Prior to June 2024, any foreign national who had been living in Germany for quite some time and wanted to become a citizen had to have a lot of patience: at least 8 years’ worth.
This long waiting period was significantly shortened by the center-left government that came into office in 2021 and decided that naturalization should generally be possible after 5 years, in the case of special integration success, after 3 years.Dual citizenship was added as an option for all.
But there were preconditions: To receive a German passport quickly, people had to earn sufficient income, speak German well and engage in society, for example be volunteering with the fire department.
by Germany’s new center-right government, which has been in office since May 2025.
Dual citizenship remains possible
Interior Minister initiated most of the latest amendments, which he had championed.
During a debate in the lower house of parliament, the Bundestag,in June he applauded the migrants who were striving for German citizenship: “Of course, naturalization is a significant factor for the cohesion in a country,” he began his speech.
But then he condemned the “turbo” naturalization as a wrong incentive and said it was a pull factor for more immigration. Dobrindt said this gave the wrong message “It created the impression that the German passport was on offer in some type of special deal,” he said.
Jannes Jacobsen from the Berlin-based German Center for Integration and Migration Research (DeZIM) expects, the latest reform of the citizenship law to change very little: “The essence of the previous reform was shortening the waiting time to 5 years, and the new coalition is keeping that,”he said.
An essential condition for obtaining a German passport is a person’s ability to pay for their living without state support. Jacobsen notes how quickly someone’s circumstances can change during their citizenship application process: for example, if they can no longer work because of a physical impairment or lose their income in a divorce because their partner was the sole breadwinner.
Only a few benefited from the fast-tracked process
What did the 15-month-long possibility of “fast-tracked” citizenship achieve? It is hard to precisely measure its effect after only such a short time, Jacobsen said, pointing to a lack of data. It is known that only 13% of the foreign population living in Germany met the language and economic requirements. The share of people with the level of outstanding community engagement required for naturalization in 3 years would very likely be much lower.
Having said that, Jacobsen points out what he thinks is a major unresolved issue: “Just because someone submits an application for citizenship, it doesn’t mean that it will be granted within a short time. In Germany, we have a fundamentally overloaded administration. We have unbelievably long processing times,” he said.
According to the DeZIM institute researcher, the government offices were not equipped to handle the increase in applications and remain understaffed. Lucky applicants may have their naturalization within 6 months. Unlucky ones must wait more than 4 years.
This situation will take time to change because the shortage in skilled labor, which has plagued Germany, also affects government offices. The state is competing with the private sector for staff.
Against this backdrop, Filiz Polat lawmaker with the opposition said quicker naturalization processes were essential. She deplored the change in regulations in her speech in the Bundestag “One of the first official acts of this government is to make access to German citizenship more difficult again for highly qualified, well-integrated people,” Polat said.
And this is happening as Germany is desperately searching for skilled workers, she continued: “From the hospital to the childcare center, from the workshop to the high-tech laboratory. That is not only unfair, but also unreasonable.”
Naturalization and the skilled worker shortage
Integration and migration researcher Jannes Jacobsen has a different view of what is causing the shortage in skilled labor To reduce it, processes to recognize foreign qualifications need to be simplified. The previous government has also tackled this issue.
Despite this, Jacobsen continues to see severe deficiencies im many areas. “If you want to attract skilled workers to cities, you also need to ensure they find affordable places to live there — not only in the countryside.” On this point, the expert from DeZIM aligns with the German Interior Minister.
If you want to attract skilled workers, you first need to have a prosperous middle class, a functioning economy, attractive jobs, a country in good working order, a level of education and educational possibilities for the children — and good policy,” Interior Minister Dobrindt said.
This article was originally written in German.
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