US, Germany, Other Countries That Allow Some Categories of Foreigners to Get Citizenship for Free
- The US waives naturalisation fees for qualifying service members and offers hardship-based fee relief to some applicants
- The UK, Germany and France provide citizenship fee exemptions for eligible children, low-income families and military personnel
- New Zealand’s fee-free citizenship route applies only to certain immigrant children who arrived under a government arrangement
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Several countries offer specific pathways to apply for citizenship without paying the standard fee, and eligibility generally depends on financial hardship, age, or military service.
In this article, Legit.ng highlights the fee exemption for some countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France,Germany, and New Zealand.
Source: UGC
1. Who qualifies for free US citizenship application?
The following categories of people are exempt from paying the fee when applying for naturalisation:
Active-duty service members or military veterans filing under INA Sections 328 or 329 of the Immigration and Nationality Act pay $0 (₦0) for Form N-400, with the waiver applied automatically by law and no separate waiver form required.
Also, Civilians facing documented financial hardship can apply for a full or reduced fee waiver. Additionally, separate fee exemptions are explicitly carved out for specific groups.
2. Underage foreigners exempt from British citizenship fee
The UK Home Office provides a citizenship fee waiver scheme specifically targeting children under 18 across six distinct registration routes
Those who qualify include children facing financial hardship. Families who cannot afford the registration fee can apply online for a fee waiver. If approved, they receive a "token" code to complete their citizenship application for free
Also, children currently in the care of a local authority bypass the waiver process entirely. They simply submit evidence of their care arrangement to get the fee waived automatically.
3. Germany offers free citizenship to some foreigners
Under Section 38 of Germany's Nationality Act (StAG), specific categories of people are entirely exempt from the standard 255 euro naturalisation fee
Germany specifies six eligible categories for a full exemption, while minor children naturalised alongside a parent without an independent income qualify for a reduced fee of 51 euros.
The following groups are fully exempt from nationality fees under the law: People being naturalised under Article 116, paragraph 2, sentence 1 of the Basic Law, as well as those receiving nationality certification under Article 116, paragraph 2, sentence 2; people naturalised under Section 15 of the Nationality Act; former Germans who lost their citizenship through marriage to a foreign national; people making acquisition declarations under Section 5; people who are renouncing German citizenship; people whose citizenship status is being determined by authorities on their own initiative under Section 30, paragraph 1, sentence 3.
4. France waives citizenship fee for service men
France waives citizenship fees for foreign nationals based on state service
Foreign military personnel who have served in the French armed forces can obtain residency and may be offered French nationality via a proposal from the Minister of Defence without citizenship fees.
5. New Zealand offer free citizenship to immigrant children
New Zealand allows a narrow category of "immigrant children" to apply for citizenship without any fee, provided they meet specific, strict conditions.
The fee waiver applies only to people who arrived under a specific arrangement with the New Zealand government before turning 18.
Refugee children who came to New Zealand under a separate International Refugee Organisation arrangement are excluded from the fee waiver.
Citizenship: Australia mentions residency years for foreigners
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Australia's Department of Home Affairs outlined the residence requirement foreigners must meet before applying for citizenship.
Applicants must have lived in Australia on a valid visa for a number of years before the date they apply for citizenship.
The rules also specify how much time applicants are allowed to have spent outside Australia during that period.
Source: Legit.ng
