[Draft] Test citizenship / permanent residency

Your result:

📧 Further down you have the option to have your result sent to you by email.

Summary

Here is your result based on your information:

✅ Citizenship: You seem to meet all the conditions.

❗ Citizenship: You fulfill the conditions partially.

✅ Permanent residency: You seem to meet all the conditions.

❗ Permanent residency: You fulfill the conditions partially.

Citizenship: Your information in detail

Here you can see the requirements that you fulfill according to your information or that you still lack:

✅ Residence permit with eligibility for citizenship

❓ Residence permit unclear

❌ Residence permit with eligibility for citizenship is missing

✅ Identity documents

❌ Identity documents are missing

✅ Length of stay for the citizenship

❓ Length of stay unclear

❌ Length of stay is missing. Required for the citizenship for you: 5 years with a residence permit in Germany

❌ Length of stay is missing. Required for the citizenship: 5 years of residence in Germany (including time of asylum procedure)

❌ Length of stay is missing. Required for the citizenship for you: 5 years of residence in Germany (including time of asylum procedure), of which at least 3 years with a residence permit

❌ Length of stay is missing. Required for the citizenship for you: 3 years with a residence permit in Germany and at least 2 years married to a German citizen

✅ Livelihood secured

❓ Livelihood unclear

❌ Livelihood not secured (benefits from "Jobcenter" or "Sozialamt")

❌ Livelihood not secured (insufficient income)

❌ Livelihood not secured (no proof of positive income forecast)

✅ Proof of German

✅ Proof of German not required

❌ Proof of German missing

✅ Naturalization test

✅ Naturalization test not required

❌ Naturalization test is missing

✅ No crime

❌ No crime

Permanent residency: Your information in detail

Here you can see the requirements that you fulfill according to your information or that you still lack:

✅ Residence permit with eligibility for permanent residency

❓ Residence permit unclear

❌ Residence permit with eligibility for permanent residency is missing

✅ Identity documents

❌ Identity documents are missing

✅ Length of stay for the permanent residency

❓ Length of stay unclear

❌ Length of stay is missing. Required for the permanent residency for you: 5 years with a residence permit in Germany

❌ Length of stay is missing. Required for the permanent residency for you: 5 years residence in Germany (including the time of the asylum procedure) or 3 years (including the asylum procedure) as well as German C1 and 75% livelihood security

❌ Length of stay is missing. Required for the permanent residency for you: 5 years residence in Germany (including time of asylum procedure)

❌ Length of stay is missing. Required for the permanent residency for you: 5 years residence in Germany (including the time of the asylum procedure), of which at least 3 years with a residence permit

❌ Length of stay is missing. Required for the permanent residency for you: 3 years with a residence permit in Germany (for skilled workers, self-employed persons and family members of Germans)

❌ Length of stay is missing. Required for the permanent residency for you as a blue card holder: 21 months for German B1, 27 months for German A1

❌ Length of stay is missing. Required for the permanent residency for you: working as a skilled worker for 2 years (for skilled workers with a degree in Germany)

✅ Pension insurance period for the permanent residency

❓ Pension insurance period unclear

❌ Pension insurance period is missing. Required for you: 5 years (60 months)

❌ Pension insurance period is missing. Required for you as a skilled worker with a degree in Germany: 2 years (24 months)

❌ Pension insurance period is missing. Required for you as a skilled worker with a degree abroad: 3 years (36 months)

❌ Pension insurance period is missing. Required for you:
Blue Card 21 months for German B1, 27 months for German A1
Self-employed persons: Proof of adequate pension provision

✅ Livelihood secured

❓ Livelihood unclear

❌ Livelihood not secured

✅ Proof of German

✅ Proof of German not required

❌ Proof of German missing

✅ Naturalization test

✅ Naturalization test not required

❌ Naturalization test is missing

✅ No crime

❌ No crime

💡 If you can fulfill the missing requirements, you have a good chance for citizenship or permanent residency.

What can you do to fulfill missing requirements?

❌ Residence permit is unclear

• Unfortunately, it is not clear from your details which residence permit you currently have. In order to obtain the most accurate test results possible, we recommend that you check which residence permit you have and take the test again.
• Get in touch with us if you are unsure how to find out.

❌ Residence permit with eligibility missing

• Check whether it is possible to change your residence title (e.g. as a skilled worker, Section 18 AufenthG). Here you can find information on whether and how you can change your residence title. Here you will find an extra overview of which residence titles you could theoretically change to if you meet the requirements.
• Persons with humanitarian residence permits who are not eligible for citizenship may be able to apply for citizenship in a discretionary procedure (in accordance with § 8 StAG), e.g. in the case of exceptional integration achievements. Ask an advice center or a lawyer for more information.

❌ Identity documents are missing

• For citizenship or permanent residency, identity must be proven beyond doubt, usually with a valid national passport or passport substitute.
• If you do not have a passport, you must be able to prove that it is impossible or unreasonable for you to obtain a passport and require documents or evidence of your identity. For persons with refugee or asylum status, it may be considered unreasonable to obtain a passport. (See also here under the point "How can I prove that I have made an effort to obtain a passport?")
• It may be possible to apply without identity documents and submit them later.

❌ Required Length of stay missing / unclear

• Check whether other residence titles require shorter periods of residence (e.g. skilled worker or EU Blue Card) and whether it is possible to change your residence title.(Here you can find information on whether and how you can change your residence title).
• If your period of residence has been interrupted by longer stays abroad, you can check whether the previous periods of residence can be taken into account at the discretion of the authorities (Section 12b (2) StAG). To do this, you must have lived in Germany for at least 3 years since the interruption.
• For persons with humanitarian residence permits, periods of asylum proceedings (subsidiary protection, prohibition of deportation or rejection) are taken into account for a possible granting of a permanent residency in the discretionary procedure (according to § 26 para. 4). Ask an advice center or a lawyer for more information.
• If you are only 3-6 months short of the required period of residence, you can ask the authorities whether you can submit the application in advance.

❌ Pension insurance period for the permanent residency is missing

• Check your insurance history. Request your insurance history from the pension insurance company and check the months you have completed so far: Select "Versicherungsverlauf", enter your social security number and your first and last name. You will receive the information by post in a few days.
• Check whether you can voluntarily pay additional pension insurance contributions for the current or previous year.
• Work out exactly how many months you still need and when you will meet the requirement.

❌ Livelihood not secured / unclear

• Check your income again: enter your net income, rent, heating costs and the number of household members in a citizen's allowance calculator. If the expected "Bürgergeld" is €0, your income is probably sufficient.
• Search for another work, increase your working hours or start an additional mini-job to secure the missing income. The income of your partner can also be taken into account. Here you can find tips on looking for a job and applying.
• Check whether you may be entitled to a child allowance ("Kinderzuschlag") or maintenance advance ("Unterhaltsvorschuss") to secure your income.
• You can ask your employer to shorten the probationary period or ask for a letter that serves as proof of a positive prognosis (formulation that, from the employer's point of view, the employment relationship will continue indefinitely or that there are no indications of termination). If the income gap is small or the prognosis unclear, you may still be able to submit the application and provide further evidence later.
• People who are unable to work or disabled, single parents, pupils, trainees and students, recipients of basic income support in old age and people who care for relatives can, under certain circumstances, apply for citizenship at the discretion of the authorities (in accordance with § 8 StAG), e.g. in the case of exceptional integration achievements. Ask an advice center or a lawyer for more information.

❌ Proof of German missing

• You can take the B1 certificate at a language school. You can also take the exam without a course. You can do this at adult education centers ("Volkshochschulen"), the Goethe-Institut or TELC. If you only take the exam, it is very important to prepare well for it.
• Get in touch early for the test. It is often difficult to get an appointment. Here you can find more information about learning German.

❌ Naturalization test is missing

• The naturalization test and the integration test "Living in Germany" have the same content. At least 15 out of 33 correct answers are required for the permanent residency. At least 17 out of 33 correct answers are required for the citizenship.
• Here you will find an overview of recognized test centres: go to "Kursorte", enter your city and zip code and select the following course under "Zulassung": "Test zum Orientierungskurs (Leben in Deutschland)".
• Register early for the test. Here you can simulate the test in preparation and look at examples of questions.

❌ Crime

• Seek advice to clarify whether you can obtain citizenship or permanent residency despite a criminal offence in the case of fines of less than 90 daily rates, suspended prison sentences of up to three months and educational measures, juvenile detention or conditions imposed by the juvenile court.
• In the case of a higher conviction, citizenship or permanent residency is possible if the criminal offence has been erased from the Federal Central Criminal Register (often after 10 or 15 years).

How do you apply for citizenship and permanent residency?

Apply for citizenship or permanent residency as soon as you meet all the requirements:

• Here you can find out the best way to submit your application for the permanent residency.
  Check whether you can submit your application 1-3 months before you meet the necessary requirements or if some of the requirements are still unclear .

Seek help if you have questions about the process:

• You can find more information on the application process here and in our step-by-step information on citizenship and permanent residency
• Possible help from advice centers, lawyers' offices or the LIFE Initiative