Who doesn't have to take the German citizenship test?

You don't have to take the German citizenship test (Einbürgerungstest) if you are under 16, have a German school-leaving certificate (at least the Hauptschulabschluss), or completed a German degree in law, social sciences, political science or public administration. You are also exempt if illness, disability or age means you cannot take the test. Since 27 June 2024 the same applies to the generation of former guest workers and contract workers. Certain hardship cases are exempt as well. In every case, you need to prove the exemption.

Why exemptions exist

To naturalise, you must show knowledge of Germany's legal and social order and way of life. The law says this is proven "as a rule" by passing the citizenship test (§ 10(5) StAG). "As a rule" leaves room for other routes: some people have already shown this knowledge elsewhere, for example at school, and others cannot take the test for health reasons.

Exemptions at a glance

School or university in Germany

School: If you gained at least the Hauptschulabschluss (the basic secondary school-leaving certificate) at a German school, you don't need the citizenship test. Higher qualifications such as the Realschulabschluss or Abitur obviously count too. Your final school certificate is the proof – and the same certificate also covers the language requirement.

University: A completed degree from a German university exempts you from the test if you studied law, social sciences, political science or public administration. Other subjects, such as computer science or medicine, don't exempt you from the test. However, a completed degree taught in German at a German university usually counts as proof of German, whatever the subject. English-taught programmes don't automatically count for this. If you are unsure whether your programme qualifies, ask your naturalisation authority (Einbürgerungsbehörde).

Illness, disability or age

If a physical, mental or psychological illness or disability means you cannot take the test, it is waived. The same applies if you cannot manage it because of your age (§ 10(6) StAG). The law sets no fixed age limit; what matters is whether you genuinely cannot take the test.

You will need a medical certificate (ärztliches Attest). It should explain clearly why you can't take the test. The authority reviews it and may ask for more evidence. The same rule can also exempt you from the B1 language requirement. For the easier rules for older applicants, see German citizenship for older people.

Ordinary exam nerves or a lack of study time are not grounds for exemption. If you only need support on the day, ask the test centre – see how to register for the citizenship test.

Guest workers, contract workers and hardship cases

Since the reform of 27 June 2024, these people no longer have to take the citizenship test:

• Guest workers (Gastarbeiter): people who came to what was then West Germany under a recruitment agreement by 30 June 1974.
• Contract workers (Vertragsarbeiter): people who came to the GDR as contract workers by 13 June 1990.
• Spouses: husbands and wives who followed such a worker to Germany "im zeitlichen Zusammenhang" – that is, with a close link in time. Your authority decides case by case what counts.

This group also has an easier language requirement: you only need to be able to communicate orally in everyday German without significant problems (§ 10(4) StAG). The authority will want to know how you came to Germany and worked at the time; old residence or work permits and employment contracts are useful evidence. Your authority will tell you exactly what it accepts.

Hardship cases: If the authority lowers the language requirement for you on hardship grounds, the test is waived as well. This is possible if you can show that, despite serious and sustained efforts, you cannot reach B1 or it is permanently very difficult for you (§ 10(4a) StAG). These cases are assessed individually.

The test and the language requirement are separate

The citizenship test and B1 German are two separate requirements. Being exempt from one doesn't automatically exempt you from the other – the table above shows what applies to your language skills in each case. Someone with a German-taught computer science degree from a German university, for example, still has to take the test but usually needs no separate language exam. All accepted language certificates and their exceptions are covered in the German language requirement for citizenship.

How to use your exemption

1. Check: See whether one of the exemptions in the table fits you.
2. Ask: Confirm with your naturalisation authority that it accepts your documents as an exemption – ideally before you apply.
3. Submit the proof: Instead of the test certificate, include your proof with the application – school certificate, degree certificate or medical certificate. For everything else you'll need, use the German citizenship documents checklist.