The new law will make it easier to acquire German citizenship and remove barriers to dual citizenship. Those who wish to become German citizens will no longer be required to renounce their original nationality. Consequently, Turkish citizens living in Germany will be able to retain their Turkish citizenship while also acquiring German citizenship.
REDUCTION FROM 8 YEARS TO 5 YEARS
The new law also shortens the required period for obtaining German citizenship. The necessary legal residency period to apply for citizenship has been reduced from 8 years to 5 years. This period can be further reduced to 3 years under certain conditions, such as if the applicant has demonstrated educational or professional success, engaged in voluntary work, or made special efforts to learn the language.
THE “OPTION MODEL” IS BEING ELIMINATED
Children born in Germany can acquire German citizenship if one of their parents has legally resided in the country for at least 5 years.
The previously effective “option model,” which forced individuals to choose between their parents’ citizenship or German citizenship by the age of 23, is being eliminated.
Applicants for citizenship must demonstrate their German language proficiency and pass a citizenship test.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF GERMANY’S HISTORICAL RESPONSIBILITY IS REQUIRED
Individuals who have engaged in anti-Semitic, racist, xenophobic, or other inhumane acts, or who do not accept gender equality, will not be granted German citizenship.
Those seeking German citizenship must acknowledge the values of a liberal society as well as Germany’s special historical responsibility related to the unlawfulness of the National Socialist regime and its consequences. This responsibility includes the protection of Jewish lives.
According to a statement from the German Ministry of the Interior, those wishing to become German citizens must embrace the values of a liberal society, stating, “Individuals who do not share or even act against these values are not allowed to become German citizens.”
The statement noted that in response to rising anti-Semitism in Germany, the citizenship test has been expanded to include new questions on anti-Semitism, the right of the State of Israel to exist, and Jewish life in Germany.
Applicants for German citizenship must be able to support themselves and their families without social assistance.
FACILITATIONS FOR THE GUEST WORKER GENERATION
For workers who came to the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) under the Labor Agreement by June 30, 1974, and to the former German Democratic Republic (East Germany) as contract workers by June 13, 1990, the written exam and other conditions for citizenship will not apply.
Engelhardt Mazanke, Director of the Immigration Office of the Berlin state, discussed the preparations related to the new law and what to consider in applications for German citizenship.
Mazanke mentioned that the responsibility for citizenship matters will transfer from municipalities to the Immigration Office starting January 1, 2024, thus facilitating the process, centralizing information, and particularly digitizing these procedures.
Mazanke explained that citizenship applications can now be made digitally, saying, “This way, those who want to become (German) citizens can apply at any time of day. You can also do a ‘Quick Check’ test in advance to see if you meet the criteria for citizenship. This is an incredible convenience for those wanting to become citizens. It is also a great convenience for us because procedures can now progress much faster in individual cases.”
Mazanke stated that the new law will provide some facilitations for those wanting to become citizens, but they expect more applications as many have been waiting for this political decision by the legislator for a long time. “This will not shorten the processes; in fact, they are likely to even extend. But now it will definitely be much easier for those who want to become German.”
“WE WILL DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO FINALIZE PROCEDURES QUICKLY”
When asked if the department was ready for the expected increase in workload, Mazanke said, “Honestly, it’s impossible to predict exactly how many people will apply. There really are no reliable estimates. Therefore, I cannot say for certain if we are truly ready. However, we will do everything we can to finalize the procedures as quickly and efficiently as possible.”
Mazanke mentioned that they definitely would not be able to process all applications made this year.
Mazanke also noted that until the end of last year, it was mandatory for an individual to attend an “information session” before applying. “An appointment was necessary for this, and there was very little appointment time available. This meant a person had to wait a very long time. Now, this has become much easier. Because you can quickly check whether you meet the criteria and applications can be made very quickly.”
Mazanke emphasized that they will increase the number of people who become citizens this year, saying, “Last year, 9,000 people in Berlin became German citizens. This year, we want to facilitate citizenship for 20,000 people. So the number will more than double.”
However, Mazanke noted that they received 40,000 applications from previous periods that were not processed by municipalities, and an additional 20,000 applications have been made digitally so far.
Considering these numbers, Mazanke stated that they would not be able to finalize all applications this year and indicated that applications would continue to be made in the future.
Mazanke also responded to a question about whether previously made applications were being processed first and the order of processing, saying that they had decided on a mixed model in this regard.
Mazanke, explaining that they make decisions based on various criteria, said, “Because we think it’s not fair for someone who applies for citizenship today and meets all the requirements to wait for years, and it’s also not efficient to always check in advance whether it’s time for this procedure.”
Mazanke emphasized that having complete applications is decisive, stating, “If there is an urgent reason, for example, if a person cannot become a civil servant as a teacher before receiving the citizenship acceptance certificate, then we try to prioritize such applications.”
Mazanke advised those wanting to become German citizens to first do a “Quick-Check” and then apply digitally once all documents are complete. When asked how long it takes for the procedures to be finalized, Mazanke replied, “I really can’t predict when the applications will be completed. I also can’t say the average processing time because we don’t know how many new applications we will receive.”
Mazanke added to his comments that they expect many applications from the Turkish community in Berlin, especially this year.
This content was published by Ufuk Dağ.
