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Germany Country Profile

Passport
For more details visit Germany Passport Ranking
  • Passport Grade
    A+
  • Passport Ranking
    1/198
  • Passport Score
    191.9/198
  • Visa-free Countries
    161
  • Visa-required Countries
    37
  • Access to the World's GDP
    93%
  • Access to the World's Surface Area
    68%
  • Access to the World's Population
    67%
  • Access to the Unesco Sites
    86%
Citizenship and Naturalization
Birthright citizenship (Jus Soli)
  • Birthright citizenship (Jus Soli)
    Restricted
    Restricted: A child born in Germany will become a citizen if, at the time of the birth, one of the parents legally resides in Germany for at least 8 years and have permanent residency. However, between the age of 18 and 23, the child will have to choose between the 2 nationalities.
Naturalization - Standard Conditions
  • Minimum residency period
    5 years
    As little as 3 years for “exceptionally integrated” applicants, i.e., who are highly profficient in German and completed an integration course.
  • Physical presence requirement
    At least 6 months a year
  • Language test
    Yes, German
  • Need to renounce original citizenship?
    No
  • Can minor children naturalize?
    –
  • Can naturalized parents pass citizenship to a child born abroad?
    –
  • Can you lose naturalization due to prolonged absence/ naturalization elsewhere?
    –
Naturalization - Your Spouse is a Citizen
  • Living IN the country: Residency/marriage requirement
    3 years / 2 years
    Must be married for 2 years, and reside in the country for 3 years.
  • Living ABROAD: Marriage requirement
    Not allowed
  • Language test
    Yes, German
  • Need to renounce original citizenship?
    Yes, but exceptions are possible.
Naturalization - Other Beneficial Provisions
  • Your child is a citizen
    No provisions
  • Citizens of specific countries
    No provisions
"–": The provision has not been analysed.
Visas and Residencies
Visas and Residencies
Taxation
For more details visit Cost of Living
  • Taxation Type
    Residence-based
A tax resident of a country with a RESIDENCE-BASED tax system pays taxes on their WORLDWIDE income. However, if you lose tax residency status there (e.g., by moving out), the country will generally stop taxing you.
Schiff Sovereign's Take on Germany
With Britain’s exit from the European Union, and the concurrent rise of nationalist, populist movements in several EU countries… Plus pervasive economic problems in member countries such as Greece – which may soon ditch the Euro and return to the drachma… What’s keeping the EU together?

Germany (and partially, France).

By itself, the country accounts for about 20% of the EU’s GDP, and is the bloc’s primary economic force.

Speaking of a country’s lifestyle, in a nutshell, Germany can be described as France… just without the lifestyle.

We once heard the following joke somewhere: “Do you want to hear a fun fact about Germany..? There is no fun in Germany! Get back to work!“

It’s all work, most of the time. Well, work and beer. But that’s why Germany is the economic engine maintaining Europe’s functioning and prosperity.

There is a lot to see and do in Germany, however. From the great cities of Berlin and Munich, to its small towns in the Alps, to the seaside resort towns of the Baltic and North seas, it’s a varied and largely beautiful country. Berlin, in particular, is an uber cool city.

But there are problems. Alongside Sweden and France, Germany is in the group of countries most affected by recent waves of immigration from the MENA region. Racial tensions, crime and other societal issues are increasing as Germany grapples with the urgent question of how to be the good guy (a question that has occupied Germans since WWII) while quietly asking immigrants to assimilate into their society.

It’s unclear what the results will be — if immigrants do indeed assimilate — and how Germany and its culture will change, ultimately.

In our opinion, Germany also ranks very highly as an alternative destination for college education. There are approximately 70 universities to choose from, with public universities not charging tuition, and usually extending this benefit to foreign students. 

And if, after graduation, you plan to stick around Europe, learning German is a big plus – it is the continent’s primary business language (besides English and French).

We have also covered how learning German can help you obtain a Blue Card – a pan-European work permit – and can lead to German permanent residency in as little as 21 months in this report.

And we have covered how to obtain a German passport via ancestry in this report.
Schiff Sovereign's Rolodex
Service Providers available in Germany
  • Citizenship by Ancestry
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Germany Overview
  • Region
    Europe
  • Capital City
    Berlin
  • Largest City
    Berlin
  • Currency
    Euro
  • Languages
    German
  • Population
    84.1 million (19th)
  • Life Expectancy
    81.5 years (40th)
  • GDP (Nominal)
    $4 trillion (4th)
  • GDP/Capita
    47944.31567 (25th)
Useful Data
For more details visit Cost of Living
  • Cost of Living
    Moderate (4/7)
  • Climate
    Comfortable (2/5)
  • Safety
    Very Safe (2/7)
  • Pollution
    Very clean (1/5)
  • English Proficiency
    Very High (1/5)

Sovereign Global Explorer

Benefiting from over a decade of our team’s boots-on-the-ground experience, Global Explorer is where your international journey begins.
Explore Now
Found a mistake /
Have a suggestion ?
Please let us know if you spot any inaccuracies on this page or have a suggestion on how to make it even more useful.
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PREMIUM REPORTS
Germany inside Schiff Sovereign resources
Resource TitleProductTypeDate
No Tax, All Gain: Crypto Havens of 2024Sovereign ConfidentialSMCAlert23-Apr-2404/23/24
February 2024 SC Q&ASovereign ConfidentialSMCQ&A28-Feb-2402/28/24
September 2023 SC Q&ASovereign ConfidentialSMCQ&A28-Sep-2309/28/23
European Citizenships By Ancestry: Part III (Western Europe)Sovereign ConfidentialSMCBlack Paper05-Dec-2212/05/22
The Blue Card: European Residency for ProfessionalsSovereign ConfidentialSMCMonthly Letter15-Feb-2202/15/22
Where In The World Are Vaccine Mandates Unconstitutional?Sovereign ConfidentialSMCAlert05-Nov-2111/05/21
These 10 countries offer university graduates residency and a Plan BSovereign ConfidentialSMCAlert12-Aug-2108/12/21
Here Are 15 Factors to Consider Before Your International MoveSovereign ConfidentialSMCMonthly Letter15-Jun-2106/15/21
Global Cyptocurrency Regulations and Taxation: A RoundupSovereign ConfidentialSMCAlert10-Jun-2106/10/21
Citizenship by Ancestry: You may be just an application away from a second citizenshipSovereign ConfidentialSMCMonthly Letter15-Apr-2104/15/21
These eight countries are offering 12-month visas or temporary residencies to digital workersSovereign ConfidentialSMCMonthly Letter15-Sep-2009/15/20
German citizenship through ancestrySovereign ConfidentialSMCAlert09-Feb-1802/09/18
Sovereign Man Country Rankings: The Right Country for YOU, with Simon's insightsSovereign ConfidentialSMCBlack Paper06-Apr-1704/06/17
Meet FATCA’s even nastier cousin: CRSSovereign ConfidentialSMCAlert26-Feb-1602/26/16

Articles featuring Germany

Trends & News

China and Germany are leading the next round of global inflation

Between press conference bust ups, tariff announcements, peace deals, and cryptocurrency reserve proclamations, it has been a busy month and a half. Despite all this, our global economic outlook remains relatively unchanged: we’re still anticipating a pretty serious bout of inflation around the world, and I’ll explain why. Inflation isn’t hard to understand. We all […]
Trends & News

Project "Make Everyone Germany" has failed.

June 29, 2015 Singapore It is somewhat amusing that the word ‘crisis’ originates from Ancient Greece. It’s actually a medical term; Hippocrates wrote extensively about ‘crisis’ being the key turning point in disease progression– the time at which it either overcomes the patient, or it subsides. And though the word ‘crisis’ is thrown about routinely […]
Trends & News

Germany will pay you to do nothing, but force you to walk your dog

The old joke about the 1990s TV show Seinfeld was that it was a show about nothing. Now it looks like Germany wants to be an economy about nothing. German University paying scholarships to do nothing A German university is looking for people it can pay to do nothing. Literally. They want to pay people […]
Trends & News

Germany’s anti-mask judge investigated by the government

Are you ready for this week’s absurdity? Here’s our Friday roll-up of the most ridiculous stories from around the world that are threats to your liberty, risks to your prosperity… and on occasion, inspiring poetic justice. Iran elected to UN Women’s Rights Council Last week, Iran was among the United Nations member states elected to […]

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