Germany has passed a long-awaited overhaul of its citizenship laws that will allow most immigrants to hold dual nationality and enable over 10 million foreigners living in the country to become German citizens under easier conditions.
The reform, approved by parliament on January 19th, shortens the residency requirements for naturalization from eight to five years and brings Germany more in line with other European countries.
Path to Citizenship Widened for Foreign Residents
The new legislation significantly expands access to German citizenship for the country’s large foreign population.
Around 12 million foreign nationals live in Germany, representing about 14% of the total population.
Under the revised laws, immigrants can apply for German nationality after five years of legal residency instead of the previous eight years.
In exceptional cases where applicants display high levels of integration, the qualifying period is shortened further to three years.
Dual Citizenships Now Permitted
In a major shift, Germany will also allow naturalized citizens to retain their existing nationality.
Until now, having dual citizenship was only possible for European Union (EU) nationals and citizens of certain countries like Iran and Afghanistan.
The change eliminates a decades-old requirement forcing immigrants to renounce their original citizenship when becoming German.
This barrier had long deterred many long-term foreign residents from seeking naturalization.
Move Aims to Attract Skilled Workers
Proponents argued that allowing dual citizenship will make Germany more attractive on the global job market and help alleviate the country’s severe shortage of skilled workers.
“We have to keep pace in the race to attract skilled labor,” said Interior Minister Nancy Faeser. “That means we need to make an offer to qualified people from around the world.”
Easier Path for Descendants of ‘Guest Workers’
Perhaps the most profound effect will be on German residents of Turkish descent.
Numbering around three million, their ancestors came to Germany as part of guest worker programs in the 1960s and 70s but often maintained Turkish passports.
Under the reformed laws, the children of these long-term foreign residents will automatically become German citizens if one parent has been legally residing in Germany for five years.
For the guest worker generation itself, the changes come “too late,” said Aslihan Yesilkaya-Yurtbay, co-leader of the Turkish Community in Germany organization. “But better late than never.”
Conservatives Warn of Devalued Citizenship
The reforms faced criticism from conservative opposition parties like the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), who warned of devaluing German citizenship.
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) bitterly opposed the changes, claiming most Germans were against simplifying naturalization procedures.
Government Vows Tougher Stance Elsewhere
To counter accusations of weakening immigration controls, the ruling coalition simultaneously vowed intensified efforts to deport illegal immigrants and rejected asylum cases faster.
On January 19th, parliament also passed legislation to extend the maximum detention pending deportation from 10 to 28 days.
The bill provoked condemnation from human rights groups but aligns with the government’s recent promises to take a harder line on immigration enforcement.
ETIAS and Visa Impacts for EU Travelers
The changes to Germany’s citizenship rules do not directly impact travel by EU citizens, who can freely enter, live, and work in the country under European freedom of movement laws.
However, for non-EU nationals including students, digital nomads, and specialized workers now able to obtain German nationality, it eliminates the future need to apply for ETIAS authorization when the system launches in May 2025.
Possession of a German passport means visa-free access to all other EU and Schengen countries.
Even for short-term EU visitors not naturalizing as German citizens, the simplified dual citizenship pathways may influence future migration policy discussions across the bloc.
Broader Impetus for EU Immigration Reforms
Germany’s move towards more inclusive citizenship rules mirrors evolving attitudes across the EU, where many countries have already embraced dual nationality.
The reforms signal Germany’s push, both through expediting naturalization and allowing dual passports, to compete for global talent.
With an aging population and post-pandemic labor shortages afflicting economies across Europe, Germany’s changes may spur other EU governments to revisit their own citizenship frameworks.
Combined with swifter deportations for rejected asylum applicants, the citizenship overhaul encapsulates Europe’s delicate balancing act between humanitarian ideals and immigration control.
As the continent heads towards the launch of the ETIAS scheme in 2025, designed to enhance security and border management, Germany’s changes highlight the acute demand for migrant workers that nevertheless persists.
Citizenship Overhaul Culminates Years-Long Push
January 19th’s Bundestag vote culminates years of efforts to reform Germany’s restrictive citizenship laws.
Successive drives to ease naturalization rules have foundered amid conservative opposition.
The changes finalize a key campaign pledge of Chancellor Scholz’s ruling coalition.
For the estimated five million long-settled foreign residents now eligible for naturalization, the reform promises a more inclusive vision of German identity.
“A lot of Turkish people will feel empowered by this because they always had an identity dilemma,” said Yesilkaya-Yurtbay.