Citizenship law
Bundestag passes law for faster naturalizations
Voting on the federal government’s draft law to modernize nationality law. photo
© Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa
The German Bundestag decides on a reform of citizenship law that will speed up naturalization and make dual citizenship easier.
In the future, people will be able to naturalize more quickly in Germany while also keeping their foreign passport. A corresponding reform of the The Bundestag in Berlin decided on citizenship law in a roll-call vote. Of the 639 votes cast, 382 were in favor and 234 were against, with 23 abstentions.
In the vote in the second reading, the traffic light factions SPD, Greens and FDP had previously voted for the innovations and the CDU/CSU and AfD against them. The non-attached MPs, most of whom belong to the Left or the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance, abstained.
Dual citizenship
This means that naturalization will be possible after just five years instead of the previous eight, and even after three years for “special integration achievements” – 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 legally lived in this country for five years – previously this was only the case after eight years.
In addition, people who become German can retain their previous citizenship in the future. This has already been the case, for example for citizens of other EU countries.
There are also tightening measures. Exceptions to the obligation to pay for one’s own living expenses are limited to certain cases.