# Ausländerbehörde Rhein-Erft-Kreis

> How long does an application at the Ausländerbehörde Rhein-Erft-Kreis take? Real waiting times for citizenship, permanent residence, Blue Card and residence permits, reported by applicants.

- State: Nordrhein-Westfalen
- Page: https://aktenzeit.de/en/office/rhein-erft-kreis
- As of: 2026-10-22
- Foreign residents (estimate): 72,900 (15.5%, 2024)

## Reported waiting times

No reports for this office yet.

## Official figures

- Processing time stated by the office (Citizenship): 18 months Processing time at the district's naturalisation office: currently about 18 months, longer in some cases (per the office website, accessed 21 Oct 2026). Bergheim and Kerpen have their own naturalisation offices. (as of 2026-10-21; [Rhein-Erft-Kreis](https://www.rhein-erft-kreis.de/leben/neuankoemmling-gefluechtete/inhaltsseiten/staatsangehoerigkeit.php))
- Other figure (Residence permits):  The district's immigration office reports longer waits for all appointments while it clears a backlog caused by a cyberattack; it gives no number (per the office website, accessed 21 Oct 2026). (as of 2026-10-21; [Rhein-Erft-Kreis](https://www.rhein-erft-kreis.de/aktuelles/externe-seiten/terminreservierung.php))
- Applications received (Citizenship): 1806 applications Naturalisation applications filed in 2025 by residents of the Rhein-Erft-Kreis, official statistics from IT.NRW (counted by place of residence, including Bergheim and Kerpen). (as of 2025; [IT.NRW (Statistisches Landesamt NRW), Landesdatenbank NRW](https://www.landesdatenbank.nrw.de/ldbnrw/online?operation=download&code=12511-00i&option=xlsx))
- Cases completed (Citizenship): 593 cases Naturalisations of Rhein-Erft-Kreis residents completed in 2025, official statistics from IT.NRW (including Bergheim and Kerpen). Rejections are not included. (as of 2025; [IT.NRW (Statistisches Landesamt NRW), Landesdatenbank NRW](https://www.landesdatenbank.nrw.de/ldbnrw/online?operation=download&code=12511-10i&option=xlsx))

## FAQ

### How long does citizenship (Einbürgerung) take at the Ausländerbehörde Rhein-Erft-Kreis?

There are not enough reports for this application type in Rhein-Erft-Kreis yet. The office states 18 months (Rhein-Erft-Kreis, 2026-10-21). Across Germany the median is 257 days.

### What can I do if the Ausländerbehörde Rhein-Erft-Kreis has not decided after three months?

Under § 75 VwGO you can file an action for failure to act (Untätigkeitsklage) if an authority does not decide within three months without sufficient reason. Whether this makes sense in your case is a question for an immigration lawyer.

### How many foreign residents does the Ausländerbehörde Rhein-Erft-Kreis serve?

About 72,900 people, 15.5% of the population (2024 share of foreign nationals, Federal and State Statistical Offices).

Data reported by applicants, not verified. Not legal advice.