German Citizenship Application in Düsseldorf
After a long break, I finally found my motivation again and decided to continue writing blog posts. I wanted my first post to be about something that I think could genuinely help many people.
What’s in this post?
- Who can apply
- The Düsseldorf application link
- Required documents
- The missing documents process
- What happens on the appointment day
- Passport and ID application
Leaving comfort zone
We had moved to Canada in 2017. My wife was about to complete her studies in Toronto, and during the eight months we spent there, I realized that I would probably not be able to find a job in my own field, SAP. If we had decided to stay, maybe my wife could have found a job, but honestly, it did not feel like a risk worth taking.
We had both been working since 2010, and we had a comfortable life in Istanbul, the kind of comfort that is not easy to leave behind. But at that point, we had already started a new journey, and it felt too early to turn back. Our time in Toronto had been full and meaningful, but I was not sure whether I could continue living under the same conditions for another eight months.
Right around that time, a new possibility appeared through a friend of mine who was working in Germany and referred me for a position there. I flew from Toronto to Ratingen for a two-day trip to attend the interview. The interview lasted about one and a half hours, and on the very same day I returned to Toronto, I received the offer. Over the next three months, all the visa procedures were completed, and it became clear that we would be moving once again to start a new life. Everything happened much faster than we had expected.
I moved to Germany with a job offer as an SAP consultant and received a Blue Card. My wife joined me through family reunification and had the same rights. From March 2018 until I obtained permanent residency, my company supported the extension of my residence permit. But when it came to permanent residency and citizenship, the system was actually not as difficult as many people assume. That is why I handled all the procedures myself.
My Dual Citizenship Journey
After spending five years with permanent residency, and as soon as dual citizenship became possible in 2024, my wife and I submitted our application on July 10. We completed our documents in October 2024 and then started waiting for the result. In fact, we had delayed the application slightly because we moved to a new home in September and thought the change of address might affect communication. Otherwise, some friends of ours who applied as soon as the new right became available had already received their citizenship in November 2024.
How to apply
After my application, the system became digitalized. So now it is much easier to start the process through the following link:
https://www.duesseldorf.de/amt-fuer-migration-und-integration/einbuergerung
Required documents:
https://www.duesseldorf.de/fileadmin/Amt54/ABH/Formulare_und_Listen/benoetigte_Unterlagen.pdf
Application form:
https://formulare.duesseldorf.de/servlet/de.formsolutions.FillServlet?sid=aJMGqMN33t7Z13pqxv2DKrcK12JjFA&1=d.pdf
You can request the Rentenversicherung document online and wait around one week for it to arrive. But if you do not want to wait, you can also go directly to their office on Königsallee and get it there.
Once you prepare all the forms, you send the documents to the address listed in the required documents list:
Stadtverwaltung Düsseldorf
54/22-Einbürgerung
40200 Düsseldorf
After sending our documents, we waited for quite a long time. With the Christmas and New Year holiday period, we assumed the process was simply taking longer than usual. So on April 14, 2025, we sent an email asking for an update. In June, we received a reply from staatsangehoerigkeit@duesseldorf.de saying that they had actually sent us a letter on December 10, 2024 requesting additional documents. However, we had never received anything by post.
The good part was that we were still able to continue the process by sending the missing documents via email. Shortly after that, we received our appointment for July 10.
I believe one thing that may have helped speed up the process was the fact that my wife’s residence permit was due to expire on July 12. At the same time, correspondence regarding either permanent residency or a Fiktionsbescheinigung was still ongoing. But in our opinion, because the citizenship application was already visible in the system, the appointment was scheduled exactly two days before her residence permit was set to expire.
Receiving the Einbürgerungsurkunde
By the way, the appointment takes place at the following address, not at Erkrather Straße, where we usually went for migration-related matters:
When you arrive at the building, you simply tell the staff member at the entrance that you are there for your citizenship appointment, and they direct you accordingly. Once you reach the correct floor, you wait in the waiting area until your turn comes. We were called in after less than five minutes.
This appointment does not involve any kind of test or examination. It is simply the meeting where your documents are checked, your citizenship certificate is handed over, and the process is officially completed.
Documents You Need to Bring to the Appointment
We were asked to bring the original versions of the following documents. During the appointment, they compare the originals with what they already have in the system:
- Current passport
- Current residence permit card
- Original Einbürgerungstest certificate / Life in Germany certificate
- Original birth certificate. A multilingual version can be downloaded from e-Devlet
- Marriage certificate
- Current payslip
- EC card or credit card for the payment of fees. Cash is not accepted
- German B1 certificate. Even though it was not mentioned in the email, I brought it with me and they asked for it. Mine was a TELC certificate
After that, we waited another five minutes in the waiting area and were then taken to another room for the second and final step. That was where we took the oath. They also gave a short explanation about dual citizenship. The document containing that explanation was handed to us together with the Einbürgerungsurkunde.
After the oath, the officer we had met offered to take our photo in front of the German flag. It turned into a really sweet memory for us.
Applying for a German Passport and ID Card
On the same day, after receiving the Einbürgerungsurkunde, we went directly to Willi-Becker-Allee 7 near the main train station, took a queue number, and applied for our passport and ID card. Both arrived at the same office within a short time. If your case is urgent, there is also an express option for the passport. The price information is provided on site.
Based on the notification emails we received, we later picked up our passport from the same office, and about one week after that, our ID card as well.
Good luck!
Go here for my post on How to bring your cat to Germany
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