Inländer

Inländer is a German term used to describe a person who belongs to the domestic population of a country, usually by citizenship or by place of domicile, and is contrasted with Ausländer, a foreigner. The word is commonly found in German-speaking countries such as Germany, Austria, and Switzerland and is used in law, statistics, banking, and media to distinguish between domestic and foreign residents or citizens. Whether Inländer means citizen or resident depends on the context and jurisdiction: some usages equate Inländer with nationals or citizens, others with residents who hold a domicile.

The term has gendered forms: Inländer (masculine) and Inländerin (feminine). In plural, speakers often say Inländerinnen und Inländer to include both genders, though Inländer can function generically in everyday language. The concept is not a formal legal status on its own; rather, it serves as a practical label for classification and comparison in various contexts.

In practice, institutions such as banks or government agencies may differentiate “Inländer” from “Ausländer” to reflect domestic versus foreign status for purposes like taxation, social security, or immigration statistics. The use of Inländer can carry nationalist or exclusionary overtones in some contexts, and when precision is required, terms such as Staatsangehörigkeit (citizenship), inländische Einwohner (domestic residents), or Ansässige (residents) may be preferred. See also Ausländer, Staatsangehörigkeit, Einheimischer, Inland.