German Citizenship for Pakistani Citizens
What Pakistani law says about your citizenship when you are naturalised in Germany, how to reclaim it if you gave it up, and how Pakistani documents are checked.
Can Pakistanis keep their citizenship when they become German?
Germany is now on Pakistan's dual-nationality list, but check with the mission responsible for your federal state before you apply and before you renounce anything. Since 27 June 2024 Germany no longer requires you to give up your previous citizenship. On the Pakistani side, section 14 of the Citizenship Act 1951 ends Pakistani citizenship for people who also hold another one, except for the United Kingdom and countries Pakistan's Federal Government notifies in the official Gazette. If Germany were not covered, section 14(1) would end Pakistani citizenship when you become German, without any renunciation. Germany is on the dual-nationality list of Pakistan's Directorate General of Immigration and Passports (page last modified 9 January 2026), still marked with an asterisk. The Embassy of Pakistan in Berlin's page dated 25 March 2026 says the competent authority has approved reclamation for German nationals of Pakistani origin. We found no official text saying that Pakistanis who become German keep their citizenship automatically, and we did not find the Gazette notification. In 2025, 5,090 Pakistani citizens were naturalised in Germany.
Legal Basis
Law
Pakistan Citizenship Act 1951, sections 14 and 14A
Requirement
Pakistani citizenship ends when another citizenship is held, unless the other country is the UK or a country notified in the official Gazette
Official Source
View law textWhat Happens to Your Pakistani Citizenship
| Question | What the official source says |
|---|---|
| Does Germany ask you to give it up? | No. Since 27 June 2024 naturalisation no longer requires giving up your previous citizenship (§10 Abs. 1 Nr. 4 StAG was repealed). |
| The general rule in Pakistani law | A Pakistani citizen who is at the same time a citizen of another country ceases to be a citizen of Pakistan, unless he renounces the other citizenship (section 14(1)). This does not apply to a person until they turn 21 (section 14(1A)). |
| The exception | Section 14(1) does not apply to citizens of the United Kingdom or of a country Pakistan's Federal Government specifies by notification in the official Gazette (section 14(3)). |
| Is Germany on the list? | Germany is on the DGIP list of 22 countries with dual nationality arrangements (last modified 9 January 2026). It is still marked with an asterisk whose footnote, which earlier limited this to children born in Germany, is no longer displayed. The Gazette notification was not found. |
| Before the change | In January 2025 the government told the Senate that, for Germany, dual citizenship was allowed only for children of Pakistani parents who acquired German nationality by birth in Germany. |
| Reclaiming citizenship given up earlier | The Embassy's page dated 25 March 2026 says the competent authority has approved reclamation for German nationals of Pakistani origin. |
Source: Directorate General of Immigration and Passports: dual nationality · Checked 22 October 2026
Pakistani Embassy Services in Germany
The Embassy in Berlin covers Berlin, Brandenburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Bremen, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony, Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. The Consulate General in Frankfurt covers all other federal states.
| Service | What the embassy states |
|---|---|
| Reclamation of nationality | Five copies each of Form-Y, the original renunciation certificate, POC/NICOP/CNIC and the German passport, plus five photos. Fee €100 per reclamation certificate. The process may take 3 to 4 months. |
| Passport | Machine-readable passport, valid five or ten years depending on the fee; five years under age 15. Adults appear in person with the bank challan, original CNIC or NICOP, old passport and residence permit. Normal delivery 25 to 30 days, urgent 10 to 14 days. Fee amounts are not on the page. |
| NICOP and CNIC | Apply through NADRA online (id.nadra.gov.pk). |
| Birth registration of a child born in Germany | Forms S and S-I, fee €19, within one year of birth, up to 2 to 3 weeks. |
| Attestation | Pakistani documents such as degrees, nikah nama, birth and divorce certificates must be attested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Pakistan. Power of attorney €43. |
Source: Embassy of Pakistan, Berlin: reclamation of Pakistani nationality · Checked 22 October 2026
Pakistani Documents for German Authorities
Pakistan joined the Apostille Convention in 2022, but Germany objected to its accession on 24 October 2022. There is no apostille between the two countries.
| Fact | What the German Embassy Islamabad states |
|---|---|
| Legalisation | Documents issued by Pakistani authorities, such as birth or marriage registration certificates, cannot be certified or legalised by the German Embassy. Legalisation of Pakistani documents is suspended. |
| What happens instead | The Embassy and the Consulate General can have Pakistani documents verified at the request of a German authority (Amtshilfe). |
| Who decides | Every German authority has discretion, applying § 438 Abs. 1 ZPO, whether to treat a foreign public document as genuine. |
| Which mission | Karachi handles documents mainly from Sindh and Balochistan. Islamabad handles all other provinces and all Ahmadiyya cases. |
Source: German Embassy Islamabad: document verification and list of lawyers · Checked 22 October 2026
Pakistani Citizens Naturalised in Germany
In 2025, 6,598 Pakistani citizens applied for naturalisation and 5,618 applications were decided. Destatis publishes these figures rounded or slightly altered for confidentiality.
| Figure | 2025 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Naturalisations | 5,090 | 5,000 |
| Average years of residence in Germany | 8.3 | 9.2 |
| Average age | 28.2 | 28.8 |
Source: Destatis: Statistischer Bericht Einbürgerungen 2025, tables 12511-19, 12511-02 and 12511-08 · Data years 2024 and 2025, final results published 21 August 2026
Becoming German as a Pakistani Citizen
Ask the embassy before you renounce anything
Germany no longer asks you to give up Pakistani citizenship. Pakistan's position on Germany has changed, but the decisive Gazette notification was not found, so confirm your case with the mission responsible for your federal state.
Tip: If you have refugee status or subsidiary protection, ask your Einbürgerungsbehörde before you contact the Pakistani embassy.
Keep your passport and NICOP valid
German law requires your identity and nationality to be clarified (§10 Abs. 1 StAG), normally with a passport and civil status documents.
Tip: If you have refugee status or subsidiary protection, ask your Einbürgerungsbehörde before you contact the Pakistani embassy.
Expect your Pakistani documents to be checked, not legalised
The German missions in Pakistan do not legalise Pakistani documents. If your Einbürgerungsbehörde doubts a document, it can ask the Embassy or Consulate General to have it verified.
Tip: Ask your Einbürgerungsbehörde early which Pakistani documents it wants to see.
Receive your naturalisation certificate
German citizenship takes effect when the Einbürgerungsurkunde is handed to you.
Reclaim Pakistani citizenship if you gave it up earlier
If you renounced Pakistani citizenship to become German under the old rules, apply for reclamation with Form-Y at the Embassy in Berlin or the Consulate General in Frankfurt, depending on where you live.
What Does It Cost?
| Item | Cost | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Reclamation certificate, Embassy of Pakistan | €100 | Only if you gave up Pakistani citizenship earlier |
| German naturalisation fee | €255 | §38 StAG |
German citizenship also needs proof of B1 German. You can practise for it here:
Free telc B1 Modelltest — practise online with answers
Real tasks from every section in the authentic exam format. You see the answer straight after each task — no PDF to download.
Related Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
Germany is on the dual-nationality list of Pakistan's Directorate General of Immigration and Passports, and the Embassy in Berlin now handles reclamation for German nationals of Pakistani origin. The list still marks Germany with an asterisk and the Gazette notification was not found, so confirm with the embassy before you act. If Germany is not covered, section 14(1) ends Pakistani citizenship when you become German.
We found no official Pakistani text that says so. The DGIP page was edited on 9 January 2026, but the legal basis is a notification in the official Gazette under section 14(3) of the Citizenship Act, and that notification was not found.
Yes. The Embassy's page dated 25 March 2026 says the competent authority has approved reclamation for German nationals of Pakistani origin. The Embassy in Berlin asks for: five copies of Form-Y, the original renunciation certificate and copies of your documents, €100 per certificate, 3 to 4 months. The Consulate General in Frankfurt has its own page for its states.
Not for Germany. The requirement was removed from §10 StAG with the reform in force since 27 June 2024. The embassy's renunciation page, dated 28 February 2025, still asks for an Einbürgerungszusicherung, which reflects the rules before the reform. Whether you stay Pakistani is a separate question decided by Pakistani law; see above, and ask the embassy before you renounce anything.
No. The German Embassy in Islamabad states that legalisation of Pakistani documents is suspended. A German authority can ask for a document to be verified instead, and decides itself whether to accept a foreign document as genuine.
Section 14(1) does not apply to a person until they turn 21 (section 14(1A)). If a father renounces Pakistani citizenship under section 14A, his minor children living outside Pakistan also lose it; they can resume it within one year of turning 21. Before the change, Pakistan allowed dual citizenship with Germany only for children of Pakistani parents who became German by birth in Germany.
Ready for Your B1 Exam?
Practice with AI-generated exercises in the real exam format. Instant feedback and personalized explanations.
Start FreeSources
- Pakistan Citizenship Act 1951, in the DGIP compilation of acts and rules (PDF)
- Directorate General of Immigration and Passports: dual nationality
- Senate of Pakistan: questions for oral answers, 21 January 2025 (PDF)
- Embassy of Pakistan, Berlin: reclamation of Pakistani nationality
- Embassy of Pakistan: reclamation of Pakistani nationality, Frankfurt am Main jurisdiction
- Embassy of Pakistan, Berlin: renunciation of nationality
- Embassy of Pakistan, Berlin: consular jurisdiction
- Embassy of Pakistan, Berlin: passport
- Embassy of Pakistan, Berlin: NADRA services
- Embassy of Pakistan, Berlin: birth registration
- Embassy of Pakistan, Berlin: attestations
- HCCH: objections to Pakistan's accession to the Apostille Convention
- German Embassy Islamabad: document verification and list of lawyers
- Destatis: Statistischer Bericht Einbürgerungen 2025
- §10 StAG: naturalisation requirements (gesetze-im-internet.de)
- Federal Office of Administration: citizenship law reform in force since 27 June 2024