Following Germany’s new citizenship laws that allow internationals to obtain citizenship more quickly and without having to renounce their previous nationality, there has been a notable rise in information requests, with expectations that the number of citizenship applications will also grow.
According to a report from the Suddeutsche Zeitung Berchtesgadener, the Land district office in Bad Reichenhall has all consultation appointments for prospective citizens booked up for the next eight months, with no guarantee of prompt application processing. A survey by SZ also reveals a similar situation in other offices across Bavaria. A city spokesperson informed SZ that Bamberg has seen a surge in requests since the weekend and a noticeable increase in information inquiries.
The report further highlights that in the Lower Franconian district of Miltenberg, there has been a significant rise in telephone inquiries about naturalisation applications, reaching up to 74 calls in an hour. Last month, German authorities announced that internationals living in Germany would be eligible to obtain citizenship in a shorter period.
Under the new law, internationals seeking citizenship will not be required to renounce their previous nationality. In this context, Germany’s Minister of the Interior, Nancy Faeser, stated that all internationals living in Germany who share the country's values and meet the necessary conditions will be eligible for faster citizenship.
However, Faeser emphasized that there will be zero tolerance for internationals exhibiting antisemitic, racist, or similar behaviours. Germany's new citizenship law introduces several changes, including a faster path to citizenship for children born in Germany to foreign parents, an expanded German citizenship test, and recognition for the "guest worker" generation.