the documents that I need to fill and also present ❤️ am now in the process of getting everything together before the Erste-Beratung, However upon research of how to renounce my Jamaican 🇯🇲 citizenship I found out I will have to pay a thousand euros when the time comes 🙄😔
Thank you for sharing such informative videos. Would it be a good idea to apply for a citizenship via a lawyer to help with the procedure and make the process quicker?
That is your own decision, but of course it makes things smoother and more effortless for you. If you are interested you can take a look at the website from Migrando: migrando.de/
Great video, thanks!
Just clarifying a small bit: the law only requires a level of german higher than B1 for the 6 years citizenship, the "special integration" is mostly an interpretation some goverment agents might have of the law, which is not the reality. Remember to print the law and take it with you so that you show you've done your research and you will be fine.
Otherwise, there are agencies specialised in dealing with these goverment agencies and they can support you to be treated equality by the law.
Thanks for the video, it would be nice if you go through the application form and explain it as some stuff is probably confusing.
Could you please send a link to the source of the table with the list of countries exempt from loosing their citzenship?
in if sentence wird nie ge-"would"-st(ist ein hessiches sprichwort :) ). 1:16 better: "if i knew, i would have..."(conditional sentence typ 2) instead of "if i would have known..." it sounds very german -> if i would ...
Hi thank you very much for this video! Unfortunately we are in the same situation waiting for already 2(!) years with no reply. And feel exactly the same - stuck :(
Could you elaborate more on what did you write in the letter that made the authorities move in your case?
Oh no, so sorry to hear! In Germany, there is a law that after 6 months of processing a governmental institution needs to update you about the status. If that is not the case, one can file a Untätigkeitsklage (action for failure to act ). So what we did is we send a friendly but insisting letter, threatening with such a law suit and saying it is probably not in their interest, so we request a status update until x. We gave them a 2 week deadline. And we received a letter from them 2 weeks later. We had to do that twice, once for an update and once for actually getting an appointment, as the update just said they are in the final stages. Hope this helps! 😊
I have a question? You said your current passport you have to bring your documents what you mean by that?
Great video! I've learnt a lot watching it :D is the criminal record from Germany only?
Yes, you only need it from Germany.
Very informative and organised video as always, just one questions what if my passport is expired by the time applying for naturalisation?
In this case, it's best to consult the Immigration Officer on your first consultation appointment.
Very Informative ❤️
Please make a video about the new 49€ tram ticket. Is it for the whole NRW? How can i purchase it? I am also in Düsseldorf and new here in Germany.
Not all details are refined yet, but it should work similarly to the 9 euro ticket from the summer, which we briefly talk about in this short: th-cam.com/users/shortsq5o7CFdBAd0
Could you please provide a link for the voluntary activities you mentioned to reduce the timeframe to 6 yrs? @1:26
It's all changing
Great video, thanks.
I have two questions, it'd be great if you could clarify
1. I am preparing for Leben In Deutschland test to apply for early PR. will this test have any expiry date or its always valid irrespective of duration ?
2. I read somewhere that if i take the LiD test and B1 test, i can get this converted to Integration course certificate at BAMF. Is this possible and i hope it doesn't expire and in future it will help me to apply for citizenship.
Thanks in advance
Thanks! 😊 To be honest, it is best to direct your questions to the institute where you will take this test. We can't tell you whether it will expire or not. But hypothetically speaking, when you do an integration course right after moving to Germany, it still counts 8 years later when applying for the citizenship.
A wait time of 8 years would be a big vill to climb.
Also, what happens to retirement benefits from the immigrants home country, e.g., social security or Medicare?
Since every country has their own regulations, you would need to check with your home country on how that would work out.
Does Germany recognize foreign marriage if you immigrate as a married couple? Trying to decide if it would be better to be married before or to become a citizen and then marry. Amazing video also!
As long as it is a legal marriage and you have a marriage certificate it will mostly be recognized in Germany. 😊
I'm starting the process of citizenship by descent, but it's a complicated case. It sounds like I would skip most of these requirements in this process, is that true?
How weird would it be for me to show up to Germany for the first time and be a citizen, but speak essentially no German?
You wouldn't be the only one! We have many smoothlers in our community that have a German passport from decent but have never been to Germany nor speak German 😊
Does the period of staying on a student visa count in the 8 year of residence slab or 8 year of residence counts after getting PR?
It counts. In total 8 years (or 7 with the integration course).
Study years counts but u should know 4yrs counts for only bachelors and 2yrs count for only Masters, no Matter how long you took to complete it...e.g if you finished your bachelors in 7yrs,it count as 4yrs OR if u took ur time and finish your Masters in 5yrs, it will count as 2yrs.... However, when u apply for citizenship you cannot use your study permit residence, only your EU blue card, ordinary work permit or PR.
great video! always so helpful! Will my contributions to the pension system as a working student count towards the requiremente for the permanent residence? I hope somebody in a similar case can share the experience.
Hello , can you do video about new law 2023 ?
So far there is no new law that has been passed 😉
I see , don't forget if new law pass
Great informations, and thanks for that, but I have few questions. How about blue card owners. Do they have any exceptions? And if I have permanent(Niederlassungserlaubnis) recidency then can I apply earlier?
Thanks! 😊 Blue card owners have advantages to get the permanent residence permit, which we explain in our guide: www.simplegermany.com/permanent-residence-germany/. But for the citizenship by naturalization in makes no difference, as far as we know.
Was born in Augsburg, mother is German and father was US. Left when I was 2 years old and currently am a Naturalized US Citizen. Is it possible to obtain Dual US-German citizenship ?
I think it should be. You should check with the German embassy / consulate in your area.
Dears,
I am a Polish citizen who has been living in Germany from February 2022. I have joined integrations course and I have passed B1 Telc exam. Now I am studying to pass B2 Telc exam. I will enter citizenship exam within next year. I am not taking any support from goverment. I am working in Luxemburg but living in Germany Trier. I have made my registration in goverment. In this case how long I need to wait to be a German citizen regarding new law?
Greetings from Trier.
I am from Iran and I am on my first year in Germany. I'm not planning to renew my passport and would give up my Iranian citizenship any second! :))
Thanks for sharing 😊
It is not possible to give up Iranian citizenship because Iran does not recognize 2nd citizenship.
@@hadikhan63 yeah I know. but she had the same thing! her country didn't have giving up citizenship.
germany waives the "get rid of former citizenship" requirement for such cases. :)
Good
Hallo! Just like to ask, if you also change last names? Because as married couple and now as a German Citizen. You can have one last name as a married couple. Thank you for answering! 😊
Yes, as a married couple you could have the same last name, but you don't have to. We kept our original names 😊
That a lot for your great and so cooool video :)
I have all document that you refred in your video! but recently I have changed my job and I am in Probezeit :(
i wanna know that can I apply for german citizenship during my probation time?
Many thank :)
We don't see why not, but then again we are not your case worker at the immigration office ;). Go get your Beratungstermin and they will tell you. From there to your actual application some months will pass most likely anyways, by which you might be out of your Probezeit already 😉
@@simplegermanymany thanks again :)
Can you please do a video on Polizei and Court of Law in Germany and how and when can someone take help from them
Could you please specify what exactly you are referring to? Do you have an example? Like you would call the police, for example, in case of an accident, or a burglary, or in certain instances for extreme noise pollution.
@@simplegermany Hi Thanks for replying. Yes exactly, incase of an accident/incident/disputes how and when am i suppose to call a police. Also in case of a legal dispute with a neighbour/someone else how can i get help from a Lawyer or German Court of law. As a Ausländer what are my rights in there etc.
In case of a dispute with someone, you can always consult a lawyer. The court will only help you, once you decide to file a suit. And in case of an accident you can call the police at 110. You have the same rights in any case as a German citizen.
Hello, I wonder would you share your detailed answers to the German citizenship exam.
You can find the catalog of questions in the German Immigration Office's website: www.bamf.de/SharedDocs/Links/DE/O/oet-bamf-interaktiv_einbuergerungstest_fragenkatalog.html?nn=282388
Soo... did they give you a free Frühstuckbrettchen to your first german passpport?
Hahaha that would be a cool idea 😅
If I had studied and worked in Germany for 10 years 20 years before, can that 10 years count if I want to apply German Citizenship?
How long does the naturalization certificate test take to get? Thanks in advance for your assistance and support 💙💙💙💙
I got an appointment for the test a month in advance I think.
You dont have to give up your citzenships anymore
New video on the updated law is coming soon 😉
so if my amarican fiance comes here with an mastered a2 level and we only talk german and he does all the b1 and even b2 courses while he is at work where he probaply also speaks german and we marry asap as he come here these 3 years should be enough for him to get there i assume
When I came to Germany I was somewhere between a1 and a2. I've passed b1 and citizenship exams exactly a year later without having any help at home. Only integrationcourse. So if he has no great problems with learning, has enough time and energy I think in 3 years he can feel very confident with his german.
Hi..First of all thanks for this informative video. I live in Germany for 10 years and as well as I have finished my university degree too. I took work permit visa but I couldn’t manage my related field work till now. Right now I work in a supermarket as a Verkäuferin. My question is that am I eligible for naturalization? Because I live in Germany since quite longer period.
Thanks in advance please if you can give me any idea.
If you meet the requirements mentioned in the video, then you could be eligible. Your best option is to consult with your local Immigration Office :)
Do they require, that you speak better Hochdeutsch than the avarage Bavarian?
Respect for the advice to bring EC karte. 😂
Ich habe die Staatsbürgerschaft durch Erklärung erworben. Und die Amerikanische habe ich auch behalten dürfen. :)
Ja super, es gibt immer ein paar Ausnahmen für doppelte Staatsbürgerschaft 😊
Seria interesante escuchar en espanol tu experiencia de vida como mienbro de la comunidad Queer!
She’s from Guatemala? She sounds American
Congratulations for successfully become a Deutche Citizen👍👏🇩🇪🥂🍾
What if you're learning German with Duolingo
Duolingo is good for vocabulary, but not for properly speaking the language.
Then you're not learning German. It's good as an initial kick in the butt to get you started, but it's essentially a game, not a language learning tool. It gives you _some_ vocabulary, some of it outdated, some of it outright wrong, and it gives you some ready-made sentence structures without real explanation how and why they work the way they work. It's basically a pile of Duplo blocks with time trial challenges, figuratively speaking. If you can't afford a human teacher, at least watch Easy German and Learn German with Anja videos and try to comment in German on their videos, preferably newest ones so that you're more likely to get a response from someone.
Thanks
i was neutralized to German
Do people hate their countries that much that they celebrate on getting a German citizenship? You've got to be kidding me😂
B1 IS NOT PERFECT GERMAN, so intense 😂
Idk why german woman are always cheating on me
*as Jason* Omg, old man, can you be any more dramatic? I get the Brucie act's essential and all that crap, but maybe try, idk, looking at them with at least half the intensity you give your batarangs?
what? you are getting a baby? oh, wait. this is somethign else.
🤣
Renouncing the current citizenship is a hard one for me. I am unsure if I would, because burning the bridges behind me is not something I like and I don't particularly dislike my current country (Georgia) to the point I want to have nothing to do with it anymore. But maybe after 8 years of living in Germany, I would have an answer by then.
Yes, we totally understand where you are coming from and yes thoughts might adapt after years of living in Germany or any other country for that matter.
I can relate to it with the German citizenship I have since I'm 5 years old. It's quite young but the Eritrean part is undeniable for me to this day. Like an invisible string pulling from somewhere.. Germany is awesome, hope you'll have an answer asap. Edit: arrived in Ger 5 years old, naturalized a couple of years later.
It looks like the law will be changed by the end of the year to allow dual citizenship!
Not much relevant to this video. But when the Indian Embassy refused my daughter dual citizenship despite her being eligible, I lost interest in holding Indian nationality. If my country can't be bothered with my daughter, neither am I bothered to develop any bonds with it. I am in Austria and will take me over an year even to be eligible for nationality. The military service had kept me on the fence. But the Indian government's action pushed me off of that.
@@SolomonSunder Yeah, obligatory military service puts everyone on the fence. I wouldn't say doing it is a bad thing if you body is in shape and you are heathy enough, you'll basically get free military training, I don't want to get into politics, but just in case of war in EU, it will help you survive. Another option would have been to wait until the age you are no longer required to do military service and apply for citizenship then but it seems like the upper range of military age in Austria is 50 years which is much higher compared to Switzerland which has 35.
I have my Erstgespräch next week!!! This video can't be posted at a perfect time than this! Thank you!
Super cool! We wish you a smooth naturalization 😊
University degree, don't get so pompous, a completed, good German job training is also enough.
It is also enough to have successfully completed four years of German-language school, i.e. to have been promoted to the next grade.
A secondary school leaving certificate or promotion to the tenth grade of a German-language secondary school (Realschule, Gesamtschule, Gymnasium).
I have been waiting for my German naturalization for 4 years now although I was born and raised in Germany. After my application, I was informed by the Foreigners Authority in Stuttgart that I also have Bosnian citizenship in addition to Croatian citizenship, although I knew nothing about it. My parents were born in the former Yugoslavia in Bosnia and therefore I have inherited the nationality from them. That is what I was told. A denaturalization from Bosnia Herzegovina would cost me a total of 3000€ according to my research. The woman in the authority told me that I would not be a full-fledged German even after the naturalization because I need a citizenship card. This is a yellow piece of paper that only people get who are German for 5 generations. They call this yellow piece of paper „Staatsangehörigkeitsausweis“. For me, the naturalization is done
Oh wow! Yes, depending on your individual background it can become a lot more complicated and costly.
First of all, never heard of that "Staatsangehörigkeitsnachweis" before. I'm German, with no "Migrationshintergrund" whatsoever.
Second, what you said you were told is completely wrong. Just read the Wikioedia article.
You need this yellow paper only if there is reason to doubt your German citizenship. Your "Einbürgerungsurkunde" is enough of a proof of being a German citizen. If you need the "Staatsangehörigkeitsnachweis" you can get it with the naturalisation papers. Period.
Only if you can't proof your citizenship by your birth certificate the authorities will than look at your parents status, if theirs questionable, than it's the grandparents or even further back till 1914.
But that's almost never the case to have to look this far back in time. Mostly for descendants of German citizens, like grand- and greatgrand children of emigrated Jews or other Emigrants between 1933 and 45 which have the right of German cititenship by the Grundgesetz.
Most important, you have all the rights of a German citizen (and all the duties!) the moment you get the "Einbügerungsurkunde". There is no first and second class citizenship defined by ancestry or anything else.
„Der Staatsangehörigkeitsausweis ist das einzige Dokument, mit dem das Bestehen der deutschen Staatsangehörigkeit in allen Angelegenheiten, für die es rechts- erheblich ist, verbindlich feststellt wird (§ 30 StAG).
Der deutsche Reisepass und Personalausweis sind kein Nachweis für die deutsche Staatsangehörigkeit, sie begründen nur eine Vermutung, dass der Inhaber die deutsche Staatsangehörigkeit besitzt.“
This is what they told me
EVERY German citizen can get the yellow citizenship card Staatsangehörigkeitsausweis, completely regardless if you have had the citizenship for 5 generations or only five weeks. Besides normaly no person ever needs this piece of paper
well damn i didn't expect that. I'm currently an exchange student in Germany but it's really not that hard! I'm from Egypt, so it's REALLY tough getting visas to the EU, and getting a german citzenship is only a couple of steps harder than applying for a visa to Germany. glad to have watched this video! see you in a decade, german passport >:)
Who would give up their US citizenship to become a German citizen? Lol
I love your videos guys it's very detailed and very organized, well done!
Great video guys!!! Really useful info!!!. For me renouncing to my birth citizenship for sure is not gonna be a problem, but like you Jen, according to the list you showed, won't need to 😜😜😜 since I'm from Bolivia!!!
Thank you so much for this video! You have a significant impact on the lives of immigrants in Germany!
I am living in germany 13 years now (now in the cost of nord germany) and was always insecure about doing the second nationality (im from spain). Thanks to your video I got the "lets do it!" vibe and i am already starting the process. Thanks, really :)
Great video!! It could be great to make a video of the residence permit!
They way Yvonne looks at Jen 😍😍
Great video! Providing many details on different parts of the process and at the same time fun to watch.
Can I ask which steps are generally taken to renew temporary residence permit in the middle of the naturalization process? You mentioned you've had a permanent one. But just wanted to learn what potential issues can happen. Danke schön!
Germany will let you have dual citizenship. My sister is German and she just got her American citizenship and Germany let her keep her German Citizenship.
You both are awesome ! ❤️
Thank you guys for sharing have a wonderful day.
I have heard that having a high level of German could help shorten the time you need to have lived in Germany to 6 years, for example C1. Is this true or is it C1 plus the integration course?
Are the study years counted too as part of the time one has lived in Germany?
Additionally, is it possible to do the integration course in the evenings after work or it is a full time thing?
I have C1 level of German and would have lived in Germany for 6 years by mid next year, so I want to start planning accordingly.
Thanks for the answer.
The best thing to start planning for you is to make an appointment at your Ausländerbehörde, as only they can advise you in your specific case. Just make sure that you fulfill all the other requirements. Regarding the integration course, best google for it for your city to find out specifics.
If you have already a C1 level of German there's no point in doing the Integrationskurs, which consist of German language classes until B1 and the Leben in Deutschland course. The LiD is only 2 weeks if I remember correctly; there you learn for the naturalization exam.
Integration course is from nothing to B1 so to get C1 it's not enough. And yes, you can do it in the evenings after work. It depends on the school and where you work. I chose a morning course (5 times a week, 4 hours every day) and worked in the evenings (as a foodcourier, highly recomend this one during the course) but my fiance took 'intensive' integration course only 3 times a week (4h a day too) and only 3 modules (300h) instead of my 6 modules. also she had the LiD part shorter (30h instead of 100). And she asked her boss to have these 3 afternoons free every week so it was possible to work and learn too.
❤❤❤
I always rewind to watch that SMOOTHLY part hahaha love that.
I would definitely give up my South African citizenship. My husband and daughter both have German, and I'd sleep easier knowing we're all on the same paperwork.
Yes, being on the same paperwork does make things more smoothly! 😉
Lol from one South African to another I understand. I find it is so hard to travel with a South African passport. Firstly one needs a visa for most countries which can be an expensive and time costing exercise. Also one is always met with suspicion when the authorities see the passport 😂😂.
@@karalove3786 that's one part of it, yes 😊 other than that, I think the last three years have shown how quickly the world can change or lose its mind. If things ever happen to go pear shaped it would be great if we can all at least move in the same direction.
Sometimes the pronunciation of umlauts can change the meaning of a word.
Geachtet and geächtet would be one example. First means accepted, respected, second being an outlaw, people think you're an evil person.
Or someone pronounced the German word for disciple "Junger" what sounds like the German word for boy. It took a while to recognize, that he doesn't speak about a boy, but someone who had Jesus as teacher.
I was born in Germany when my father was in the military but was brought to the United States and have lived here ever since my mom told me i have duel citizenship,im 49 and would like to move to Germany and live there for the remaining of my life,am i allowed and how do i find out if i still have duell citizenship my mom has since passed away so i can't ask her! Any help would be great, thanks and have a great day!
I don't see it in your list of requirements. I might be wrong but "valid residence permit" is not enough, the permit must not only be valid but also permanent.
I have passed the Einbürgerungstestes I passed with 23 correct answers of 33
Congrats! 😊