{"id":13821,"date":"2026-05-13T07:00:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T07:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/?p=13821"},"modified":"2026-05-16T09:17:51","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T09:17:51","slug":"warum-einbuergerungsantraege-aus-dem-ausland-oft-so-lange-dauern","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/en\/why-do-naturalisation-applications-from-abroad-often-take-so-long\/","title":{"rendered":"Why naturalisation applications from abroad often take so long"},"content":{"rendered":"

Length of procedure, reasons, typical stumbling blocks \u2014 and what you can do if your application gets stuck at the BVA<\/i><\/p>\n

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Note: <\/b><\/i>This article is for general information only and does not replace individual legal advice. The regulations presented can change at any time. For an assessment of your specific situation, please contact a lawyer specialising in immigration law.<\/i><\/p>\n

You've gathered all the documents, carefully completed the application, and submitted it through the German foreign mission. Since then, silence. No reply, no decision, just an acknowledgement of receipt with a case number. Months pass. Then a year. Perhaps two.<\/p>\n

This is not an unusual course of events. Naturalisation procedures from abroad are among the longest administrative procedures in Germany. Anyone living outside Germany and who German nationality<\/a> wants to acquire \u2013 whether after \u00a7 13 Nationality Act<\/a>, \u00a7 14 StAG<\/a>, \u00a7 5 of the Nationality Act (StAG), Article 116 (2) of the Basic Law or Section 15 of the Citizenship Act<\/a> \u2014, it has to do with a procedure that functions structurally differently from naturalisation in one's home country.<\/p>\n

This article explains why this is the case, what specific factors extend processing times, and when you should no longer rely on patience.<\/p>\n

<\/span>One authority for all: The BVA as a bottleneck<\/a><\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

For naturalisations within Germany, the citizenship authority responsible is the one in your place of residence \u2014 usually the town hall or district office. There are hundreds of such authorities in Germany, and the workload is distributed among them.<\/p>\n

For all naturalisation applications from abroad, however, a single office is responsible: the Federal Office of Administration (BVA)<\/b> in Cologne. Around 1,000 new applications for determining German citizenship are received there monthly alone \u2013 in addition to naturalisation applications under \u00a7\u00a7 13, 14 StAG, acquisitions by declaration under \u00a7 5 StAG and Reparation naturalisations<\/a> pursuant to Art. 116 para. 2 of the Basic Law and \u00a7 15 of the Nationality Act.<\/p>\n

The BVA processes applications in the order in which they are received. According to the BVA's own statement, a processing time of two years is not uncommon. In complex cases \u2013 incomplete genealogical chains, missing documents, inquiries with German civil registration offices \u2013 it can take significantly longer.<\/p>\n

What this actually means: Even if your application is complete and error-free, you are in a queue with thousands of other applicants. And every flawed application before yours ties up capacity that is then missing for your case.<\/p>\n

<\/span>The double detour: Message \u2014 BVA \u2014 and back<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

In the UK, you submit your application to the relevant authority - it is also processed there. Abroad, it works differently.<\/p>\n

Most naturalisation applications from abroad must be submitted via the responsible German mission abroad (embassy or consulate-general). The mission abroad will check your documents, conduct an interview with you, write a statement, and then forward the application to the BVA.<\/p>\n

This intermediate step takes time \u2014 often several weeks to months, depending on how busy the embassy is and how many cases they are processing simultaneously.<\/p>\n

Later, when the BVA processes the application, additional demands may arise. These are often handled again through the foreign representation. Every query means: The BVA writes to the embassy, the embassy contacts you, you gather the documents, send them back, and the embassy forwards them. Each of these steps requires postal transit time, processing time, and sometimes just patience.<\/p>\n

Anyone who sends their application directly to the BVA, without going through the foreign representation, risks delays. The BVA expressly points out that the involvement of the foreign representation is necessary and that direct dispatch does not speed up the process, but rather slows it down.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Seven reasons why your application is delayed<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

The processing time is rarely determined by a single factor. In practice, several causes of delay accumulate. The most important:<\/p>\n