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GERMAN CITIZENSHIP

‘Long overdue’: Germany’s dual nationality law approved by president

Germany's president announced on Tuesday that he had signed off on the far-reaching citizenship reform, paving the way for the bill to be implemented in summer.

Published: 26 March 2024 11:49 CET
Turkish and German passport
A German and Turkish passport held up in parliament in Kiel. Photo: picture alliance / Carsten Rehder/dpa | Carsten Rehder

The signature marks the end of a long and gruelling parliamentary process in which the citizenship bill was repeatedly delayed, at first by coalition in-fighting and then by hold-ups in official processes.

After the reform was approved by the Bundestag in January and the Bundesrat on February 2nd, Federal President Frank Walter-Steinmeier took seven weeks to finally give the bill his seal of approval.

The process normally takes two weeks.

A recent version of the bill published on the Federal Law Gazette contains the signature of Steinmeier, as well as Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, Foreign Secretary Annalena Baerbock, Justice Secretary Marcus Buschmann and Family Minister Lisa Paus.  

The signatures are dated March 22nd and the bill was allegedly passed to Bonn to be entered into the official register of bills on March 26th. 

READ ALSO: KEY POINTS – What you need to know about Germany’s citizenship law reform

With this last formality out of the way, the bill is set to come into force within three months of the signature on June 26th, 2024. 

According to the Interior Ministry, the sweeping reform will clear multiple hurdles for foreigners who want to naturalise as German citizens.

This includes reducing the numbers of years foreigners must be resident in the country before they can naturalise as Germans. Instead of the current eight years, or six in exceptional circumstances, this requirement will be cut to five years, or three in cases of special integration.

Another key change is the permitting of dual – or multiple – nationality on a universal basis. This will mean that non-EU citizens will be able to naturalise without needing to give up their current citizenship.

READ ALSO: Who qualifies for ‘special integration’ status under Germany’s citizenship law?

Currently, around 11 million migrants live in Germany without German citizenship or the right to vote in federal or state elections. 

Commenting on the reform, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said: “Many immigrants feel German, but do not want to completely cut ties with their country of origin.

“In future, they will no longer be forced to give up part of their identity. We are making the long overdue paradigm shift and allowing multiple nationality.”

In passing the bill, Faeser also acknowledged that the government had achieved one of its major goals as part of the current traffic-light coalition along with the Greens and Free Democrats (FDP).

In previous coalitions with the right-wing CDU and CSU parties, dual nationality had been a project that the SPD had never succeeded in implementing. 

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POLITICS

Citizenship reform: How a German minister you’ve never heard of is changing the lives of foreigners

Germany's coalition government is struggling. It's flagging in polls, sports few concrete policy wins, and its foreign policy is hotly debated. A notable exception is Interior Minister Nancy Faeser - a Social Democrat who remains a little discussed figure - despite overseeing legislation that hits at the core of Germany's identity.

Published: 8 May 2024 12:53 CEST
Citizenship reform: How a German minister you've never heard of is changing the lives of foreigners

After all, few things are as existential to a country’s identity as deciding who gets to be a national or who gets to settle there and be a part of its community.

As Germany’s Interior Minister since late 2021, Faeser has been responsible for overseeing historic legislation on both. At a time when other European countries are tightening up citizenship and immigration rules – even for skilled, well-integrated immigrants – Faeser’s German Interior Ministry is betting on more openness.

March saw sweeping immigration reforms – designed to make it easier for skilled workers to come to Germany, bring their parents if they wish, and even come before having their foreign qualifications recognised by Germany’s notorious bureaucracy.

Skilled workers also have a faster route to permanent residence in Germany – after just 21 months in some cases.

Late 2024 will also see the introduction of the points-based Chancenkarte – or “opportunity card”. A German first, people with enough points could theoretically come to Germany without a firm job offer and look for work while already here. They might even be able to come if they don’t speak German yet – if they have enough points in other areas. In a country not normally known for its flexibility, Faeser’s Interior Ministry is showing much more of it in a bid to combat the country’s skilled labour shortage.

READ ALSO: The changes to Germany’s immigration rules in March 2024

Landmark citizenship reform

Many Local readers will also be familiar with another landmark piece of legislation from Faeser’s desk – Germany’s long-awaited dual nationality reform. After having seen repeated delays due to disputes between the three governing coalition parties, the Federal President finally signed and certified the new citizenship law in late March – starting a three-month countdown for the country’s bureaucracy to adapt to the new rules.

On June 26th, German citizenship law will allow people to hold multiple nationalities when naturalising and shorten the time someone will have needed to be in Germany before applying for citizenship from eight years to five.

Many people are becoming German

American Rick Hoffmann, Aussie-Italian Joe Del Borrello and Brazilian-Canadian Dini Silviera are looking forward to applying to becoming German following passage of the government’s dual citizenship reform. Photos: Rick Hoffmann, Joe Del Borrello, Dini Silviera

It’s not been without its controversy, with the country’s Christian Democrats (CDU) remaining vocal opponents until the end. CDU MP Alexander Throm described it as a “citizenship devaluation law” that has “the most wide-reaching negative consequences for our country” during the Bundestag session that saw the law’s final passage.

During that same debate, SPD MP Dirk Wiese pointed out a historical symmetry – namely that Faeser, a Social Democrat from Hesse, was responsible for passing dual nationality legislation that a CDU Premier of Hesse has originally torpedoed 25 years ago.

READ ALSO:

Throm was right about one thing. The results of Faeser’s legislation are likely to have long-lasting, far-reaching effects. Both the new law’s supporters and detractors can at least agree on its importance.

It may well end up being one of the longest-lasting legacies of the traffic light government. Even if the CDU take the Chancellery again in 2025 – as current polls would suggest – no other possible coalition partner is likely to agree to repeal the law. Dual nationality in Germany – and with it the acceptance of multifaceted identity – is likely here to stay, even if a future CDU-led government manages to tighten up immigration or asylum law in the future.

Nancy Faeser Boris Rhein

SPD candidate and Interior Minister Nancy Faeser and CDU candidate Boris Rhein in Wiesbaden, Hesse during the election campaign. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Boris Roessler

Faeser’s non-flashy style

Despite the weighty nature of the legislation she’s shepherded through her ministry and the Bundestag, Faeser isn’t known for grand pronouncements. She’s largely left it to others to make the public case for the dual nationality law’s importance, like parliamentary rapporteurs Hakan Demir (SPD), Filiz Polat (Green), and Stephan Thomae (FDP). She’s comfortable giving breakfast show interviews but rarely hits the evening talk show circuit.

A legislative workhorse, Faeser just seems to move on to her next task without a lot of fanfare for the one she just completed. The reason is likely equally unglamorous – she just has a lot to get done. Today immigration and citizenship reform, tomorrow proposals to tighten gun controls in Germany or issue visa bans for Russian athletes. She also found time to be her party’s top candidate in last autumn’s state election in her home state of Hesse.

Having never had a federal office before becoming Interior Minister, Faeser came from Hessian state politics, where she served as a member of the state parliament from 2003 to 2021, eventually becoming the Hessian SPD state party leader in 2019. At the time she became a minister in 2021, few Germans outside of Hesse had heard of her – never mind internationals.

Nancy Faeser smiles in November 2015 at the SPD state party conference in Kassel (Hesse).

Nancy Faeser smiles in November 2015 at the SPD state party conference in Kassel (Hesse). Photo: picture alliance / dpa | Uwe Zucchi

Media outlets both inside and outside of Germany keep their main focuses on politicians like Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck or Finance Minister Christian Lindner. With the controversy over Berlin’s strategy in Russia’s war against Ukraine, this is perhaps understandable.

But such a focus might sometimes miss another fundamental shift currently underway in Germany – as the country changes its approach to who gets to be a member of its national community. Nancy Faeser may well be one of the few members of the current German government to have a legacy that lasts well beyond her time in office.

Agree with her policies or not, that deserves more German and international reflection.

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