Can You Move Cities While Applying For German Citizenship?

Key Takeaways

• A move within the district your naturalization authority covers does not change anything. You keep the same office and only update your registered address.
• A move to a different authority’s district shifts responsibility for your case to the new office, whether that move is within your state or to a new one. This follows general German administrative law, not a rule specific to any one state.
• Your case does not restart as a brand-new application after a domestic move. The new office still reverifies your eligibility from scratch, including fresh checks with the police and immigration authority.
• Moving into Germany during a pending case at the Federal Office of Administration, under Section 13 or 14, is different and more serious. The Federal Office loses jurisdiction immediately. Any citizenship assurance you already received becomes invalid.
• Fee handling and notification steps vary by state. Confirm directly with both your old and new office rather than assuming one state’s process applies everywhere.

Table of Contents

How Do You Get German Citizenship?

You can get German citizenship one of six ways.

1. Naturalization
2. Descent
3. Adoption
4. Birth
5. Marriage
6. Declaration, including the Section 5, 13, 15, and Article 116(2) historical-injustice routes

This guide covers what happens to a pending naturalization case, filed under Sections 8 through 10 of the Nationality Act, when you move while your application is still open. Naturalization cases are run by state and local offices, not a single national office, so where you live actually matters while your case is open. See our guide on German citizenship by naturalization for the eligibility rules themselves.

This guide also covers the narrower case of moving into or out of Germany while a foreign-residence case is pending at the Federal Office of Administration, since that follows different rules entirely.

Suppose you’re two years into a case in Hessen when a new job moves you to Berlin. Or your case has stalled in a slow office, and you’re wondering whether moving to a different state would speed things up. Both situations turn on the same set of rules, covered below.

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Stay tuned!

Learn something new about Germany every week and make informed decisions with confidence.

What Happens to Your Case When You Move Cities?

The sections below explain each row in full.

Does Moving Within Your City or Region Change Your Case?

No. If you move within the area your current naturalization authority already covers, you keep the same office. You just need to send your updated residence registration certificate (Meldebescheinigung). You get this after registering a new address.

In Hessen, for example, a regional authority called a Regierungspräsidium handles cases across a wide district called a Regierungsbezirk. A move within that district only updates your address on file.

Berlin works the same way, for a different reason. Since January 2024, a single citywide office, the Landesamt für Einwanderung, has handled every naturalization case in Berlin. A move between neighborhoods does not change who is handling your case.

What Happens When You Move to a Different Authority’s District?

If you move to a district that is different from your current naturalization authority, the responsibility for your case shifts to the office covering your new address. This follows Section 3(1)(3a) of Germany’s state administrative procedure law, the Verwaltungsverfahrensgesetz or VwVfG. A 2013 court ruling confirmed it. The office where you now live is better placed to gather current input from the local police, immigration authority, and welfare office than your old one.

In Hessen, a move to a different Regierungsbezirk (administrative district) forwards your file from one Regierungspräsidium (regional authority), Darmstadt or Kassel, to the other. A move out of Hessen forwards it to whichever authority now covers your new address. In Berlin, a move to a different state or abroad means telling the Landesamt für Einwanderung (State Office for Immigration) directly and promptly.

Does Your Case Restart From Zero After a Domestic Move?

No, your case does not restart after a domestic move. It is still the same underlying file, carried over with your original application date. However, the new office cannot simply pick up where your old office left off. It has to independently confirm you still meet every requirement as of today, including fresh checks with the police, the immigration authority, and often the welfare office, even if your old office already ran the same checks months or years earlier.

If you are two years into a case in one state and a new job moves you to another, expect real re-verification work at your new office, not a silent handoff of a finished file.

Should You Move Specifically to Reach a Faster Office?

Be cautious. Processing times vary a lot between states, and even between offices in the same state. But a move made specifically to chase a faster office is not a guaranteed shortcut. Your new office still has to independently reverify your eligibility from scratch, and that can eat into or erase whatever time you hoped to save. Naturalization authorities also work from your genuine residence, not just a formal address change. A registration that does not reflect where you actually live can draw scrutiny before your case counts as transferred.

If your case has stalled and you are weighing a move for that reason, get a clear answer from your current office about why first. An immigration lawyer can help you weigh whether a move will actually help your case.

Consult an Immigration Lawyer

• An immigration lawyer can help you accelerate your German citizenship application.
• The lawyer can file a lawsuit on your behalf.
• You can clarify your doubts regarding German citizenship.

Consult a Lawyer

What Happens If You Move Into or Out of Germany During a Pending Case?

This is a different and more serious situation than a domestic move. Foreign-residence naturalization cases under Sections 13 and 14 of the Nationality Act, for former Germans and their descendants, are handled by the Federal Office of Administration, not a state or local authority.

If you move your residence to Germany while one of these cases is still open, the Federal Office loses jurisdiction immediately. Your case gets reviewed fresh under the domestic rules in Sections 8 through 10, which can differ substantially from the foreign-residence rules your case started under. Even a case that would have been approved from abroad can still be turned down after the switch. Any citizenship assurance the Federal Office already issued you (Einbürgerungszusicherung) becomes invalid the moment jurisdiction changes.

The same reversal applies if you emigrate abroad before a domestic case concludes, in a way that would put your case under the Federal Office’s jurisdiction.

FAQ