German conservatives seek to tighten citizenship rules amid naturalization surge

Politicians from Germany's conservative CDU/CSU bloc are advocating for stricter naturalization laws, responding to a projected record number of citizenships granted in 2025. Alexander Throm, the domestic policy spokesperson for the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, expressed his party's desire to reverse what he termed the 'worst of the traffic light reform' in citizenship law, specifically targeting the provision for naturalization after just three years.

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We were able to abolish the worst of the traffic light reform on citizenship law, namely turbo-naturalization after only three years.

Throm proposed reinstating the general naturalization period to eight years and eliminating the widespread allowance of dual citizenship. He acknowledged that these measures were not achievable during coalition negotiations with the Social Democratic Party (SPD). As an alternative, Throm suggested that naturalization should be excluded directly from a protected status, requiring individuals to first obtain a settlement permit, which typically demands at least 60 months of pension contributions, before any naturalization period could commence.

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Regardless of that, it would be right to extend the naturalization period back to eight years and abolish the general admissibility of dual citizenship.

Hesse's Interior Minister, Roman Poseck, also a member of the CDU, echoed these sentiments, arguing for legal changes to limit dual nationality. Poseck stated that while offering naturalization prospects to long-term residents who contribute to the country is appropriate, dual citizenship complicates integration. He believes that a clear commitment to German citizenship is not equally demonstrated when individuals retain another nationality, advocating for dual citizenship to be restricted to exceptional cases.

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The dual citizenship complicates integration.

Recent reports indicate that over 309,000 individuals received German passports last year, potentially surpassing the previous record of nearly 292,000 in 2024. The current citizenship law, reformed in 2024 by the governing coalition, generally allows new citizens to retain their previous nationality and reduces the residency requirement to five years, with exceptions for highly integrated foreigners to naturalize after three years. The CDU/CSU's proposals represent a significant pushback against these reforms, emphasizing a desire for more stringent criteria for acquiring German citizenship.

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Therefore, this should be limited to exceptional cases.