Key Points
- Dual nationality is allowed now in Germany.
- Citizenship applications can be submitted after a stay of 5 years.
- In case of special integration, the naturalization application can also be submitted after 3 years of residence.
The famous “German Citizenship” law finally comes into force today. The foreigners can apply for naturalization after a legal stay of 5 or 3 years from 27 June. The new law offers the following benefits:
- choice of dual nationality;
- residence of only 5 years required;
- in case of a high level of integration, the residence requirement is reduced to 3 years;
- children born in Germany to foreign parents automatically receive German citizenship if one parent has lived legally in Germany for more than five years and has a permanent right of residence;
- for former guest workers, oral language skills will be sufficient in the future. A naturalization test is no longer required. The regulations for former guest workers apply to the spouses of guest workers and contract workers who have moved there in the same period.
Citizenship in 3 years
The German citizenship application can be submitted even after three years of legal stay according to the new law. This is possible, if the foreign nationals can prove one of the following:
- a special integration achievement, particularly good academic, vocational, or professional achievements or civic engagement;
- holding a language test at CEFR level C1; and or
- having performed voluntary work (in Germany).
Requirements of Citizenship in Germany
Foreigners living in Germany can apply for citizenship if they fulfill the following requirements:
- legal residence (residence permit or work visa) in Germany for the last 5 or 3 years;
- living for yourself and your dependent relatives without making use of social assistance benefits (SGB XII) or basic security for job seekers (SGB II);
- holding an eligible residence title;
- life in Germany test certificate;
- German language proficiency at CEFR B1 level;
- no criminal convictions.
New Citizenship Law of Germany may help 5.3 Million foreigners
Eased requirements such as dual nationality and reduced residence time, make the new citizenship law of Germany assist about 5.3 million foreigners. Approximately 5.3 million of them have lived in Germany for at least ten years.
The naturalization rate in Germany has been continuously low. Only 168,545 people applied for a German passport in 2022. That’s just 3.1 percent of foreign citizens who have lived here for at least ten years. On the other hand, during the same year, overall EU countries issued 989,000 citizenship certificates (including Germany). Italy dominated the list by issuing 213,000 new citizenship awards followed by Spain 181,800.
German Citizenship Statistics from 2023
About 200,100 foreigners were naturalized in Germany last year, a 19 percent increase compared to the previous year. Furthermore:
- Approximately, 75,500 Syrian nationals were naturalized in 2023, a 56% increase from the previous year.
- Turkish and Iraqi nationals each had 10,700 naturalizations, with Iraqi numbers up 57% and Turkish down 25%.
- Region-wise, the Asian countries dominated the list by getting 117,141 Citizenship statuses.
Germany to launch a new website for the citizenship law
German authorities plan to launch a new Website and media campaigns for the new citizenship law reported Bild newspaper last month. This will help the federal republic to help people properly apply for the naturalization process. The campaigns are set to be launched in foreign languages as well such as Arabic and English. This can indeed reduce the processing times.
Bureaucratic Hurdles
There are a lot of hurdles when foreigners apply for citizenship in Germany. It takes normally a lot of time to get the appointment. Currently, the waiting times have even reached to 2 years in some cities. If the government does not take measures to speed up the official processing of the naturalization application, the benefits of the new law will not be chased as wished.