Naturalization gives you German citizenship. This makes you an equal citizen of the Federal Republic of Germany with all rights and obligations.

Among other things, you can

• exercise your right to vote in the federal states and in the German Bundestag,
• enjoy freedom of movement within the European Union as a citizen of the Union and
• can also travel to many countries outside Europe without a visa.

If you have been stateless in Germany since birth, you are entitled to acquire German citizenship through naturalization under certain conditions.

Stateless persons are those who are not regarded as nationals by any state under its law.

For this you must

• have been born in the Federal Republic of Germany as a stateless person,
• have resided legally and permanently in Germany for at least 5 years and
• have submitted the application before the age of 21.

Entitlement is excluded if you have been sentenced to more than 5 years imprisonment or a juvenile sentence.

If you are under investigation on suspicion of a criminal offence, the naturalization procedure will be suspended until the proceedings have been concluded.

Naturalization becomes effective when the naturalization certificate is issued. The competent authority is the citizenship authority responsible for your place of residence (district or independent city).