Germany to End 3-Year Fast-Track Citizenship

Germany’s new governing coalition has announced plans to abolish the fast-track citizenship process that allowed well-integrated immigrants to naturalise after just three years. The change is part of a coalition agreement unveiled this week between the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU)//Christian Social Union (CSU) and the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD).

The accelerated naturalisation route, introduced in June 2024 under the outgoing SPD-led administration, enabled eligible applicants to gain citizenship within three years—provided they demonstrated C1-level German language proficiency and strong indicators of integration, such as academic achievement or civic engagement.

However, CDU and CSU leaders criticized the scheme, branding it as “turbo” naturalisation and arguing that a three-year residency period was too short for meaningful integration into German society.

Although the expedited process will be scrapped, the standard five-year naturalisation track will remain intact. Under this pathway, applicants must show continuous residency and intermediate B1-level German language skills.

The incoming government has also chosen to maintain the dual citizenship policy, which has been a contentious issue in Germany’s immigration discourse. Previously, holding dual nationality with non-EU countries was generally restricted. But reforms in 2024 lifted those restrictions, leading to a notable surge in citizenship applications—particularly from Germany’s sizeable Turkish community.

Despite initial opposition to dual citizenship, CDU leader and expected Chancellor Friedrich Merz agreed to uphold the policy as part of the coalition compromise.

The coalition agreement also clarifies that naturalised dual citizens will not face the threat of citizenship revocation for holding extremist views—an idea previously floated by the CDU/CSU and strongly opposed by the SPD and migrant advocacy groups. Instead, the new government plans to explore legal avenues for expelling non-citizens deemed a threat to the country’s democratic values.