Record number of people naturalised in Berlin and Hamburg in 2025

Recent changes to German citizenship law have led to a significant increase in the number of long-term international residents choosing to naturalise. In 2025, Berlin and Hamburg are breaking records.

Berlin and Hamburg break naturalisation records

According to a Bild report, Berlin and Hamburg naturalised a record number of new German citizens in 2025. In Berlin, 39.034 people were naturalised, compared with 21.811 in 2024. In Hamburg, 11.532 people were naturalised, compared with 9.599 in 2024. 

The number of naturalisations also increased in Cologne and Munich, but the increases were not as great. In Cologne, 7.000 people were naturalised, compared with 3.400 people in 2024. In Munich, 7.549 people were naturalised, compared with 6.747 in 2024.

The widespread increase in the number of long-term residents applying for German citizenship is down to a few things. Back in 2023 and 2024, international residents had to have lived in Germany for eight years before becoming eligible for German citizenship. It was around this time that many Syrian nationals who arrived in Germany as refugees in 2015/2016 became eligible.

Then, in June 2024, the SPD-FDP-Greens coalition government amended the German citizenship law, making international people eligible after five years of residence and allowing dual citizenship. These are just two of the many factors which have likely contributed to the significant increase.

But in Frankfurt, Germany’s fifth-largest city, there was no significant year-on-year change. According to Bild’s research, “around 4.000” people were naturalised in 2024 and 3.913 in 2025.

2025 nationwide stats expected in May

With Berlin and Hamburg breaking naturalisation records in 2025, Germany is likely to break national naturalisation records too, though the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) only tends to announce the past year’s figures in the following May or June.

200.100 people were naturalised across Germany in 2023, then the highest figure in 23 years. The record was broken again in 2024, when a total of 250.000 people were granted a German passport.