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How much German do you need for German citizenship?

It depends on the route. Naturalization requires B1 German and a civics test. The two citizenship-by-descent routes, by declaration and by restoration, have no language requirement in the law at all. Here is what each one asks, and what B1 German actually sounds like.

The short answer

  • Naturalization (Einbürgerung)

    Residents of Germany, normally after 5 years

    German required: B1, plus the Leben in Deutschland test

  • Declaration (§ 5 StAG)

    People who missed out on German citizenship under the old gender rules, and their descendants

    German required: None in the law

  • Restoration (§ 15 StAG / Art. 116(2) GG)

    Descendants of people persecuted 1933–1945

    German required: None in the law

The table simplifies. Each route has its own conditions, so check the details below and the official sources.

Naturalization: B1 German and the citizenship test

To naturalize, you normally need five years of lawful residence in Germany and “sufficient knowledge of the German language”. [StAG § 10(1)] The law defines sufficient as meeting the requirements of a B1 language exam on the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). [§ 10(4)] A B1 certificate from the integration course’s “Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer” (DTZ) is accepted as proof. [BAMF]

Separately, you have to show knowledge of the legal and social order and living conditions in Germany, normally by passing the naturalization test (Einbürgerungstest). [§ 10(1) no. 7, (5)] It has 33 multiple-choice questions, 3 of them about your federal state; you need 17 right, you have 60 minutes, and it costs €25. The questions come from a published pool of 310. [BAMF] The test is in German, so B1 reading helps here too.

Exceptions

  • Children under 16 only need age-appropriate German. [§ 10(4)]
  • The language and civics requirements don’t apply if you can’t meet them because of illness, disability or age. [§ 10(6)]
  • Spoken everyday German can be enough for some former guest workers and their spouses, and to avoid hardship for people who show they can’t reach B1 despite serious, sustained effort. [§ 10(4), (4a)]

Citizenship by descent: no language test

If you have German ancestors, you may not need to naturalize at all. Acquiring citizenship by declaration under § 5 covers, among others, children of a German mother or father who didn’t receive German citizenship at birth because of the old rules, and their descendants. [StAG § 5] The declaration must reach the authority by 19 August 2031. [Bezirksregierung Köln] Section 15 covers people persecuted between 1933 and 1945 on political, racial or religious grounds, and their descendants. [StAG § 15]

Neither section asks for any German. Many people with German roots learn it anyway: to read family records, talk to relatives, or because they plan to live there. That’s where a course helps, but it isn’t a condition of the claim.

What B1 German sounds like

The CEFR describes B1 as being able to deal with most everyday situations, talk about your experiences and plans, and give short reasons for your opinions. These lines are from the B1 part of this course, with audio and a plain-English pronunciation guide.

Talking about yourself

Your work, your studies, why you’re interested in something: the core of any B1 conversation. Lesson: A job interview

  • Erzählen Sie etwas über sich.

    Say it: er-TSEH-len zee ET-vas EW-ber zikh

    Tell me something about yourself.

  • Ich arbeite seit fünf Jahren als Projektmanagerin.

    Say it: ikh AR-bai-tuh zait FEWNF YAH-ren als pro-YEKT-me-ne-jer-in

    I've been working as a project manager for five years.

  • Ich habe Informatik studiert.

    Say it: ikh HAH-buh in-for-MAH-tik shtu-DEERT

    I studied computer science.

  • Ich interessiere mich für diese Stelle, weil ...

    Say it: ikh in-te-re-SEE-ruh mikh fewr DEE-zuh SHTEL-luh, vail

    I'm interested in this position because ...

Giving reasons and connecting ideas

B1 means more than single sentences. You join ideas with weil, dass, obwohl and wenn, and the verb moves to the end. Lesson: Subordinate clauses

  • Ich komme nicht, weil ich krank bin.

    Say it: ikh KOM-muh nikht, vail ikh KRANK bin

    I'm not coming because I'm ill.

  • Ich weiß, dass du recht hast.

    Say it: ikh VAIS, das doo REKHT hast

    I know you're right.

  • Wenn es regnet, bleiben wir zu Hause.

    Say it: ven es RAYG-net, BLAI-ben veer tsoo HOW-zuh

    If it rains, we'll stay at home.

  • Obwohl es kalt war, sind wir schwimmen gegangen.

    Say it: op-VOHL es KALT vahr, zint veer SHVIM-men guh-GANG-en

    Although it was cold, we went swimming.

  • Als ich ein Kind war, wohnten wir in Bonn.

    Say it: als ikh ain KINT vahr, VOHN-ten veer in BON

    When I was a child, we lived in Bonn.

Saying what you think

Agreeing, disagreeing and giving your opinion briefly. Lesson: Giving opinions

  • Meiner Meinung nach ist das falsch.

    Say it: MAI-ner MAI-nung NAKH ist das FALSH

    In my opinion that's wrong.

  • Ich bin deiner Meinung.

    Say it: ikh bin DAI-ner MAI-nung

    I agree with you.

  • Das sehe ich anders.

    Say it: das ZAY-uh ikh AN-ders

    I see that differently.

  • Das kommt darauf an.

    Say it: das KOMT da-ROWF AN

    It depends.

Telling what happened

Describing an experience in order, in the past. Lesson: Telling a story

  • Es war ein ganz normaler Montag.

    Say it: es vahr ain GANTS nor-MAH-ler MOHN-tahk

    It was a completely normal Monday.

  • Zuerst wusste ich nicht, was los war.

    Say it: tsoo-AIRST VUS-tuh ikh nikht, vas LOHS vahr

    At first I didn't know what was going on.

  • Zum Glück ist nichts passiert.

    Say it: tsum GLEWK ist NIKHTS pa-SEERT

    Luckily nothing happened.

Dealing with offices

Polite requests and the vocabulary of forms and deadlines. Lesson: Formal German

  • Ich schreibe Ihnen, weil ...

    Say it: ikh SHRAI-buh EE-nen, vail

    I'm writing to you because ...

  • Könnten Sie mir bitte mitteilen, ob ...

    Say it: KURN-ten zee meer BIT-tuh MIT-tai-len, op

    Could you please let me know whether ...

  • die Behörde

    Say it: dee buh-HUR-duh

    the authority, government office

  • das Formular

    Say it: das for-moo-LAHR

    the form

  • die Frist

    Say it: dee FRIST

    the deadline

  • Ich möchte mich anmelden.

    Say it: ikh MURKH-tuh mikh AN-mel-den

    I'd like to register (my address).

When you don’t understand

Asking someone to repeat or slow down is normal at every level. Lesson: Meeting people

  • Können Sie das wiederholen?

    Say it: KUR-nen zee das vee-der-HOH-len

    Could you repeat that?

  • Langsamer, bitte.

    Say it: LANG-zah-mer, BIT-tuh

    More slowly, please.

  • Was bedeutet das?

    Say it: vas buh-DOY-tet das

    What does that mean?

Getting from zero to B1

This course runs from the alphabet to B1 in short lessons with audio, pronunciation, practice and review:

It prepares you to use German, not for a specific exam: for naturalization you’ll still need an official B1 certificate.

Start with the free lessonsSee pricing

Sources

Checked October 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice. Rules change; check with the authority or mission handling your case.