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Real Germany timelines & costs applicants report
StAG §5 declarations are decided by the BVA in Cologne; timelines range widely and missing documents cause the long tail.
Timelines by stage
| Stage | Reported | Official | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| BVA §5 declaration | ~10 months to 2.5 years | — | r/GermanCitizenship, 2022–25 |
| US agency document retrieval | 3–6+ months | — | r/GermanCitizenship, 2024–25 |
Plan your own case against these numbers
Use the free estimator for your country, ancestor, and location — or get the exact offices, letters, and sequencing in the Germany guide.