(Editor’s note: See more here about German citizenship in Dispatches’ archives.)
I recently met two friends after work for bánh mì at a pop-up on a rare dry Thursday in Hamburg. We sat outside to enjoy the early evening light. One of my friends, whom I’ve known since moving here in 2017, said she had an announcement. I braced myself for the kind of news expats come to dread: “She’s moving back to New Zealand.” But instead, she said she’d received an official letter from the Amt für Migration – she’s now a German citizen. Her passport and Ausweis (ID card) were on the way. I felt relieved, not only because she’s staying, but also because the Einbürgerung (naturalisation) process in Hamburg had been surprisingly efficient and quicker than the 18-month average we’d expected.
Stories of other new dual citizens have started trickling into my social media feeds over the past month. The German government passed a landmark dual citizenship law last June, which allows certain foreigners to gain German citizenship after as little as three years of residency. It’s a major milestone for Germany, a country that has been cited in the past as one of the most difficult European countries for naturalisation.
According to the German Federal Ministry of the Interior website, the government modernised the citizenship law in the following three ways, effective from 27 June 2024:
- Reduced residency requirement: Successful naturalization demands five years of legal residency in Germany (instead of the previous eight).
- Fast-track residency: Foreigners who can demonstrate they are very well integrated can become naturalized after only three years. This applies to people who can demonstrate C1-level proficiency in German, outstanding achievement in their jobs and/or volunteering activities or financial independence from the state. This part of the law is now being abolished by Germany’s new government because they deem three years too short.
- Multiple citizenship: Foreigners who receive German citizenship no longer have to renounce their previous citizenship. They can hold multiple citizenships.
Successful applicants must also demonstrate at least B1-level German and a solid understanding of German society and the legal system, usually by passing the Einbürgerungstest (naturalization test). A full list of eligibility criteria is available in English on the official website.
The cost of the entire process is relatively low, considering what’s at stake:
• Naturalization costs 255 euros, the Einbürgerungstest is 25 euros, and the language test can cost up to 230 euros (sometimes a little more, depending on the provider).
• A German passport costs up to 70 euros, and the Ausweis (ID card) up to 37 euros for applicants over the age of 24.
• In total, most applicants can expect to spend between 600 and 700 euros from start to finish. By comparison, according to my research, British naturalization costs well over 1,000 euros for both adults and children.
A relatively rapid process
While the new Geman citizenship law was big news for Germany and for many of the foreigners I’ve spoken with over the past year, the response was mixed at first. Some people were cautiously optimistic; others were skeptical, especially about the expected waiting times. Rumors of at least 18 months to receive a passport, along with stories of backlogs and bureaucratic delays, gave many – including me – the impression the process would be long and frustrating.
But, as I found out over bánh mì, that wasn’t my friend’s experience. She submitted her application on 27 June 2024 – the very day the new law came into effect – and received confirmation of her successful naturalisation on 17 April 2025. She has since picked up her citizenship certificate and Ausweis from the relevant authorities.
What surprised me most was the efficiency of her experience and the clarity of the official website explaining the naturalisation process, in English, no less. From what I’ve seen and heard, she’s not the only one. Another friend from the U.S. also gained German citizenship this month. I recognize, of course, not everyone will have such a smooth experience. But the fact that some people are encountering real efficiency is, frankly, surprising, especially given Germany’s reputation for slow and complex bureaucracy.
I’m hopeful that, even with Germany’s new government, dual citizenship is here to stay. I know its value firsthand: I’ve held British and German citizenship since 2016. I arrived on this earth (near London, more specifically) with a German passport because of my German parents. I was born, I grew up and went to nursery, primary and secondary school in the United Kingdom with only a German passport. In 2013, I went on to study modern foreign languages at the University of Sheffield, still without a British passport.
Back then, not having one was a non-story, an icebreaker or a fun fact. I blended in with my pale, sun-deprived skin and well-spoken British accent. Plus, the EU was the EU back then.
The only reminders that I wasn’t technically British came in small moments:
• ticking “white other” on ethnicity forms
• hearing people mispronounce or misspell my surname, mostly assuming I was Dutch
• and when Germany beat England 4-1 in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, especially after England’s phantom goal was missed by the linesman.
Finally feeling safe
Not being British didn’t affect me until 2016. At 21, I wasn’t allowed to vote in the EU Referendum. I was on my EU-funded Erasmus semester in Hamburg at the time, and I remember the German children I was tutoring in English on 23 June laughing at the result (and at me).
I acquired a British passport that November, securing dual citizenship before the German government stopped accepting such applications on 31 December 2020. I moved to Hamburg in the summer of 2017 after graduating from university, and my dual citizenship has proved highly practical. I’ve faced little to no Brexit bureaucracy, and more than one employer has sighed in relief when they found out I didn’t need visa support. I’ve become very aware of my passport. My German citizenship is a story every HR department is happy to hear when they hire me.
But for some people, it’s obviously and understandably more than relief from bureaucracy; it’s feeling safe.
An Iranian I know, who requested anonymity, shared their perspective with me. They have been living and working in Germany for seven years and have had permanent residency for more than three of these. Acquiring German citizenship would ease their constant stress levels.
“When you have some other citizenship, like Iranian citizenship, it’s a little bit more stressful because I don’t want to go back.”
The other biggest wins for them after obtaining German citizenship would be better travel opportunities and more flexible working arrangements inside the EU. Travelling, they told me, with the Iranian passport is essentially like having a passport that “doesn’t work.” Although becoming a German citizen could mean never safely returning to Iran, this isn’t a decision they’ve made lightly. Long before the new law passed, they had been closely following its development for more than a year and a half.
Benefits of German citizenship versus permanent residency
While both permanent residency and citizenship allow you to live, work and travel freely within the EU and access property ownership and financial products in Germany, only citizenship grants:
- Access to a German passport or ID card.
- The right to vote in all German and EU elections.
- The ability to pass on German citizenship to your children.
- The freedom to leave Germany for an unlimited period (as opposed to a six-month limit with permanent residency).
I know I am privileged. My German passport represents both my heritage and my EU freedom of movement. It’s currently one of the most powerful passports in the world. But my British passport is my identity. I can’t imagine giving up either. For now, I can vote in British, German and European Union elections. Politics and travel agreements will continue to shift. In fact, the UK government has already reversed course on some major agreements with the EU this month.
Perhaps in the future, neither the UK nor Germany will feel like a safe place. But my heritage and upbringing will never change.
Sara Vordermeier
Sara Vordermeier is a Hamburg-based freelance writer and editor specialising in sports, technology and culture stories from her life abroad. Her professional writing experience spans more than seven years in the fields of content marketing, organic search trends and journalism.
