Anyone who has lived in Germany for a long time should be able to obtain a German passport more quickly in the future – and keep their current one. The Bundestag has decided to reform citizenship law.
In the future, people in Germany will be able to naturalize more quickly while also keeping their foreign passport. The Bundestag has decided on a corresponding reform of citizenship law.
In the roll-call vote, of the 639 votes cast, there were 382 yes votes and 234 no votes. 23 MPs abstained. In the vote in the second reading, the traffic light factions SPD, Greens and FDP had previously voted for the innovations, while the CDU/CSU and AfD voted against them. The non-attached MPs, most of whom belong to the Left or the “Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance”, abstained.
Integration services should be rewarded
Naturalization will be possible after five years instead of the previous eight, and even after three years for “special integration services”. This could be particularly good performance at school or work or civic engagement. In the future, children of foreign parents will receive German citizenship at birth if one parent has lived legally in this country for five years. This was previously only the case after eight years.
In addition, people who receive a German passport can retain their previous citizenship in the future. At the same time, some regulations of citizenship law are being tightened. Exceptions to the obligation to pay for one’s own living expenses should be limited to certain cases.
Faeser: “Appreciation for people who come to the country”
Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser had defended her draft law as a step “towards a modern nationality law that meets the requirements of the current time”. What is needed is an appreciation for the people “who come to this country and help society function,” Faeser emphasized.
Criticism of the Union: “Naturalization far too fast”
Union representatives sharply criticized the reform in the Bundestag debate. It is the law “with the most far-reaching negative consequences in this electoral period,” said CDU domestic politician Alexander Throm. This would massively reduce the requirements for naturalization. Naturalization after three or five years is “far too quick”.
Markus Sambale, ARD Berlin, tagesschau, January 19, 2024 2:47 p.m