Record number of Berliners suing government over citizenship delays

So far in 2025, a record number of Berliners have filed an official complaint against the German government for excessively long citizenship application processing times.

Untätigkeitsklagen up 20 percent in Berlin

Between January and October 2025, around 2.000 Berliners filed an official “inactivity complaint” (Untätigkeitsklage) against Berlin's Landesamt für Einbürgerung (LEA) for excessive citizenship application processing times.

Untätigkeitsklagen are a legal pathway for residents to challenge authorities’ processing delays. If someone who has applied for German citizenship has not received a decision from local authorities within three months of submitting their application, they can file an Untätigkeitsklage.

In June 2024, the German government passed a law allowing dual citizenship for non-EU nationals who have lived in Germany for five or more years. As such, a wave of people submitted citizenship applications.

A worker shortage at the LEA, which pre-dates the 2024 law, meant that citizenship application processing times were already long. When the law was passed and more people applied, waiting times only got longer.

Between 2023 and 2024, the year the law passed, 313 percent more Berliners lodged Untätigkeitsklagen against LEA over citizenship delays. Now, in 2025, the number of Untätigkeitsklagen has increased by an additional 20 percent.

Untätigkeitsklagen make up 10 percent of Administrative Court cases

Untätigkeitsklagen are filed to the Administrative Court (Verwaltungsgericht). According to a report by Berlin local public broadcaster rbb, such cases now make up around 10 percent of all cases submitted to the Verwaltungsgericht in Berlin.

As a result, President of the Administrative Court, Erna Viktoria Xalter, has turned to Berlin Justice Senator Felor Badenberg (CDU), who has appealed to Berlin Interior Senator Iris Spranger (SPD). According to rbb, Badenberg has written to Sprenger, who is responsible for overseeing the LEA, appealing for “urgent help”. Badenberg is yet to receive a reply. 

However, when rbb questioned Sprenger on when Berliners can expect citizenship processing times to be reduced, the senator’s office responded quickly, saying “The Interior Administration continues to support the LEA in processing naturalisation procedures efficiently and expeditiously."

"In view of the increasing number of Untätigkeitsklagen, the litigation department has been reinforced with additional staff.” According to rbb, three additional employees have been hired in the litigation department.