As of late June 2024, new citizenship laws in Germany have simplified the process for foreigners seeking citizenship.

The updated law, introduced by the Ampel coalition, reduces the residency requirement for naturalization from eight years to five years, and allows for citizenship after just three years for those demonstrating exceptional integration.

To qualify for expedited naturalization, applicants must show good performance in school or work, possess excellent language skills, or demonstrate community involvement.

Under the new regulations, dual citizenship is now generally permitted, although specific statistics on how many applicants wish to retain their original nationality are not available.

Recent legal changes have removed the requirement for applicants to renounce their previous citizenship, facilitating faster processing of applications.

The significant rise in applications is largely due to the resolution of many older cases, particularly from non-EU countries like Turkey and Russia, which were previously stalled by citizenship renunciation requirements.

In Hessen, the number of citizenship applications surged from 2,900 in June to 3,500 in July 2024, according to the Wiesbaden Interior Ministry.

The Darmstadt government reported a record for naturalizations in the first half of 2024, with 7,360 individuals receiving German citizenship, marking a 32% increase from the previous year.

Individuals demonstrating exceptional integration, such as outstanding school or job performance, can now qualify for citizenship after just three years.

German citizens wishing to acquire an additional nationality must contact the authorities of the respective country.