German Citizenship: The Two Tests You Need
Facts last checked on 5 November 2026 against the Nationality Act (§ 10 StAG), the Einbürgerungstestverordnung and the BAMF pages. Rules change: confirm with your Einbürgerungsbehörde (naturalisation office) before you apply.
Every German naturalisation file has two test results in it. One proves that you can speak German at level B1. The other proves that you know how the country works: the Einbürgerungstest, 33 multiple-choice questions about the constitution, history and everyday life, of which you need 17 right. People search for one of them, usually "Einbürgerungstest Fragen" or "DTZ B1", and discover the other one at the office. This post puts both on one page: what each test looks like, what it costs, who can skip it, why the "Leben in Deutschland" test at the end of the integration course counts, what changed in October 2025, which order to do things in, and roughly how long to give each one.
The two tests in one picture
The Nationality Act lists the conditions for naturalisation in § 10. Two of them are tests: number 6, "sufficient knowledge of German", which § 10 (4) defines as the requirements of a B1 exam on the European scale, and number 7, knowledge of the legal and social order and living conditions in Germany, which § 10 (5) says you normally prove with a passed Einbürgerungstest.
The language certificate is the slow one: it takes months of learning and the exam dates fill up early. The Einbürgerungstest is the quick one: a few weeks of practice, one hour in a room, and a letter from the BAMF. Most people should start the language work first and slot the knowledge test in while they wait for an exam date.
Test 1: the B1 language certificate
B1 means you can handle everyday situations on your own: a letter to the landlord, a conversation at an office, the news on familiar topics. You prove it with a certificate from a B1 exam, and the four that people take for naturalisation are the Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer (DTZ) at the end of the integration course, the Goethe-Zertifikat B1, telc Deutsch B1 and the ÖSD Zertifikat B1. The BAMF only recognises B1 exams run on the CEFR and to ALTE standards for the integration course certificate, so a certificate from a language school's own test will not do. Which exam to take, how the four differ and how many words B1 takes are covered in Which German level do you need for citizenship?, so here only the facts that matter for the file:
- The DTZ is one exam with three outcomes. You get B1 on the certificate if you reach B1 in the speaking part and in at least one of the other two parts; otherwise it says A2, which is not enough for citizenship.
- Children under 16 do not need a certificate: age-appropriate language development is enough (§ 10 (4) StAG).
- If an illness, a disability or your age makes the language requirement impossible, the office can waive it (§ 10 (6) StAG). The same paragraph covers the Einbürgerungstest.
Test 2: the Einbürgerungstest
The Einbürgerungstest is a written multiple-choice test. Here are the numbers from the Einbürgerungstestverordnung, the regulation that governs it:
| Einbürgerungstest | |
|---|---|
| Questions on your paper | 33, each with four options and one correct answer |
| Of which about your federal state | 3 |
| Pass mark | 17 of 33 |
| Time | 60 minutes, under supervision |
| Fee | 25 euros |
| Question catalogue | 310 for you: 300 general + 10 for your Bundesland |
| Where | A test centre (Prüfstelle) in your state, usually a Volkshochschule |
| Result | A certificate from the BAMF, by post |
The whole catalogue is public. The BAMF publishes it as a PDF (300 general questions, then 10 for each of the 16 states, 460 in all, of which 310 concern you) and runs a free online test centre with a sample paper, so you can see the real format before you book. Every question on the day comes from that catalogue; the BAMF notes that the wording on the paper may differ slightly. That is why the test is learnable: there are no surprises, only 310 facts to know.
You do not register with the BAMF itself. Your naturalisation office can tell you which test centres run the test in your state, and most of them are Volkshochschulen; some take bookings online, some only in person, so check your centre's page. Bring a valid photo ID on the day. The test is in German only, and the margin is generous: you can get 16 questions wrong and still pass.
Leben in Deutschland: the same questions, two pass marks
If you take the integration course, you do not sit a separate Einbürgerungstest. The course ends with two exams: the DTZ for the language part (600 lessons in the general course) and the test "Leben in Deutschland" for the orientation course (100 lessons). "Leben in Deutschland" uses the same catalogue and the same format as the Einbürgerungstest: 33 questions, 60 minutes. What differs is the pass mark.
- 15 right passes the orientation course and, with a B1 result in the DTZ, earns the "Zertifikat Integrationskurs".
- 17 right also counts as proof of knowledge for naturalisation, under § 1 (3) of the Einbürgerungstestverordnung. The BAMF says so on its naturalisation page, and the course providers confirm it: the content is identical, and a result of 17 or more can be recognised for citizenship.
The trap is the gap between the two numbers. A 15 or 16 passes the course and feels like a success, but it is not an Einbürgerungstest result, and you would have to sit the test again later for 25 euros. If citizenship is the goal, prepare for 17 from the start, and leave yourself a margin.
Who can skip a test
Three exemptions come up often, and all three are on the BAMF page or in § 10 StAG:
- A German school leaving certificate replaces the Einbürgerungstest. If you finished school in Germany, you have already shown the knowledge the test asks for.
- Illness, disability or age can waive both the language requirement and the test (§ 10 (6) StAG). The office decides case by case, so ask early and bring medical evidence.
- Children under 16 do not need a B1 certificate; age-appropriate German is enough.
If you have a German university degree or finished vocational training in German, ask your office whether it accepts that as proof of language instead of an exam certificate; practice varies between cities.
What changed in October 2025: five years, no three-year route
The 2024 reform had introduced a three-year route for people with C1 German and special integration achievements (the old § 10 (3) StAG). That route is gone. The Bundestag voted to repeal it on 8 October 2025, the law was published in the Federal Law Gazette (BGBl. 2025 I No. 256) and it entered into force on 30 October 2025. On gesetze-im-internet.de, § 10 (3) now simply reads "(weggefallen)", repealed.
What stays:
- the normal residence period is five years of lawful habitual residence (§ 10 (1) StAG);
- the language level is B1, not C1;
- the Einbürgerungstest, or 17 right in "Leben in Deutschland", is still required;
If you were counting on the three-year route, five years is now the figure to plan with, unless your office tells you that a different rule applies to your case (spouses of German citizens, for example, have their own provision in § 9 StAG).
The order to do things in
Here is the sequence that wastes the least time, assuming you are at roughly A2 today and have a few years of residence left to wait:
- Count your years. Five years of lawful habitual residence is the rule since 30 October 2025. If you are not there yet, you still have time for the tests.
- Book the B1 exam first, then learn towards the date. If you are in an integration course, the date is set for you. If not, pick Goethe, telc or ÖSD by what your office accepts and what is near you, book, and work backwards from the date.
- Take the Einbürgerungstest while you wait. It needs reading-level German, not B1 speaking, and the questions are in a simple register. It can be done long before the language exam. If you are in the integration course, this step is "Leben in Deutschland" with 17 or more right.
- Collect the rest. Proof of income, criminal record, passport, residence permit, the declaration of commitment to the constitution. Your office has a checklist.
- Apply with both test results in the file, and keep copies of everything.
How long to prepare for each test
The Einbürgerungstest is the smaller job by far. The catalogue has 310 questions for you, and the answers are facts, not skills: which article of the Basic Law says what, who elects the Chancellor, when the Wall fell, what your state's capital and coat of arms are. At 15 minutes a day with spaced repetition, most people have the whole catalogue in two to four weeks and are scoring well above 17 on mock tests. Spend the last days on the picture questions (coats of arms, ballot papers, the Bundestag) and on your federal state's ten.
Our Einbürgerungstest Trainer is built for exactly this: all 310 questions of the catalogue in the BAMF wording, with a short explanation of every answer in English, German, Spanish, French or Polish, spaced repetition so the ones you miss come back sooner, mock tests under the real rule (33 questions, 17 to pass, 60 minutes, 3 from your state) and a ready meter that tells you when to book. You can try ten questions free on the page without an account. The trainer is a one-time purchase, and it is included at no extra cost in the German B1 Exam Kit. Words on Repeat is not affiliated with the BAMF, and the free BAMF online test centre is linked on the trainer page.
B1 German depends on where you start. From a finished A2 course, plan on several months of daily work: the vocabulary gap to B1 is a few thousand words, and the writing and speaking tasks need phrases, not just words. Our German B1 Exam Kit covers the four exams (Goethe, telc, DTZ, ÖSD) with the B1 words by exam topic, the writing and speaking phrases for each task, connectors and grammar in context, audio in natural-sounding text-to-speech voices and a plan that finishes before your exam date, with the Einbürgerungstest Trainer included. The first 20 cards are free, and the free B1 word check shows how far you are from the exam list.
Do the two tests in the same stretch of months. The Einbürgerungstest questions are written in B1-level German, so practising them is reading practice for the language exam too, and the vocabulary of offices, elections and rights overlaps with the B1 topic "Behörden und Formulare".
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Einbürgerungstest only in German?
Yes. The questions and the four answer options are in German, and there is no translated version on the day. Translations are useful for understanding a question while you learn, but on the paper you need to recognise the German wording, which is one reason to practise with the exact catalogue text.
Does the integration course certificate replace both tests?
It can. The "Zertifikat Integrationskurs" shows a B1 result in the DTZ and a passed "Leben in Deutschland" test. For naturalisation the office looks at the number of right answers in "Leben in Deutschland": with 17 or more, it counts as the Einbürgerungstest; with 15 or 16, the course is passed but you still need the Einbürgerungstest.
Which federal state's questions do I get?
The ones for the state where you live (your main residence). Three of your 33 questions come from that state's ten, so if you plan to move, take the test after the move or learn both states' questions; they are short lists.
Did the October 2025 law change the language level?
No. B1 was and is the requirement under § 10 (4) StAG. The law repealed the three-year route, for which C1 had been one condition. Five years and B1 is the standard case.
Do I need to prove the knowledge test if I went to school in Germany?
No. A German school leaving certificate replaces the Einbürgerungstest. The language requirement is normally considered met too, but bring the certificate and ask your office whether it wants anything else.
Official sources
- Nationality Act, § 10 StAG: gesetze-im-internet.de
- Einbürgerungstestverordnung: gesetze-im-internet.de
- BAMF, naturalisation and the Einbürgerungstest: bamf.de
- BAMF, the integration course exams (DTZ and "Leben in Deutschland"): bamf.de
- The question catalogue as a PDF: bamf.de
Words on Repeat is not affiliated with the BAMF, the Goethe-Institut, telc or the ÖSD. The Einbürgerungstest Trainer uses the published question catalogue; the translations and explanations are our own and are not official.