VisaGermany · B1 · settlement and citizenship
Germany B1 for settlement permits and citizenship
Start with the authority and legal route that apply to your application. This hub helps you separate language proof from the wider file, compare only relevant exam products, and keep local dates and terms tied to current official sources.
Family reunion is a separate procedure. Use the Germany A1 family-reunion hub for that path. A Chinese A1 topic exists for family reunion only; this B1 hub is English.
On this page
Who decides and what to confirm first
For a settlement-permit question, identify the statutory route and competent local foreigners authority. For naturalisation, use the competent nationality authority. Germany has different settlement routes, and their language thresholds and cross-references are not identical. Do not convert a general B1 statement into a conclusion about your case.
Save the authority's current page, portal, form or written reply, the route it names, and the date checked. An exam provider can define its product, but it cannot decide whether that proof fits your application.
Decision order for settlement vs citizenship
- Identify whether you are checking a settlement-permit procedure, a naturalisation procedure, or both as separate files.
- Locate the competent authority for that procedure (foreigners authority vs nationality authority).
- Confirm the statutory route or application category the authority names.
- Separate language proof from civic-knowledge evidence and from every other condition.
- Ask which language documents are accepted and in what form.
- Compare only named exam products, then verify a centre, timeline, and submission recheck.
Do not apply one universal “B1 rule” across settlement and citizenship. Keep two folders if you are pursuing both.
Responsibility split
| Question | Who decides | Start here |
|---|---|---|
| Settlement route and full eligibility | Competent local foreigners authority | Settlement permit and B1 |
| Naturalisation route and full file | Competent nationality authority | Citizenship language proof |
| Civic-knowledge evidence | Same nationality authority (when required) | Language and civic knowledge |
| Exam product execution | Exam owner + authorised centre | DTZ / Goethe / telc comparison |
Choose the correct route entry
Keep language and civic knowledge separate
B1 language evidence and civic-knowledge evidence answer different questions. The Leben in Deutschland guide explains the separation and the limits of the integration-course evidence. Do not assume that one result replaces the other or completes the application.
Compare only possible proof
After the authority identifies possible language evidence, use the DTZ, Goethe B1 and telc B1 comparison. Compare exact products and document formats, not general recognition claims, anecdotes or an exam brand in isolation.
Verify the selected centre
Use the fees and booking guide to record the selected official or authorised centre, exact product, date, seat, fee scope, identification, cancellation, accessibility, result and certificate process. These local details remain time-sensitive even when this page's source review is current.
Build the timeline from confirmed dates
The B1 evidence timeline starts from dates supplied by you, the competent authority or the selected centre. It does not calculate residence periods, processing time or eligibility, and it does not insert a default retake or appointment buffer.
Finish with a submission recheck
Use the settlement and citizenship checklist as the terminal route step. Compare every note with the authority's current instructions, resolve mismatches, and leave unresolved items open rather than forcing the route back into a loop.
Route-level pitfalls
- Treating a B1 exam booking as proof that the whole settlement or citizenship file is ready.
- Merging settlement-permit answers into a naturalisation folder without authority confirmation.
- Treating language proof and Leben in Deutschland / civic-knowledge evidence as the same item.
- Ranking Goethe vs telc by brand before the authority names acceptable proof.
- Entering default retake or processing buffers the centre or authority never confirmed.
Minimum route record
| Field | Entry | Source + date |
|---|---|---|
| Procedure (settlement / citizenship / both) | ||
| Competent authority | ||
| Route / provision named | ||
| Language proof wording | ||
| Civic-knowledge wording (if any) | ||
| Stop rule before exam payment |
Optional preparation support
Preparation becomes useful only after the exam product is relevant and clear. Start with the adjustable study plan, then use the support page that matches a real gap:
- Difficulty and weak-area analysis
- Listening practice
- Mock-exam routine
- Speaking practice
- Writing self-check
Planning tools and their limits
Route Finder can help frame an authority question. The Exam Comparison, Timeline calculator and Checklist generator organise information you enter; they do not verify acceptance, dates or eligibility.
Route Review is an information boundary, not legal advice or a decision by the competent authority. Browse all pages in the Germany B1 guide collection.
Official starting points
Verify current route, evidence, local execution and submission instructions with the competent authority and selected official or authorised centre before acting.
Page updated 2026-11-07 to point family reunion to its own hub. The statutory summary on this page was not re-opened for that navigation change, and this page still does not state fees, processing times, or individual outcomes. Guide-level source dates stay on each linked guide.