German government to scrap fast-track citizenship scheme

Germany’s new coalition government has announced that it will scrap a recent law allowing eligible residents to obtain German citizenship after just three years of living in the country.

Germany to scrap citizenship eligibility after three years

Germany’s incoming CDU / CSU-SPD coalition government has announced that it will scrap a law which makes “specially integrated” migrants eligible for German citizenship after three years of living and working in the federal republic.

The law was only introduced in June 2024, when Germany’s then-governing SPD-Greens-FDP traffic-light coalition made it easier for long-term international residents to gain citizenship and allowed dual citizenship for non-EU citizens.

“Specially integrated” migrants had to prove German language skills at C1 level, or impressive achievements at work, in education or in society to be eligible for “turbo citizenship”. This route to naturalisation will no longer be possible, chancellor-elect Friedrich Merz said at a press conference detailing the incoming government’s coalition agreement.

There will be an exception for international residents who are married to German citizens. These residents will be eligible for citizenship after three years in Germany, provided they have been married to their German partner for at least two years.

While Merz’s CDU had previously promised to scrap the entire 2024 dual citizenship law if elected in the February 2025 election, the new, standard route to naturalisation - five years of residence and proof of German language skills at B1 level or above - will remain. Dual citizenship will also still be allowed for non-EU citizens.

What if you have already applied to naturalise after three years?

So what does the change mean for the “specially integrated” residents who have already submitted their application? 

As of mid-April 2025, naturalisation after three years is still permitted. It is expected that Merz will be formally selected as Chancellor on May 6, and the new coalition will begin governing on May 7, 2025.

From May 7, Merz and his government can prepare to put the change to a vote in the Bundestag, where it will likely pass and be subsequently scrapped. Changes to German citizenship law require the government to amend the German constitution (Grundgesetz), which means they also need to be supported by the Bundesrat, which represents Germany’s 16 federal states.

All of these necessary democratic stages mean that it will likely be several months or more before the law makes it to the Bundestag and Bundesrat floor, and changes come into effect.

Anyone who has already submitted their application to naturalise after three years could still have their application approved before the law change. 

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