Stay is legally deemed permitted, but no Fiktionsbescheinigung

After you submit your application, your stay is legally deemed permitted. However, you still do not receive a Fiktionsbescheinigung. This is because you usually still have your German identity card.

Minor children may still be German

Did your child reacquire the foreign nationality together with you before their 18th birthday? Then they may not have lost their German nationality. They are then still German and do not need a residence title.

"Apparent Germans" can also receive a residence title

Were you previously treated as a German by German authorities, even though you never had German nationality? Then a special rule applies to you. You can still receive a residence title under this provision.

Reviewed on March 3, 2026

Apply for residence title for former Germans

Have you lost your German nationality? Here is how you secure your right to reside in Germany.

At a glance

How do you obtain a residence title as a former German?

Were you naturalised and did you, on application from 01.01.2000 onwards, acquire a foreign nationality? Then you lost your German nationality as a result. From that moment on, you need a residence title to live in Germany.

The authority must then grant you a settlement permit. This applies if, at the point you lost your German nationality, you had had your habitual residence in Germany for at least five years. If, at the point of loss, you had had your habitual residence in Germany for only at least one year, the authority must grant you a residence permit.

Important: you must submit the application within six months. The deadline begins as soon as you become aware of the loss of your German nationality.

For the application, you must appear in person with an appointment. You also need your German identity card or passport. Your main residence must be in Berlin.

Requirements

Who qualifies?

You qualify if, from 01.01.2000 onwards, you acquired a foreign nationality while still holding a German identity card or passport.

Additional requirements

Your main residence must be in Berlin, and you must appear in person with an appointment.

How to apply

Check whether you meet the requirements: from 01.01.2000 onwards you acquired a foreign nationality while holding your German identity card or passport — and your main residence is in Berlin.

Act quickly: submit your application within six months after you became aware of the loss of your German nationality.

Make an appointment with the responsible immigration authority in Berlin.

Bring your German identity card or passport to your appointment and appear in person.

Done! The authority must grant you a settlement permit if, at the point you lost your German nationality, you had had your habitual residence in Germany for at least five years — or a residence permit if you had lived there for at least one year.

100,00EUR

First-time issuance of a residence permit for adults

First-time issuance of a settlement permit for adults113,00 EUR
First-time issuance of a residence permit for minors50,00 EUR
First-time issuance of a settlement permit for minors56,50 EUR
Extension of the residence permit for adults93,00 EUR
Extension of the residence permit for minors46,50 EUR
Extension of the residence permit for Turkish nationals up to age 2427,60 EUR
Extension of the residence permit for Turkish nationals from age 2446,00 EUR

Good to know

Did you have a residence title before naturalization? This does not revive after the loss of German nationality. With the acquisition of German nationality, every residence title expires definitively.

Mit dem Erwerb der deutschen Staatsangehörigkeit erlischt jede Art von Aufenthaltstitel endgültig und lebt gerade nicht wieder auf

VAB A.38, S. 417-420

Did you have a settlement permit before naturalization? Then these periods and the time as a German national are credited toward the five-year period. This applies for up to four years in total.

die Zeiten des früheren Besitzes einer Niederlassungserlaubnis sowie die Zeiten des Besitzes der deutschen Staatsangehörigkeit bis zu vier Jahren auf die Fünfjahresfrist des § 9 Abs. 2 Satz 1 Nr. 1 anzurechnen sind

VAB A.38, S. 417-420

Did you enter without a visa after losing your German nationality? This does not harm you. Any unlawful entries after the loss are disregarded for your application.

Eventuelle unerlaubte Einreisen nach Verlust der deutschen Staatsangehörigkeit (§ 5 Abs. 2 Nr. 1) sind unbeachtlich.

VAB A.38, S. 417-420

Similar services

Apply for Naturalization – Grant of German Citizenship Apply for residence permit for long-term residents from other EU states Apply for a Certificate of Citizenship Residence Document-GB

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