Naturalization has become easier in Germany

In the future, people will be able to obtain citizenship more quickly in Germany while keeping their foreign passport.

The Bundestag decided to implement a similar reform to the citizenship law in a roll call vote in Berlin on Friday. Of the 639 votes, 382 voted in favor of the resolution and 234 opposed it, with 23 abstaining from voting.

In the second reading vote, the “traffic light” factions of the Social Democratic Party, the Greens and the Free Democratic Party previously voted in favor of the innovations. The CDU/CSU and the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany party voted against it. Unaffiliated representatives, most of whom belong to the left or the Sahra-Wagenknecht alliance, abstained from voting.

This means that naturalization in Germany will be possible after only five years instead of the previous eight, and with “special integration services” even after three years. -This could be performing particularly well in school, work, or civic engagement.

In the future, children of foreign parents will receive German citizenship at birth if one of the parents has lived legally in Germany for five years – Until now this was not the case until eight years later.

In addition, people who become German can retain their previous citizenship in the future. This has already been the case, for example for citizens of other EU countries.

There are also tightening measures. Exceptions to the obligation to pay private living expenses are limited to certain cases. The opposition criticized the granting of German citizenship too easily. (DAP/EPA)