German parliament votes to scrap “turbo citizenship"

Members of the German parliament (Bundestag) have voted to scrap the country’s “turbo” or “fast-track” citizenship scheme, which was only introduced in June 2024.

“Fast-track” German citizenship scrapped in Bundestag

450 members of the German parliament have voted in favour of scrapping the country’s fast-track citizenship scheme. 134 members of parliament voted against the motion and 2 abstained.

The fast-track citizenship scheme was introduced in June 2024 as part of a broader reform of German citizenship law. The fast-track scheme allowed international residents who had lived in Germany for only three years but could prove “exceptional integration” to apply for citizenship.

Eligible candidates had to prove that they could speak German to C1 level and give details of “special integrational achievements”, such as exceptional performance in their studies, at work, or volunteering. 

With such high requirements, very few people have actually used the fast-track path to citizenship since it was introduced. According to Tagesschau, in 2024, just 20 people were “fast-track” naturalised in Rhineland-Palatinate, 16 in Baden-Württemberg, four in Lower Saxony, three in Hamburg, “fewer than three” in Thuringia and none in Bremen.

When the citizenship reform was passed in June 2024, it required a two-thirds majority and approval from the Bundesrat, which represents the 16 federal states, as the reform necessitated changes to the constitution. In this case, the objection law does not need approval from the Bundesrat, which has previously expressed support for keeping the fast-track scheme.

Why has fast-track citizenship been scrapped in Germany?

“Turbo citizenship” was initially introduced by the centre-left SPD-Greens-FDP coalition, otherwise known as the traffic light coalition.

The coalition collapsed in November 2024, and during the 2025 election campaign, the centre-right CDU/CSU promised to scrap “turbo citizenship” and broader citizenship reform if it won the election.

Members of the CDU have long pushed the idea that “turbo citizenship” and allowing dual citizenship for non-EU citizens “cheapens” the German passport, while the AfD have threatened, should they enter government, to strip migrants of German citizenship.

The election saw the CDU/CSU take 28,5 percent of the vote, while the far-right AfD took 20,8 percent and the centre-left SPD took 16,4 percent. The CDU formed a coalition government with the SPD under the leadership of Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU).

Following coalition agreement negotiations, the CDU/CSU and SPD reached a compromise that the major part of the citizenship reform, which made non-EU residents in Germany eligible for dual citizenship and reduced the residence requirement from eight to five years, would remain in place. Instead, the fast-track citizenship scheme would be on the chopping block.