Germany: Parliament Approves New Relaxed Citizenship Law

The new law makes the following changes (among others) to German citizenship law:

• Shorter naturalization periods. Generally, the minimum period of German residence necessary for naturalization will be reduced to five years (down from the current eight years). Additionally, in the special cases of an ‘exceptionally well-integrated’ individual, the minimum period will be reduced to three years.
• Multiple citizenships. German citizens will be able to hold multiple citizenships as a matter of course. Currently, except in rare circumstances, German citizens cannot hold multiple citizenships.
• Relaxed naturalization for children. Foreign national children born in Germany will be granted German citizenship by birth if at least one of their parents has habitually resided in Germany for at least five years and holds permanent residency. Currently, this is only possible if the habitually-resident parent had resided in Germany for eight years.

This law is expected to increase uptake of German citizenship, especially as many potential citizenship applicants are citizens of other countries and therefore currently barred from naturalizing without giving up their current citizenship. It is also likely to make Germany a more attractive labour market for foreign talent, as access to the powerful German passport will be easier.

These reforms seek to increase the uptake of citizenship in Germany – which is currently below the EU average.

The law – which must still receive the German president’s signature (generally considered a formality) – is expected to come into force in either April or May 2024.