At a glance
Rules checked in October 2026. Requirements change: before you apply, check the official site of your country’s authorities.
Which certificates are accepted
| Exam | What to know |
|---|---|
| Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer (DTZ) | The final exam of the integration course, scaled across A2 and B1; since 2023 g.a.s.t. runs it on behalf of the BAMF, and the certificate is issued digitally, without a stamp or signature. You can only take it if you are entitled to an integration course or have attended at least one course module, even at your own expense. For citizenship you need B1 overall; together with the Leben in Deutschland test it gives you the Zertifikat Integrationskurs. |
| telc Deutsch B1 (Zertifikat Deutsch) | Open to everyone and offered by many Volkshochschulen (adult education centres) and language schools, on paper or on screen. The written exam (reading, a grammar section called Sprachbausteine, listening and writing) and the paired oral exam are scored separately and you must pass both; if you fail one, you can retake just that part within 12 months. |
| Goethe-Zertifikat B1 | The Goethe-Institut exam with four modules, Lesen, Hören, Schreiben and Sprechen, each passed with at least 60%. You can take and retake the modules separately; our separate Goethe-Zertifikat guide covers it in detail. |
| ÖSD Zertifikat B1 | The Austrian exam, developed together with Goethe B1 and built the same way, with four modules. It is usually accepted as an equivalent diploma, but check your authority’s list before you register. |
| Higher-level certificates | B2 or C1 from telc, Goethe or ÖSD, TestDaF and DSH also work: authorities accept the Zertifikat Deutsch B1 or an equivalent or higher diploma. If you already have one, you don’t need a separate B1. |
| German school, degree or vocational training | Instead of a certificate you can show four years of successful schooling in German, a Hauptschulabschluss or an equivalent German school leaving certificate, promotion to year 10 of a Realschule, Gymnasium or Gesamtschule, or a completed German-language degree or German vocational training (Ausbildung). You prove it with the school report, certificate or diploma. |
Who does not need a certificate
- Children under 16 at the time of naturalisation: German appropriate to their age is enough, usually shown with a school report, and they don’t take the Einbürgerungstest.
- Former guest workers who came to West Germany under recruitment agreements by 30 June 1974, contract workers who came to the GDR by 13 June 1990, and spouses who joined them: everyday spoken German without major problems is enough, and no Einbürgerungstest is needed.
- People who cannot reach B1, or for whom it is permanently very hard, despite serious and sustained efforts (§ 10 Abs. 4a StAG): everyday spoken German can be enough, and the test is waived too. Signing up for a course is not enough: authorities usually ask for attendance records, results of failed exams and statements from teachers.
- People who cannot meet the requirements because of a physical, mental or psychological illness, a disability or their age: they are exempt from both the certificate and the test. You usually need a detailed report from a specialist doctor, and age alone does not exempt you automatically.
- You don’t need the Einbürgerungstest with a German school leaving certificate of at least Hauptschulabschluss level (which also proves your German) or a German degree in law, social sciences, political science or public administration.
Civics test: Einbürgerungstest (Leben in Deutschland test)
33 multiple-choice questions with four options in 60 minutes: 30 on democracy, history and society and 3 on your federal state. You pass with at least 17 correct answers. All questions come from the public BAMF catalogue of 310: 300 general ones and 10 for each state. You take it in person at a test centre approved by the BAMF, usually a Volkshochschule, and the Leben in Deutschland test from the integration course counts if it shows at least 17 correct answers.
Tips- Work through the whole catalogue in the BAMF Online-Testcenter: it shows the correct answer right after each question, and you can also do a 33-question sample test. Select your state to learn its 10 questions.
- The questions are in German, so learn the key words rather than answer letters: Grundgesetz, Wahl, Bundestag, Rechtsstaat, Gleichberechtigung. You will use the same words in the DTZ.
- Book early: Volkshochschule dates can be booked up weeks ahead, and the BAMF marks the tests centrally, so the certificate can take several weeks or even months. You can take the test before you apply and simply attach the certificate.
How the exam works
Four parts, 20 items: voicemail messages and public announcements (4 items), short radio items on the weather, traffic and programmes (5), four everyday conversations, each with a true/false and a multiple-choice question (8), and several people’s opinions on one topic to match with statements (3). In the DTZ every recording is played only once.
Tips- Before each recording read the question and underline what you are listening for: a time, a place, a number, what someone should do. In the first two parts one detail usually matters, not the whole text.
- Train numbers, times and dates by ear: German puts the units before the tens (vierundzwanzig is 24), and train announcements and doctor’s appointments are where people slip most.
- In the last part you get a minute to read the statements: tag each with one word (for, against, topic), and remember that some of them are extra. The speakers word their views differently, so match the meaning, not the words.
Five parts, 25 items: a directory or index where you find the right office or floor (5), ads to match with situations (5), short press items and formal letters (6), an information leaflet, for example about after-school care (3), and a formal letter with six gaps where you choose the right word (6). All texts come from everyday life in Germany: offices, school, work, shopping and contracts.
Tips- Keep to about 9 minutes per part. In the directory don’t read everything; scan for the key word, such as Führerschein, Kita or Müll, and if the right floor is not among the options, choose “another floor” (anderes Stockwerk).
- In the ads part one situation usually has no matching ad, and you mark it with an X. Check every condition at once: times, prices and requirements such as a Realschulabschluss.
- In the gapped letter read the whole sentence before and after the gap: it tests connectors (weil, obwohl, deshalb), articles, prepositions and set phrases such as Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren.
One formal or semi-formal letter or email: you choose task A or B, for example writing to your landlord about a problem in the building or asking about a course. The task has four points and you must cover all of them; markers assess task completion, how the text hangs together, accuracy and vocabulary, up to 5 points each.
Tips- Take 2 minutes to pick the task for which you have words for all four points, and tick your choice on the answer sheet. Write 2–3 sentences per point.
- Don’t forget the greeting and the closing: Sehr geehrter Herr Lehmann, … Mit freundlichen Grüßen. For requests use Könnten Sie mir bitte … mitteilen? and Ich wäre Ihnen dankbar, wenn …
- Link your sentences with weil, deshalb, außerdem, leider and trotzdem, and leave 5 minutes to check: the verb in second place and at the end after weil and dass, and a capital letter on Sie and Ihnen.
You usually take it with another candidate in front of two examiners. Part 1: introduce yourself from prompts (name, where you are from, where you live, work, family, languages) and answer questions. Part 2: each of you describes a photo and talks about your own experience and how things work in your country. Part 3: plan something together, such as a party or a class outing, from the points on the sheet; there is no long preparation time.
Tips- Prepare a 1–2 minute introduction with past tenses and reasons: Ich komme aus …, seit … wohne ich in …, ich arbeite als …, weil … You will reuse these phrases in part 2.
- In part 2 start with 2–3 sentences about the photo (Auf dem Foto sehe ich …), then your experience and a comparison: In meinem Heimatland …, in Deutschland dagegen … At B1 the examiner asks about pros and cons, so have Ein Vorteil ist …, ein Nachteil ist … ready.
- Part 3 carries the most points for task completion: make suggestions (Wir könnten …, Wie wäre es mit …?), react to your partner’s ideas (Gute Idee! Das finde ich nicht so gut, weil …) and cover every point on the sheet.
How it is scored
In the DTZ, listening and reading are scored together: 45 items at one point each, with 33 or more giving B1 and 20 or more A2. Writing and speaking are rated against set criteria by trained examiners: B1 needs at least 15 of 20 points in writing and 75 of 100 in speaking. You get B1 overall with B1 in speaking plus B1 in at least one other part, listening/reading or writing, and below A2 in speaking there is no certificate.
How many words you need for B1
B1 takes about 2,750–3,250 words (word families) and A2 about 1,500–2,500 (Milton and Alexiou, 2009). The DTZ builds its answers on the everyday vocabulary of the integration course curriculum: offices, housing, work, children and school, shopping, banks and insurance. For the Einbürgerungstest add words about the state and society, such as Grundgesetz, Wahl, Bundestag and Rechtsstaat.
Check where you are now: the free vocabulary test takes 3 minutes and shows how many of the 5,000 most frequent words of the language you know.
Take the vocabulary test →Vocabulary for the exam topics
- der Antrag application
- die Behörde public authority, office
- das Formular form
- der Nachweis proof, supporting document
- die Frist deadline
- die Unterschrift signature
- die Anmeldung registration of your address, sign-up
- die Einbürgerung naturalisation
- der Mieter tenant
- der Hausmeister caretaker
- die Heizung heating
- der Schaden damage
- die Reparatur repair
- das Treppenhaus stairwell
- die Ruhezeit quiet hours
- die Mülltonne rubbish bin
- die Stellenanzeige job advert
- die Teilzeit part-time work
- die Schicht shift
- der Lohn wages, pay
- die Überstunden overtime (plural)
- die Probezeit probation period
- die Krankmeldung notice to your employer that you are ill
- der Urlaub holiday, annual leave
- die Kita nursery, day care
- die Betreuung childcare, supervision
- der Elternabend parents’ evening
- die Schulpflicht compulsory schooling
- die Hausaufgabe homework
- der Stundenplan school timetable
- die Entschuldigung absence note, apology
- die Klassenfahrt school trip
- das Konto bank account
- die Überweisung bank transfer
- die Rechnung bill, invoice
- die Mahnung payment reminder
- der Vertrag contract
- die Versicherung insurance
- die Reklamation complaint about a faulty product
- der Umtausch exchange of goods
- das Grundgesetz Basic Law, the German constitution
- die Wahl election
- der Bundestag federal parliament
- das Bundesland federal state
- die Meinungsfreiheit freedom of expression
- die Gleichberechtigung equal rights
- der Rechtsstaat rule of law
- die Partei political party
Paste a topic name from the list above into the generation chat in the app and get a word set made for your exam, with examples in context, audio and smart reviews. You can get words for any other topic the same way.
Grammar for B1: what you need
The conjugated verb comes second even when the sentence starts with a time or a place, and the rest of the verb goes to the end: you need this in every letter and when you introduce yourself. Seit 2019 wohne ich in Leipzig.
After weil, dass, wenn and ob the conjugated verb moves to the end: that is how you give reasons in your letter and argue in part 3 of the speaking test. Ich schreibe Ihnen, weil die Heizung nicht funktioniert.
To talk about yourself and your experiences you need the Perfekt with haben or sein, while sein, haben and the modal verbs usually go into the Präteritum. Ich bin 2018 nach Deutschland gekommen und war zuerst Kellnerin.
Polite requests in a formal letter and suggestions when you plan something together are built with the Konjunktiv II. Könnten Sie mir bitte einen neuen Termin geben?
Learn that mit, bei, seit, von and zu take the dative, für, ohne and um the accusative, and in, an and auf take the dative for where and the accusative for where to. Mein Sohn geht in die Kita, jetzt ist er in der Kita.
Notices, letters from offices and short news items in the reading part often use werden with the past participle, and you need to see quickly what will happen and who does it. Die Straße wird am Samstag gesperrt.
The app has a big grammar section for every level from A1 to C2, with short lessons and exercises. Paste a topic name from the list above into the generation chat and get exercises on exactly that topic. Any other topic works the same way.
An 8-week preparation plan
Do the free DTZ practice set from g.a.s.t. (or a telc B1 model test if you are taking telc) under timed conditions and score it: listening and reading together, writing and speaking separately. The same week, book the Einbürgerungstest at a Volkshochschule near you: dates fill up, and the certificate takes a while.
Topics: offices and housing, 15 new words a day with their articles, for example with the ready-made exam word sets in NewLexi. One reading part a day, and in the gapped letter drill connectors such as weil, obwohl and deshalb.
Listening: one exam part a day, and play each recording only once, as in the exam. Topic: work, plus numbers, times and dates by ear. Start doing 20 questions a day from the Einbürgerungstest catalogue in the BAMF Online-Testcenter.
Writing: a template for a formal letter (greeting, reason, request, closing) and useful phrases. Write three letters on four points in 30 minutes each and check the word order and the capital Sie in every one.
Speaking: a 1–2 minute introduction and a routine for the photo: what I see, what the situation is, my experience, how it is in my country. Speak aloud for 10 minutes a day and record yourself. Topics: children and school, shopping and contracts.
A second full practice test under timed conditions; compare it with the first. Practise part 3 with a partner (suggest, agree, disagree politely) and go back over the grammar topics above wherever you lost points. Finish the catalogue, including the 10 questions for your state.
Weak spots: your weakest part every day. Two timed letters, one full speaking test with a partner or teacher, and a 33-question sample Einbürgerungstest: aim for a safe margin above 17.
A final practice test, then only light review of words and letter phrases. Check your invitation, photo ID and pen, and get a good night’s sleep.
Common mistakes
15 correct answers out of 33 pass the integration course, but for citizenship the result only counts from 17. Check your certificate: if it says 15 or 16, sit the Einbürgerungstest itself.
The authority needs an exam certificate with B1 overall, and a confirmation that you attended a course is not enough. In the DTZ you need B1 in speaking and in at least one other part: listening/reading or writing.
The BAMF marks the Einbürgerungstest centrally and the certificate can take several weeks or even months, and DTZ results don’t arrive at once either. As a rule your application cannot be approved without them, so take the exams before you apply or right after.
English uses you for everyone, but a landlord, a teacher or an office gets Sie, and Sie, Ihnen and Ihr are written with a capital letter: Könnten Sie mir bitte helfen? A formal letter starts with Sehr geehrter Herr Lehmann, and goes on after the comma with a small letter.
English when has three German equivalents: als for a single event in the past (Als ich nach Deutschland kam, …), wenn for repeated or future events and for if (Wenn ich Zeit habe, …), and wann only in questions (Wann beginnt der Kurs?).
How to submit the certificate
- You apply to the naturalisation authority (Einbürgerungsbehörde or Staatsangehörigkeitsbehörde) where you live: in rural districts usually the Landratsamt, in cities the city administration, and in Berlin the Landesamt für Einwanderung, where you apply online.
- You usually send copies or upload scans of your certificates and bring the originals when asked or to your appointment. Certificates in German need no translation.
- Since 2023 the DTZ certificate is issued digitally, without a stamp or signature: that is normal, and the authority checks it through an online form from g.a.s.t., while telc certificates with a QR code can be verified online too.
- The BAMF sends the Einbürgerungstest certificate, and it stays valid if you move to another state. If your test is still ahead, ask whether you can apply now and hand in the certificate later: some authorities accept proof that you have booked the test.
- Common reasons for rejection or delay: a level below B1, a Leben in Deutschland result under 17, a course attendance confirmation instead of an exam certificate, and doubts about authenticity. If in doubt, the authority checks the certificate with the exam provider, and citizenship obtained by deception can be withdrawn for up to ten years.
On exam day
- Bring a valid passport or other photo ID: without it you are usually not admitted to the DTZ or the Einbürgerungstest.
- For the DTZ bring a blue or black ballpoint pen that cannot be erased; pencils are not allowed. Only your ID, pens, the exam papers and a drink may be on your desk.
- The written DTZ runs for 100 minutes without a break: listening, reading and writing back to back. Eat beforehand; you may leave the room only in exceptional cases.
- In the writing part tick on the answer sheet whether you chose task A or B. You may make notes in the task booklet, but only the text on the answer sheet is marked, and there are no extra sheets.
- In the speaking test talk to your partner as well as to the examiner. If you don’t understand a question, ask: Können Sie die Frage bitte wiederholen? It is a normal part of a conversation.
How NewLexi helps you prepare
NewLexi already has word sets for every exam topic, split into categories, including the vocabulary of the Leben in Deutschland test, and for any other topic you can generate a set on request and start practising right away. A big grammar section covers every level from A1 to C2 with lessons and exercises, and for the writing part you practise letters in the writing trainer with instant AI feedback. For listening, stories and dialogues are written for you, at your level and with your words, and you can read them and listen to the audio.
