Einbürgerungsantrag

Question

Hello wefugees Team,

Once again I'm reaching out to you concerning the Einbürgerung application procedure.
I fulfilled all requirements to apply for the Einbürgerung, but
I still have one year left for me to reach the five ( 5) years residence period. In July 2026 my 5 years residence period will be completed.

But I contacted my local Ausländerbehörde to ask if I can submit my Einbürgerung application now, and the clerk from the Staatsangehörigkeit Office told me  being that the process can take months or year to be processed.
I am allowed to submit my application now.
My question here is: will I have good legal standing to ask for a refund of the €255 processing fee if my application is rejected base on insufficient residence time?

Thanks!

Answer 1

Hello Great Man and thanks for your question.

As you can also read at this government website, you may have to pay up to the full amount in case they reject your application. It varies from case to case. I am afraid that there will be no legal ground for a full refund. I experienced it before though that the authorities may ask you to pull the application back (if requirements are obviously not met) in order to avoid costs. But this is probably at the discretion of the immigration office. Maybe other community members can share their experiences as well.

All the best,

Meike