Naturalization process in Thuringia: Waiting times vary greatly depending on where you live

How long people in Thuringia wait for naturalization varies considerably depending on where they live. This is the result of a survey among districts and independent cities.

In the Sonneberg district, for example, the average processing time from application to naturalization is 10 to 15 months. In Suhl it is one year, in Weimar and Eichsfeld the average is 18 months. In Gera, Greiz and the Altenburger Land it takes around one and a half to two years.

Various factors play a role here. The Weimarer Land district office announced that the process could be completed within three months or could take several years due to missing documents. According to the Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district office, delays occur, among other things, due to security inquiries to authorities or the checking of documents such as language certificates.

The city of Erfurt says that waiting times vary depending on the individual case - but due to the high number of applications, it takes at least several months. “Nationwide, including in Erfurt, the naturalization authorities are struggling with a large backlog of applications, high numbers of applications and therefore very long waiting and processing times,” said the state capital. The current situation is unsatisfactory for both the applicants and the authority.

Record number of naturalizations

According to the State Office for Statistics, 3,683 people were naturalized in Thuringia last year - a high since the survey began in 2000. The increase compared to 2024 was 39 percent.

According to the Interior Ministry, applications for naturalization were made a total of 5,107 times last year. Since the procedures can also take place across years or over several years, the numbers cannot be compared with the actual naturalizations in the respective years.

In order to be naturalized, you must, among other things, demonstrate sufficient knowledge of German and take the so-called naturalization test. In 2024, nationality law was reformed. Since then, an application for naturalization can be submitted after five years of residence in Germany instead of the previous eight. Since then it has also become easier to have multiple citizenships.

“This has led to a further increase in applications for naturalization,” said the Wartburg district. Even though the number of applications there has recently fallen slightly, they are still at a significantly higher level than a few years ago.

Unprocessed applications

According to information, there are currently 1,960 unprocessed applications in Erfurt - around 600 applications are being processed in parallel. According to the city administration, there are currently around 1,300 unprocessed applications in Jena and almost 500 in Gera.

But there are open processes not only in independent cities: in Altenburger Land, for example, around 400 applications still need to be processed, in Weimar Land around 250 and in the Saale-Holzland district around 200.

How long until naturalization?

If the naturalization application has been approved, it usually only takes a few weeks until the naturalization certificate is delivered. In Jena, Erfurt, Suhl or the Saale-Holzland district, for example, this takes less than a month. In some regions, naturalization certificates are ceremoniously presented at an event about every two or three months, for example in Eichsfeld or the Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district.