Agency Report –
A record number of foreigners were naturalized in Germany last year – the highest level since the beginning of standardized data collection in 2000, the Welt am Sonntag newspaper reported on Saturday.
Based on a survey by the paper, a total of 249,901 people received German citizenship in 13 federal states last year. In 2023, the nationwide figure for all 16 states was 200,095, which was also a record at the time.
Several states provided preliminary data upon request, while some had recently published their figures.
The states of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Schleswig-Holstein did not provide overall numbers to the newspaper.
On June 27, 2024, a reform of the citizenship law came into effect, allowing immigrants to obtain German citizenship more quickly. The measure also allowed dual citizenship, a key factor for many foreigners living in Germany.
Naturalization became possible after five years instead of the previous eight, or after three years in cases of those who were especially well integrated.
The new coalition of the the conservative and Social Democratic parties eliminated the three-year fast-track naturalization, but has kept the five year plan.
“Many people who came to us during the large migration movements in 2015 and 2016 are now applying or have already applied,” Helmut Dedy, chief executive of the German Association of Cities, told the paper.
He added that the fact that applicants no longer always have to renounce their previous citizenship is motivating more people to apply for German citizenship.
People applying for citizenship must pass a multiple-choice “Living in Germany” test, which quizzes prospective citizens on their knowledge of German history, culture, society and law. They must also show German proficiency to the B1 European language standard, which is basic intermediate proficiency.
