With the new German citizenship law, naturalization will be possible in Germany after five years instead of the previous eight years. In the case of special integration achievements, the period should even be reduced to three years.
The German government has decided on a reform of citizenship law: naturalization should be made easier, and Multiple citizenship or dual citizenship should be possible in principle. The new regulations are not yet valid: the draft law is now being discussed in the Lower and upper house. If approved by Parliament, it can come into force. Ideally, that could be in January, said Interior Minister Faeser.
The Federal Ministry of the Interior puts the number of people living in Germany with foreign citizenship at around twelve million, which is around 14 percent of the German population. Around 5.3 million of these have been in Germany for at least ten years.
In the case of “special integration achievements”, naturalization should even be possible after three years. This can be, for example, good language skills, voluntary work or very good performance at school or at work.
According to the Ministry, 168,545 people in Germany applied for a German passport last year, which corresponds to 3.1 percent of foreign nationals who have lived in Germany for at least ten years. In the European Union, the naturalization rate is therefore 2.0 percent, and in Germany only 1.1 percent.
The dual German nationality
In the future, multiple or dual citizenship should be possible in principle. The draft points out that many immigrants have been reluctant to give up their old citizenship – also because of emotional ties to their country of origin or that of their parents.
Requirements for German citizenship
Proof of integration and knowledge of German remains a prerequisite for obtaining citizenship. In addition, you must make your own living and that of family members who are entitled to maintenance. Sharing the values of a free society also remains central.
Citizenship for children
All children of foreign parents born in Germany should in the future receive German citizenship without any further reservations if at least one parent has been living lawfully in Germany for more than five years and has an unlimited right of residence. In principle, children born in Germany can obtain and permanently retain German citizenship and the citizenship of their parents.
Language knowledge exceptions for the guest worker
Extraordinary relief should apply to members of the so-called guest worker generation, who have often been living in Germany for decades. In the future, these older migrants should no longer have to take a written German test in order to be naturalized. Proof of oral language skills should suffice. They should also no longer have to take a written naturalization test. According to the draft, these simplifications are intended to honor the “lifetime achievement” of this older generation.
Commitment to the Basic Law required
The commitment to the free democratic basic order that has already been demanded is specified. The draft makes it clear that “anti-Semitic, racist, xenophobic or other acts motivated by inhumanity” are incompatible with the basic law’s guarantee of human dignity. The planned reform introduces a new “transmission regulation”: the public prosecutor’s office must inform the naturalization authority on request whether someone who is applying for a German passport has already been convicted of a relevant crime.