German government unveils draft law to scrap fast-track citizenship

The CDU/CSU-SPD coalition government has unveiled a draft law to scrap the route to German citizenship after three years of residence. The draft must now go to a vote in the Bundestag.

Dobrindt unveils draft law to scrap “turbo citizenship”

Germany’s new Interior Minister, Alexander Dobrindt (CSU), has unveiled a draft law which would scrap the “fast track” or “turbo” route to German citizenship. 

The law allowing fast-track citizenship was initially passed by the SPD-Greens-FDP coalition in January 2024 as part of a broader reform. Since the reform took effect in June 2024, foreign residents who could prove “exceptional integration”, such as having learned German to C1 level or outstanding achievements in volunteering or at work, were eligible for citizenship after just three years.

The CDU/CSU has long taken issue with the policy, arguing that fast-track and dual citizenship “cheapen” German nationality and vowing to scrap the reform if they won the February 2025 election. 

After their election win and the formation of a coalition with the SPD, a compromise was reached: fast-track citizenship would be scrapped, but other parts of the reform, including eligibility for citizenship after five years and the right to hold dual citizenship, would remain.

On Wednesday, Dobrindt, who has vowed to “significantly reduce the pull factors to Germany”, also unveiled a draft law that would suspend family reunification for refugees. Under the new law, for the next two years, “subsidiary protection” will not be granted to people without refugee status who are currently allowed to stay in Germany. There are currently 350.000 people living in Germany with this status.

In the next stage of the democratic process, both draft laws must be voted on in the Bundestag and Bundesrat. 

Sofuoglu: Scrapping fast-track citizenship will have “no grave consequences”

In an interview with public broadcaster RND, Gökay Sofuoglu, the president of the Turkish Association in Germany, said the plan to scrap turbo citizenship would have “no grave consequences”.

“[The law] doesn’t affect many people, and those affected can just wait another two years to apply,” Sofuoglu said. He added that the move was regrettable, nonetheless, and would remove newcomers’ extra motivation to engage in volunteering activities.

In a broader criticism, Sofuoglu said Dobrindt’s immigration policies were “too much driven by the AfD”. After the far-right party won 24,1 percent of the vote in the federal election, the conservative CDU/CSU has taken a harder line on migration, including extending German border controls to prevent people seeking asylum from crossing into the country.

Critics claim that the extended checks are a breach of European and International law, with the Left Party (die Linke) stating that it is prepared to sue the government over the policy.