Germany: Citizenship Law Changes Approved

Key Points  

• Germany will introduce substantial changes to its citizenship law in the coming months  

Overview  

The government of Germany officially voted in favor of changing its citizenship laws beginning in the early part of 2024. As a result, the government will introduce the following changes: 

• Allowing individuals to obtain or hold multiple citizenship statuses.  
• Reducing the required period of residence in Germany from eight to five years. Individuals who have achieved an outstanding level of integration will only need three years of residence. 
• Automatically granting citizenship to children born in the country to non-German parents who have lived legally in Germany for more than five years with unlimited residency status.
• The government will reduce the requirement for former guest workers to only demonstrate oral language proficiency in the future, and the government will no longer require a naturalization test. 
  • The government will reduce German language requirements if applicants have hardship and can demonstrate oral proficiency alone. 
• The government will digitize and accelerate the security clearance process. At the same time, the list of authorities from which clearance is sought has been expanded to include those security agencies that are also involved in the participation procedures under residence and refugee law. 

Looking Ahead  

Continue to check the government of Germany’s website and Envoy’s website for the latest updates and information.