Your personal timeline
Results are approximate; individual cases vary by visa conditions, employment history, and Ausländerbehörde decisions.
🇩🇪 Your road to the German passport
2y 0m
since ~August 2024
🏠Feeling at home
Your visa
§18a/b: standard work permit
Your German level
🪪 Permanent residence
in 3 years
around August 2029
🔒 B1 German is required. Start building your German now so you're ready at 5 years.
5 years legal residence + B1 German + sufficient income + pension contributions (§9 AufenthG)
🇩🇪 Citizenship
in 3 years
around August 2029
🔒 B1 German is required for citizenship: you cannot apply regardless of how long you have lived here. The clock is running. Get to B1 →
5 years residence, but B1 German is required to apply.
Speed up your timeline
- Reach B1 German → required to apply for PR and citizenship
The one requirement you control
B1 German unlocks your PR & passport
Go from zero to B1 with Ankommo: structured, calm, and free to start. No card needed.
Der, die, das explained clearly
Gender clues
Endings often help:
Best habit: learn every noun with its article.
Quick practice
Choose the correct article for Wohnung
Not sure how your case works?
Every situation is different. Book a 1-on-1 video call about your visa, PR and citizenship path, and leave knowing your real dates.
Book a 1-on-1 consultationApproximate dates based on your slider; individual cases vary. Confirm with your Ausländerbehörde or an immigration advisor.
Guide by
Abdullah
Creator of Ankommo · Based in Germany
I moved to Germany and built Ankommo to help others navigate the same process I went through. We offer 1-on-1 video consultations on visas, Ausbildung applications, citizenship requirements and settling in.
Book a 1-on-1 consultation5 years
Standard residence requirement for citizenship
3 years
If married to a German citizen for 2+ years (§9 StAG)
21 months
PR for EU Blue Card holders with B1 German
Dual OK
Germany allows dual/multiple citizenship since June 2024
The rules in 2026, after the 2024 reform and the 2025 rollback
The June 2024 reform made citizenship more accessible (5 years instead of 8, dual citizenship allowed). In October 2025 the Bundestag rolled back one piece: the 3-year fast-track. Here is what applies now.
Dual citizenship permitted since June 2024, so you keep your original nationality (unchanged in 2025)
Standard citizenship requirement is 5 years (reduced from 8 in 2024)
The 3-year "special integration" fast-track was abolished on 30 October 2025
Spouses of German citizens: 3 years residence + 2 years of marriage (§9 StAG) still applies
B1 German, stable income, and no serious criminal record required for all applications
Children born in Germany to foreign parents get citizenship if one parent has lived here 5+ years
B1 German: the one requirement you control
You cannot control when you arrived in Germany. You can control your German level. B1 is required for almost all PR permits and is mandatory for citizenship; Ankommo takes you there from A1.
Why this calculator says no more often than you expect
21 Months Is What the Engine Computes, Not What We Hope
The month counts here come out of a tested module rather than a paragraph somebody wrote once, and a unit test pins the Blue Card figure at 21 months to the engine that prints it, so the marketing can’t drift away from the product. The same module is why the result reads not yet more often than people expect: §10 StAG asks you to support yourself without state benefits, so a student who has served the years and has no income still doesn’t qualify. Hearing that here is cheaper than hearing it at the counter.
- 21 mo
- to permanent residence on a Blue Card with B1, computed, then pinned by a test
- §10 StAG
- the livelihood and language conditions the result checks
The three-year fast track was abolished in October 2025 and is not in this calculator.
The calculator gives you the legal month counts. Your real qualifying date hides in your permit history, and we put it in writing.
PR & Citizenship Readiness Review · €99Written report within 2 working days
Frequently asked questions
- How long do I need to live in Germany before I can apply for citizenship?
- The standard requirement is 5 years of legal residence, plus B1 German, stable income, and no serious criminal convictions. The 3-year "special integration" fast-track introduced in 2024 was abolished on 30 October 2025. The main exception that remains: spouses of German citizens can naturalize after 3 years of residence if married for at least 2 years (§9 StAG).
- Does Germany allow dual citizenship?
- Yes. Since the citizenship reform that came into force on 27 June 2024, Germany fully allows dual (and multiple) citizenship. You no longer need to give up your original nationality when naturalizing as a German citizen. This was NOT changed by the October 2025 amendment, which only abolished the 3-year fast-track.
- How quickly can EU Blue Card holders get permanent residence?
- EU Blue Card holders can apply for permanent residence (Niederlassungserlaubnis) after 21 months with a B1 German certificate, or after 27 months with basic German skills (A1). This is significantly faster than the standard 5-year path.
- Does time as a student count toward citizenship?
- Yes, time spent in Germany on a student visa counts toward the 5-year residence requirement for citizenship. However, it generally does not count toward the permanent residence (PR) permit, which typically requires a work permit or other qualifying status.
- Is B1 German required for both PR and citizenship?
- Yes. B1 German is required for most permanent residence permits and for citizenship (Einbürgerung). EU Blue Card holders without B1 can still get PR after 33 months, but the standard path requires B1. For citizenship, B1 is always required regardless of visa type.
Start working toward B1 today
B1 German is the one requirement you can control. Ankommo takes you from A1 to B1, free to start.
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