Germany to ease the conditions for obtaining it citizenship

Foreigners living in Germany will no longer have to give up their passports to obtain German citizenship, and will be able to apply for citizenship after only five years of residence in the country, under new rules drafted by the German Ministry of the Interior.

The German ministry of the Interior handed over the draft rules, which were seen by the German News Agency, to other ministries, on Friday, for review and coordination.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz agreed in its coalition agreement in 2021 to implement a modern naturalization law.

Other aspects of the reform include facilitating proof of German language proficiency for certain categories of foreigners, and abolishing the requirement for a naturalization test for those who have reached the age of 67, a step related to those known as guest workers who arrived in Germany in the fifties of the last century and were not given language or integration courses.

Not at all, assuming that they will later return to their countries of origin, most of them hailing from Türkiye.

Until now, foreigners had to reside in Germany for at least eight years before they could apply for citizenship. According to the draft, the period could be shortened to five years if applicants can prove they are well integrated into society, for example, by showing outstanding performance at school or work, participating in volunteer work, or proving their proficiency in the German language.

Children who born in Germany to foreign parents will no longer need to choose between German citizenship and the nationality of their parents when they reach the legal age.

It should be noted that these amendments are part of a broad reform of immigration and integration policies in Germany, which is pursued by the German government composed of the Social Democratic Party, the Green Party and the Free Democratic Party.