VisaWho this applies to
Use this guide if you are checking Germany B1+ before choosing an exam, paying a centre, or submitting a document. It does not decide eligibility, an exemption, or certificate acceptance for an individual case.
Key decisions
- Identify the authority or institution receiving your proof.
- Confirm the exact certificate, level, exam version, and document format it accepts.
- Verify local booking, ID, fee, result, cancellation, and timing details with official sources.
Detailed explanation
Two tests can answer different evidence questions
The integration-course final examination includes the Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer for language and Leben in Deutschland for civic knowledge. Current naturalisation law also treats language knowledge and knowledge of Germany’s legal and social order as separate requirements.
Do not treat a B1 language result as civic-knowledge proof. Do not treat a Leben in Deutschland result as language proof. Neither result establishes application eligibility, and whether a particular result or alternative document satisfies your route remains a decision for the competent authority.
What the official sources support
Checked on 2026-11-07:
- Integration Course Ordinance section 17(1) describes two separate final tests: the scaled Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer for listening, reading, writing, and speaking at A2 to B1, and the scaled Leben in Deutschland test.
- Section 17(5) says the scaled Leben in Deutschland test can also demonstrate the knowledge required by Nationality Act section 10(1) sentence 1 no. 7, under the naturalisation-test ordinance. That is a civic-knowledge route. It does not turn a B1 language result into civic-knowledge proof.
- The federal naturalisation portal says the usual civic-knowledge proof is the naturalisation test and that the Life in Germany test is also considered proof. It describes school or university certificates in Germany as sufficient in the cases that page sets out. The competent nationality authority still decides the file.
- The same portal publishes fee, question-format, and processing-time figures. Read those figures there. This page does not repeat them.
These points do not make Leben in Deutschland and the naturalisation test interchangeable for every purpose, and they do not prove that the integration-course certificate completes a settlement or citizenship file.
Build a two-column evidence note
In one column, record the language level and exact language document the authority accepts. In the other, record the required civic-knowledge document or accepted alternative. For each item, save the deciding authority, source, date checked and document format.
Keep residence history, livelihood, identity, forms, appointments and other application conditions outside both columns.
What to verify officially
| Item to verify | Who finally decides | Official source | Confirmed on this page | You still need to confirm |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current route requirement and accepted proof | Competent local nationality or foreigners authority for the reader's specific application route | Authority source | The official entry and verification sequence recorded on 2026-11-07. | Your current individual route, exceptions, document format, and submission instructions. |
| Exam product and booking rules | Official exam owner and authorised local centre | Exam-owner source | The exam-owner entry used by this guide. | Current centre authorisation, dates, fees, ID, cancellation, results, and certificate delivery. |
Common mistakes
- Calling both tests “the B1 test”.
- Assuming the integration-course certificate settles every route requirement.
- Using an old description of naturalisation time rules from an exam-information page.
- Treating a general federal explanation as the local authority’s final document instruction.
Next action
After the authority confirms the evidence categories, continue to the DTZ, Goethe B1 and telc B1 comparison. Use the citizenship language-proof guide or submission checklist for the relevant branch.