From gaining the right to live, work or study freely across the EU to being able to vote in Germany to simply not having to apply for another residence permit, there are plenty of reasons to naturalise as German if you plan to stay in the country for the foreseeable future.
The hard part, however, is doing so.
The barriers to gaining German citizenship were significantly reduced in the summer of 2024 when Germany’s laws were significantly updated. The rules were changed to allow all German nationals to maintain dual-citizenship -- meaning non-EU nationals are no longer required to give up their home country passports to get a German one -- and residency and language requirements for naturalisation were relaxed.
Still, some seemingly well-qualified applicants for citizenship submit their documents, and patiently endure the notoriously long wait, only to find themselves turned away by Germany’s immigration authorities.
Excepting particularly complicated cases, applicants should know before submitting their documents if they do or do not meet most of the basic requirements. There is however, one requirement for German citizenship that can be a sticking point for seemingly well-qualified applicants– and that is being able to prove financial stability.
READ ALSO: The reasons your German citizenship application might be rejected
‘Financial stability’
To get a German passport, you must be able to prove to the relevant authorities that you can financially support yourself and any dependents, and therefore are not likely to be a burden on the country’s welfare state. It’s a requirement that many foreign residents agree is fair, according to a recent survey of our readers.
But proving financial stability can be difficult in a few specific cases.
Freelancers and self-employed workers, for example, have a lot more work to do to show the state they are on solid footing financially.
Financial stability can also be particularly hard to prove for anyone who has recently been laid off or left their job. The Local recently reported the story of one woman who had worked in Germany for most of seven years, but was rejected for citizenship for receiving Arbeitslosengeld, which is the unemployment insurance benefit that workers in Germany pay into during periods of employment.
READ ALSO: 'I've always had jobs' - Woman's German citizenship bid blocked by unemployment
So just how commonly are naturalisation applicants rejected? The Local put the question to the immigration authorities in Berlin, Munich and Frankfurt to find out.
How common are rejections?
The Local contacted several naturalisation authorities to ask how many applicants are rejected on a monthly or yearly basis.
Spokespersons from three different authorities all told The Local that they do not keep statistics about why rejections are issued. They do however record the number of approved and rejected applications.
In Munich
A spokesperson for the Service Centre for Immigration and Naturalization (SZE) in Munich, which is part of the city’s larger District Administration Office (KVR), told The Local the department “rejects only a low single-digit number of naturalisation applications per month.”
They added that they are able to maintain a low number of rejections because, “various measures, such as the quick check before submitting an application” ensure they only receive applications that are complete and have a high chance of success.
The KVR’s quick check tool is an online form that asks applicants how long they have lived in Germany and if they have received a language certificate and completed the knowledge test, among other things. Filling out the quick check accurately would ensure that applicants who do not meet basic requirements are immediately filtered out.
EXPLAINED: What I was asked about in my German citizenship test
In Berlin
A spokesperson for Berlin’s office for immigration (LEA) said that so far in 2025, up to August 31st, it has approved a total of 27,055 naturalisation applications and rejected 1,004.
In the month of August alone, the LEA recorded 3,211 successful naturalizations compared to 189 rejections. Figures for the month of September were not available at the time of request.
However, these figures do not include the number of applications that were withdrawn, because “the LEA does not keep statistics on the withdrawal of naturalisation applications or on the reasons leading to the rejection of naturalisation applications”.
Asked for clarification about why applicants might withdraw an application, the LEA spokesperson told The Local, “If individual requirements according to Sections 8 and 10 of the Nationality Act are objectively not met, the applicant will receive a letter…explaining the reasons why the application should be rejected…
“The applicant then has four weeks to present reasons and submit evidence that could lead to a different, positive decision.
“The hearing letters generally offer the option of withdrawing the naturalisation application and point out that this withdrawal will result in a reduction in the administrative fee.
“This is therefore a more financially advantageous option for applicants if the naturalisation application has no prospect of success…”
When applications are withdrawn, the LEA typically refunds half of the collected processing fee, according to the spokesperson. The full application fee being €255, this would amount to a refund of around €127.
READ ALSO: How much does it really cost to apply for German citizenship?
Alternatively, after the four-week hearing period, a final decision on the application would be made. At that point a refund for any amount of the fee is off the table.
It should be noted, however, that there is the possibility to file an administrative appeal process or take other legal action if you believe you were rejected unlawfully. Whereas if you withdraw your application, the case ends there. It would be wise to seek legal counsel before attempting to legally challenge an immigration authority .
In Hesse
A spokesperson for the Hessian Interior Ministry, also shared recent naturalisation figures with The Local. These numbers represent the cases from the city of Frankfurt as well as those in the other districts in the surrounding state of Hesse.
The Hessian authority shared figures for successful naturalisations, as well as withdrawals (Rücknahmen) and rejections (Ablehnungen).
In 2024, 40,657 successful naturalisations were recorded in the state of Hesse. Meanwhile 332 applicants were rejected and 905 cases resulted in withdrawal.
In September of this year, Hesse recorded 3,221 successful applications, 40 rejections and 101 withdrawals.
While Berlin's LEA said it does not keep track of the number of withdrawn applications, figures shared by the authority in Hesse suggest that withdrawn applications significantly outnumber the number of rejections.
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