
New Era for German Citizenship – What You Need to Know
Germany has approved a pioneering new citizenship law that represents a major overhaul of the country’s naturalization process. The new legislation aims to significantly streamline and ease the residency requirements for foreign nationals to acquire German citizenship.
Background on Existing Laws
Under the previous laws, foreign residents had to live in Germany for a continuous period of 8 years before becoming eligible to apply for naturalization as a citizen. Dual citizenship was also prohibited – new German citizens were obligated to renounce any existing nationality they held. Additionally, passing a naturalization test with extensive requirements created significant hurdles for some applicants to cross.
Reduced Minimum Residency Period
The new citizenship law cuts the minimum required residency period in half, from 8 years down to just 5 years. This change brings Germany more closely in line with other European nations like France, Spain and Portugal which also have 5-year residency requirements. Overall, the reduced period makes becoming a naturalized German citizen a much more achievable goal for newcomers to the country.
Dual Nationality Now Permitted
An important provision in the new law permits dual nationality for naturalized German citizens. This ends the prior obligation for immigrants to renounce their country of origin’s citizenship or any other existing nationality when naturalizing as German citizens. The law provides new flexibility for immigrants to hold dual EU and non-EU citizenship.
Birthright Citizenship Introduced
The new legislation also introduces birthright citizenship for children born within Germany. Under this provision, babies born in the country will automatically receive German citizenship if one of their parents has legally resided in Germany for over 5 years. This represents a major change from the previous model which was based purely on parentage and “right of blood” rather than birth location. It grants citizenship to those deeply connected to Germany through family ties, even if their parents are not citizens themselves.