A major investigation by broadcasters NTV, RTL, and Stern magazine has uncovered a booming trade in forged language and integration certificates on TikTok, with fake documents being used to gain German residence permits and citizenship.
Under German law, foreigners seeking permanent residence or naturalization must prove their integration by passing language and integration tests, but journalists found a thriving black market on TikTok where supposed “language schools” openly advertise for sale certificates from providers like Telc or adult education centers.
“A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2, no school, no exam,” one vendor promises in Arabic, Turkish, and Albanian clips on the social media platform. Prices for a B1 certificate or “Living in Germany” test range from €750 to €2,700, with discounts for families. Other forged papers, such as driver’s licenses and security-industry qualifications, are also available. Posts regularly attract hundreds of thousands of views, some over a million, with comments like “Brother needs B1, what does it cost?”
Investigative journalists contacted more than 40 dealers, arranging meetings in major German cities, and received the goods within a matter of days. They reported that the certificates looked authentic, often featuring QR codes linking to fake verification websites, and officials admitted to the broadcasters that such forgeries can be nearly impossible to spot.
Security agencies acknowledge cases of naturalizations already completed using fake documents, but insiders believe the real number is far higher. An employee at an immigration office in North Rhine-Westphalia told investigators, “We are currently experiencing a loss of control of unprecedented proportions. We are completely overwhelmed. Proper document verification is no longer taking place in many places.”
He added that political pressure to “meet quotas” on naturalizations means checks are often waived. Once a fake certificate is accepted, it is rarely questioned again: “Once in, it usually means: in forever.”
Official figures show 1,009 German naturalizations revoked in the past five years, but it is unknown how many were linked to fraud. It is believed, however, that this is merely the tip of the iceberg regarding fraudulent applications. Police in Hamburg and Frankfurt admit to dozens of ongoing investigations, while insiders in multiple states suggest more than 1,000 suspected cases are under review.
In southern Germany, one official uncovered 340 fake certificates in a single week by tracing falsified QR codes. He now doubts “whether there are even any honest applicants left.”
Remix News reported in June how a record number of foreigners were naturalized in Germany last year, with Syrians and Turks gaining citizenship at the highest rate.
The data from just 13 German states showed that 249,901 people were given German citizenship. Syrians were in first place. For example, in the most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia, 24,349 Syrians received German citizenship.
While in July, we reported how immigration officials in Berlin were being rewarded with perks like remote working for processing as many naturalization applications as possible, as the city’s State Office for Immigration (LEA) committed to an ambitious target of 40,000 new Germans this year.
“We need to produce high naturalization numbers,” one employee told Bild. The office had already reached 20,600 naturalizations by the end of June, putting it on track to meet its record target by the end of the year.
