Germany is reforming its citizenship law, streamlining the procedure to get German nationality. Dual citizenship will also become an option.

The German government has presented its new citizenship law this Wednesday (23.08.2023). The legislation proposed by Interior Minister Nancy Faeser will make dual citizenship easier as well as naturalization for non-EU citizens.<

The new citizenship plans boil down to these changes:

  • Immigrants legally living in Germany will be allowed to apply for citizenship after five years, rather than the current eight; and if they have special achievements this can go down to only three years

  • Children born in Germany of at least one parent who has been living legally in the country for five or more years will automatically get German citizenship;

  • Immigrants above the age of 67 will be able to do an oral instead of a written German language test

  • Multiple citizenships will be allowed

People living entirely on state support will not be eligible for German citizenship. German citizenship will be denied to people who have committed antisemitic, racist, xenophobic or other defamatory offenses that are seen to be “unreconcilable with commitment to the free democratic basic order.”

The new legislation will be debated in parliament and could come into effect in the fall.<

  • Chariotwheel
    10•11 months ago

    There are.

    However, I am looking to the Turkish election and how many people with Turkish citienship living in European countries voted, because they benefit uniquely from the Erdogan result. They can earn regularly in Germany and then have much more spending power in Turkey while also not needing to live in the bad conditions that brings with it. So, they’re not really caring for how local projects do, because they don’t matter to them.

    This is not a shot against Turkey, it’s a shot against people being able to influence a country they’re not living in and them not being subjected to negative consequences locally.

    This is something that’s weighing on my mind. I am technically an immigrant as well (I was born in Germany, but not with German citizenship) and I keep thinking if it would even make sense for me to be able to influence a country I haven’t visited in 25 years.