Several German states are pushing to raise the naturalization fee from €255 to at least €500, according to state-level press reports from early September 2026. Nothing has been formally proposed in the Bundestag or Bundesrat so far.
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The naturalization fee stays at €255 unless and until the law changes.
Why do states want to raise the German naturalization fee?
States cite the growing administrative burden, meaning more applications to process with the same staffing, as the reason to raise the German naturalization fee. They want the fee closer to what they say the procedure actually costs.
The fee for a standard naturalization (Einbürgerung) has not changed for years. § 38 StAG sets the standard naturalization fee:
- €255 for an adult
- €51 for a minor child naturalized together with a parent who has no independent income
The number of naturalizations in Germany reached a record 332,500 in 2025, 14% more than in 2024. The year 2025 was the first in which the count passed 300,000 since the statistic began in 2000 (Destatis).
Naturalizations of Turkish and Russian nationals each rose 51% year on year, which Destatis says is likely linked to the 2024 dual-citizenship reform.
Press coverage floats roughly doubling the fee to €500. The €500 figure does not appear in any published bill or Bundesrat Drucksache (official parliamentary document).
NOTE: This is a state-level proposal under discussion, not enacted or formally introduced law. The final figure, if any change happens, could differ from €500.
Applicants should not delay a naturalization application in anticipation of either avoiding or benefiting from a fee change that may never happen.
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Why does raising the German naturalization fee require a change to the law?
Raising the German naturalization fee requires an actual amendment to the Staatsangehörigkeitsgesetz (Nationality Act, StAG) through the ordinary federal legislative process. The statute itself sets the amount, so an agency cannot adjust it with an administrative fee schedule.
Amending a statute is a materially higher bar than adjusting a fee regulation. This higher bar is one reason a state floating the idea in the press is a long way from a fee actually changing.
What does the fee proposal mean for your naturalization application?
No authority can lawfully collect a higher German naturalization fee under a proposal that has not become law.
If you are naturalizing now, your Ausländerbehörde (immigration office) or naturalization office charges €255, or €51 for an eligible minor child (§ 38 StAG).
If your application is already pending, a future fee change should not apply retroactively to a fee you have already paid.
Two steps help you handle the fee question now:
- Pay only the amount currently set in § 38 StAG. Ask for a receipt showing the statutory basis if an office asks for anything different.
- Follow your state’s interior ministry or the Bundestag’s legislative tracker rather than press speculation to see whether a bill follows.
LegalWeg advises clients on naturalization applications and on what to do when an Ausländerbehörde or naturalization office misapplies a fee or delays a decision.