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GERMAN CITIZENSHIP

Foreigners in Germany celebrate as long-awaited dual citizenship law enters into force

Foreign residents in Germany have been waiting for this moment for years. And on Thursday it became a reality. The new naturalisation law - which allows people to hold multiple nationalities - came into force.

Published: 27 June 2024 09:29 CEST
People celebrate the German national team at the Euros with German flags in Berlin. Germany has relaxed its citizenship laws.
People celebrate the German national team at the Euros with German flags in Berlin. Germany has relaxed its citizenship laws. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Christoph Soeder

Under the new law, residents are able to apply to become German after five years instead of the previous eight-year residency requirement. 

Some people will be able to apply for German citizenship after just three years of residency if they have exceptional integration achievements and C1 level German. 

And one of the biggest changes is that restrictions to holding multiple nationalities have been removed. It means that all non-EU citizens are able to hold on to their previous passport or passports when becoming German, if their origin country allows it. 

CHECKLIST:

Previously, Germany only allowed people to hold dual nationality in certain circumstances, for example if they were an EU citizen, if someone had refugee status or if they successfully filed an exception. 

Matt Bristow, a volunteer with citizens rights group British in Germany, told The Local’s Germany in Focus podcast this week that the law change meant different things to foreign residents. 

He said being able to fully take part in democracy and vote was a significant factor for many.  

“There’s, of course, added benefits as well of being a German citizen in that you’re also then European citizen,” he added.

“And for some people, they may be thinking of not staying in Germany for the rest of their lives, but want you to move elsewhere in Europe. And so for people who aren’t already EU citizens, that’s another bonus.

“But on the other hand, there’s also the emotional side, that sense of belonging, that you’re not a foreigner anymore. You’re a German like everyone else. And I think that’s something which shouldn’t be underestimated.”

READ ALSO: What would German citizenship mean to foreign residents?

Bristow said being able to hold German citizenship – alongside their previous nationality or nationalities – is key for many people.

“That’s a really important aspect of being able to have both your original nationality and German citizenship and not having to choose between one identity or the other,” he said. “I think that was one of the things which was most unfair about the previous rules that people were given this choice, which was a horrible choice to make.

“Where do my loyalties lie? Can’t they lie with both? And so that’s something I really welcome that people don’t have to make such a horrible decision anymore. And that all aspects of their identity can be valued by Germany.”

However, it is expected that the road to citizenship will be long for applicants. Many citizenship offices in Germany are already overrun and struggling to deal with inquriries.

Some authorities have vowed to take on more staff and tackle the issue – but delays are expected. 

READ ALSO: The citizenship waiting times and backlogs in major German cities

MORE USEFUL LINKS:

The Local has been covering this issue for our readers for several years. Learn everything you need to know about German citizenship law, and how to apply, on The Local’s citizenship news page.

Here is a selection of recent stories put together by The Local Germany team that we recommend you check out:

Member comments

  1. I think the headline is a little misleading. Personally, I don’t know any foreigner who is celebrating this. The truth is the German government went ahead with plans they designed themselves. I doubt there was input from the local offices or the foreigners themselves. If there was, they would realise that nobody was really advocating for a quicker pathway to citizenship. A number of people advocated for dual citizenship but I don’t know anyone who complained about the 8 years it took under the previous law.

    The local offices are not prepared for the new law. The German government knows this, the offices know this and we know know. Rather, resources should have been allocated to streamlining the current backlog of applications, digitalising the offices, increasing staffing by letting foreigners work in local offices. I have many foreigners I help (who just moved to Germany) on almost a weekly basis because anytime the offices hear them speak English, they hang up the call. This is the daily reality of many foreigners. This is where true change is needed.

    It’s also the same with the opportunity card. The German government claims to have understudied the Canadian Government. Tell me why anyone in their right senses will decide to come to Germany on an opportunity card when you still need a blocked account, you will only get a visa and the visa will only permit you to work part time. While with Canadian express entry, I enter as a PR holder, can already work any job full time and i don’t need a blocked account.

    Half backed solutions not properly thought out. To me it’s worse that no solutions at all.

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For members

GERMAN CITIZENSHIP

FACT CHECK: Do new German citizens have to affirm Israel’s right to exist?

Two major international news outlets have reported that applicants for German citizenship are required to 'acknowledge the state of Israel’s right to exist'. To what extent is this true?

Published: 29 June 2024 09:01 CEST
Updated: 1 July 2024 08:25 CEST
FACT CHECK: Do new German citizens have to affirm Israel’s right to exist?

Following the enactment of Germany’s new rules for gaining citizenship, which came into effect on Thursday, some international media outlets have reported that applicants for naturalisation will now need to “affirm Israel’s right to exist”.

US-based CNN, for example, ran an article on Thursday with the headline “Germany demands new citizens accept the state of Israel’s right to exist”.

On Tuesday the UK’s Financial Times had published a similar report titled “New German citizens must acknowledge Israel’s right to exist”.

While the information included within both articles was factually correct, their headlines were misleading.

Applicants are not explicitly required to affirm Israel’s right to exist

Perhaps the most important thing to note is that there is not a portion of the application process under the new law for German citizenship where the applicant needs to verbally state or sign a document acknowledging Israel’s right to exist.

However, as The Local has reported, the government has tightened the citizenship law against hate crime and anti-Semitism in the wake of war in the Middle East, with one federal state – Saxony-Anhalt- vowing to go further and requiring applicants to declare Israel’s right to exist. 

This was pointed out by Berlin-based journalist James Jackson who took to social media to highlight how the Financial Times headline was misleading earlier this week. 

Nevertheless, The Local contacted the German government’s Interior Ministry (BMI) to ask them whether citizenship applicants would be required to declare their belief in Israel’s right to exist, as the headlines in the international media suggested.

In response, a BMI spokesperson pointed out that anyone who wants to be naturalised in Germany “must be committed to the values of a free society…”

The spokesperson added that “anti-Semitic, racist or other inhuman acts are incompatible with Germany’s Basic Law”.

In other words, anti-Semitic acts or statements could be grounds for rejecting a citizenship application.

Journalist James Jackson explained in a video on the issue that an example of this could be if someone had denied Israel’s right to exist in a social media post, this could be seen as reason to reject their citizenship application.

The BMI seemed to confirm this, adding: “If an applicant questions Israel’s right to exist, the citizenship authorities can investigate whether such statements are based on an anti-Semitic attitude”. 

If examples of anti-Semitism are discovered, then the applicant could very well be rejected from being allowed to obtain German citizenship. 

“An effective commitment to the free democratic basic order and to the special historical responsibility of the Federal Republic of Germany and an anti-Semitic attitude are mutually exclusive,” the BMI spokesperson said. 

This lines up with Germany’s ‘Staatsrasön’ or “reason of state”, a political term that former Chancellor Angela Merkel used to emphasise that every government must be committed to “Germany’s special historical responsibility for Israel’s security”.

READ ALSO: What is Germany’s ‘Staatsrasön’ and why is it being talked about so much right now?

Applicants have to share Germany’s values

One part of Germany’s new citizenship rules are changes to the citizenship test, including the addition of questions that deal with the history of Judaism in Germany and anti-Semitism.

One of the added questions asks, “Which act relating to the state of Israel is prohibited in Germany?”

The correct answer is, “Openly calling for the destruction of the state of Israel”.

This is one of 322 questions that may appear in applicants’ German citizenship knowledge test. Some 33 are selected for each test, and applicants need to get at least 17 of them right to pass.

READ ALSO: ‘Special responsibility’ – Why Germany is shaking up citizenship test questions

Law tightened up around anti-Semitism 

The change to the citizenship questions came after a political debate on whether or not potential citizens should be required to formally recognise the state of Israel’s right to exist.

In October 2023 – just a couple of weeks after Hamas’ terror attack on Israel and the outbreak of Israel’s war on Gaza – Christian Democratic (CDU) leader Friedrich Merz suggested adding a signed agreement acknowledging Israel’s right to exist to Germany’s citizenship application process.

READ ALSO: CDU leader calls for German citizenship to be allowed ‘only with recognition of Israel’

This sparked a debate on the constitutionality of collecting said document, which threatened to delay Germany’s citizenship reform even further.

Ultimately, a compromise was reached that included tightening rules against anti-Semitism for citizenship applications, but not requiring applicants to sign a direct statement acknowledging Israel’s right to exist.

German lawmakers have been keen to stress that anyone naturalising as German must have a commitment to Germany’s Basic Law and democratic values. 

The spokesperson for the BMI echoed this in their statement: “Anyone who wants to be naturalised in Germany must be committed to the values of a free society.

“These include, in particular, the dignity and equality of all people. Anyone who does not share these values or even acts contrary to them may not become a German citizen.”

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