DThis Friday the Bundestag will approve the traffic light coalition's plans to reform nationality law. It is intended to simplify naturalization and fundamentally enable dual citizenship. The government, however, wants to make it more difficult to naturalize people who cannot support themselves or who do not support the free, democratic basic order in Germany. On Thursday evening, the Bundestag also decided on stricter deportation rules for foreigners without the right to remain. An overview:

Naturalization deadline

People from abroad who have been living legally in Germany for a long time will now be able to apply for a German passport after just five years. So far, the deadline has usually been eight years. With “special integration services”, naturalization should in future even be possible after three years. This could be good language skills, volunteer work or very good performance at school or work.

One-two

Until now, with a few exceptions, the principle applied: Anyone who accepts German citizenship must give up their old citizenship. In the future, multi-nationality should in principle be possible. The draft points out that many immigrants have previously shied away from renouncing their old citizenship, partly because of emotional ties to their country of origin or that of their parents.

Children

All children born in Germany to foreign parents should in future receive German citizenship without any further reservation if at least one parent has lived legally in Germany for more than five years. Previously the deadline was eight years. In principle, children born in Germany can obtain and permanently retain their German citizenship and the citizenship of their parents.

Commitment to the Basic Law

The commitment to the free democratic basic order that has already been required is made more precise. The draft makes it clear that “anti-Semitic, racist, gender or sexual orientation or other inhumanely motivated acts” are incompatible with the basic law's guarantee of human dignity.

Commitment to protecting Jewish life

After the anti-Semitic and anti-Israel protests in Germany as a result of the Hamas attack on Israel, a further passage was added. What is now also required is a commitment to “Germany’s special historical responsibility for the unjust National Socialist rule and its consequences, especially for the protection of Jewish life.” With regard to Russia's attack on Ukraine, reference is also made to the “ban on waging a war of aggression”. Attitudes that contradict this should make naturalization impossible.

linguistic proficiency

Special relief should apply to members of the so-called guest worker generation, who have often been living in Germany for decades. In the future, these older migrants will no longer have to take a written German test in order to be naturalized. They should also no longer have to complete a written naturalization test. These reliefs are intended to honor the “lifetime achievement” of this older generation.