The possibility of applying after only 5 years of residency

Germany is preparing to ease the conditions for obtaining citizenship

Schulz's government is discussing the new draft rules.

archival

Foreigners living in Germany will no longer have to give up their passports to obtain German citizenship, and will be able to apply for citizenship after only five years of residence in the country, under new rules drafted by the German Ministry of the Interior.

The ministry handed over the draft rules, which were seen by the German News Agency (dpa), to other ministries for information and coordination.

And the government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz agreed in its coalition agreement in 2021 to implement a modern naturalization law, and other aspects of the reform include facilitating proof of German language proficiency for certain categories of foreigners, and abolishing the requirement to test naturalization for those who have reached the age of 67, which is a step related to those known as "guest workers". , who arrived in Germany in the 1950s, were given no language or integration courses at all, assuming they would later return to their countries of origin, most of whom hail from Turkey.

Until now, foreigners had to reside in Germany for at least eight years before they could apply for citizenship.

According to the draft, the period could be shortened to five years if applicants can prove they are well integrated into society, for example, by showing outstanding performance at school or work, participating in volunteer work, or proving their German language proficiency.

Children born in Germany to foreign parents will no longer need to choose between German citizenship and the nationality of their parents when they reach the legal age.

It should be noted that these amendments are part of a broad reform of immigration and integration policies in Germany, pursued by the German government composed of the Social Democratic Party, the Green Party and the Free Democratic Party.

Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news