Dual citizenship 2024 - Turkey and Germany
Almost 1.5 million people from Turkey live in Germany - making them by far the largest group of foreigners in the country. But for this large number of people, there are only between 10,000 and 20,000 naturalizations per year. Naturalization offers many advantages, but until now, those wishing to naturalize had to give up their Turkish passport in order to receive a German one. However, this will change in the near future.
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Shahroch Taleqani
The German Bundestag has passed a law that will allow all people from Turkey to keep their Turkish passport when naturalizing. The path to dual citizenship is therefore clear. Here we explain what the proposed changes are all about, when they will come into force, how you can benefit from them and how our lawyers can help you.
Advantages of naturalization and dual citizenship for Turks
It is obvious that naturalization brings many advantages for people living in Germany. It makes it possible to vote in all elections without restriction, to enjoy freedom of movement throughout Europe and, with one of the most "valuable" passports in the world, to enter many countries outside Europe without a visa, and much more. In short: naturalization officially makes you a German. Dual citizenship makes it possible to become German without having to give up your Turkish identity. Because you have both passports, you also enjoy the benefits of both citizenships. You can therefore travel back and forth between Germany and Turkey without any problems, decide freely which country you would like to live in and vote in elections in both countries.
Requirements for naturalization for Turkish citizens
Turkish nationals who wish to be naturalized in Germany must meet a number of requirements. First of all, your livelihood must be secure. This means that you must be able to prove that you and your family are unlikely to be dependent on state support in the future. In addition, your identity must be established, i.e. you must be able to present a valid passport or similar. You must also have either a permanent residence permit, such as a settlement permit, or a temporary residence permit that is not just for a temporary stay. You can find out which residence title you can use to apply for naturalization (as well as further details on all requirements) here.
You must also be able to prove that you have passed a naturalization test and have German language skills at level B1 or higher. Last but not least, you generally have to have lived in Germany for eight years without any significant interruptions and have to surrender your Turkish passport in order to be naturalized. However, these last two requirements, the duration of residence and the requirement to surrender your Turkish citizenship, will change in the future.
Dual citizenship and more: the new bill
The new law on citizenship mentioned above generally abolishes the obligation to renounce one's old citizenship in order to obtain German citizenship. Even now, this requirement is often waived, for example if the country of origin of the person wishing to naturalize does not provide for renunciation of their citizenship. In Turkish citizenship law, however, such a departure is relatively easy by decision of the Council of Ministers. So far, all Turks who wanted to be naturalized in Germany had to give up their Turkish citizenship.
The new law therefore represents a significant relief, especially for Turkish citizens who wish to naturalize. In future, all Turks will be able to acquire dual citizenship when naturalizing in Germany. As Turkish citizenship law allows for multiple nationalities, they will then be able to keep their Turkish passport as well as their new German passport.
However, the new law also brings a second major change: in future, naturalization will be possible after just five years of residence in Germany instead of the current eight years. The length of residence can already be shortened by up to two years if you have attended an integration course and have particularly good language skills (B2) or have made special integration efforts. In future, naturalization would therefore be possible at best after only three years of residence in Germany.
The law will also make things easier for people who came to Germany as guest workers. In future, they will no longer have to take a naturalization test. In addition, it will be sufficient for them to be able to communicate in everyday life "without significant problems", whereby oral skills are sufficient .
Turkish citizen application
If you believe that you meet all the requirements for naturalization (if you want to be sure, we recommend our naturalization check), you can apply for naturalization at the naturalization authority responsible for your place of residence. If you do not have a place of residence in Germany, you must submit the application to the relevant German embassy or the Federal Office of Administration.
If you have not been in Germany long enough under the current legal situation or if you only wish to naturalize with dual citizenship, then it may be worthwhile for you to wait a little longer. The above-mentioned law comes into force on June 27, 2024. So if you submit your application after the law comes into force, you can benefit from dual citizenship and the shortened residence period of five years or less.
How lawyers can help you
Applying to the authorities is rarely easy, but in Germany in particular, a lot of documents and evidence are required. This increases the likelihood that a mistake will creep in somewhere or that something will be overlooked. In addition, processing times are often very long due to the large volume of documents - and with the new law coming into force, they will become even longer. Our team of lawyers will check for you whether all documents are complete and thus ensure that your application has the best possible chance of success. We take care of all contact with the authorities for you. We also ensure that your application is processed by the authorities as quickly as possible.
Questions and answers - FAQ on dual citizenship:
With which nationality is dual nationality not possible in Germany?
However, if you wish to obtain dual citizenship, this must also be in accordance with the nationality law of your country of origin be possible. Some countries stipulate that your citizenship is automatically lost if you are naturalized in another country.
These countries are:
- Ethiopia
- Belize
- Bhutan
- China
- Ivory Coast (Cote d' Ivoire)
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Honduras, if Honduran citizenship was acquired through naturalization
- India
- Indonesia
- Japan
- Cameroon
- Kazakhstan
- Comoros, if the person concerned has reached the age of 21.
- Congo, Democratic Republic (COD)
- Cuba
- Libya
- Madagascar
- Mauritania
- Micronesia
- Monaco
- Myanmar
- Namibia
- Nepal
- Papua New Guinea, if the person concerned has reached the age of 18
- São Tomé and Príncipe
- Senegal
- Zimbabwe, if the person concerned has reached the age of 21 (is of legal age)
- Sri Lanka
- South Africa, if the person concerned has reached the age of 18
- South Korea (Republic of Korea)
- Suriname
- Tanzania, if the person concerned has reached the age of 18
- Tonga
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Uganda
How long will it take for a decision to be made on my naturalization application?
It usually takes up to 12 months for a decision to be made on an application for naturalization. The new Naturalization Act has also been in force since 27 June 2024. It is therefore to be expected that the number of naturalization applications will increase significantly. As a result, processing times are also likely to increase by several months. If the authorities do not make a decision on your application for too long, it may be advisable to file an action for failure to act. Our lawyers will be happy to advise you on this.
Do you still have to take a naturalization test under the new Citizenship Act?
YesThe new law does not change the rules for the naturalization test. However, as before, you do not have to take the test if you are at least a German school-leaving qualification (qualificationRealschule, Abitur etc.)a completed vocational training with a grade in the subject of social studies or a degree in the fields of law and social sciences, social sciences or politics naor politics.
Can I be naturalized if I receive social assistance?
Anyone wishing to acquire German citizenship must be able to prove that they can support themselves and their dependents. to support themselves and their can support themselves. They must not be receiving benefits under the Second or Twelfth Book of the German Social Code (SGB II or SGB XII). be received. These include, for example, unemployment benefit II, basic income support in old age or in the event of reduced earning capacity and social assistance.
However, according to the new law , there are exceptionsIf you have been in full-time employment for 20 months within the last 24 months within the last 24 months, receiving state benefits is not harmful. The same applies if your spouse or registered partnerwho lives with you and a child has been in full-time employment for 20 months within the last 24 months. And also for former guest workers and contract workers and their spouses who have joined them are also exempt from receiving state benefits such as social assistance if they are not responsible for this.
Can I get my foreign citizenship back if I have already given it up due to naturalization in Germany?
Whether you can get back your old citizenship, which you gave up for naturalization, depends on on the Rright of your originstaates from. According to German law, from June 27, 2024, when the the new Citizenship Act comes into force, there will be nothing to stop it.
Can I keep my citizenship if I have already submitted an application or have already been granted naturalization?
The modernized Citizenship Act (StAG) came into force on 27 June 2024. Since this date, the new legal situation has applied, according to which renunciation of current citizenship is no longer required for naturalization in Germany. In principle, the new legal situation applies to you if you are issued a naturalization certificate after 27 June 2024.
Before the naturalization certificate is issued, you will first receive an assurance of naturalization, which is usually valid for 2 years. Before 27 June, when the assurance of naturalization was issued, you were asked to submit proof that you had renounced your current citizenship so that the naturalization certificate could then be issued. You had time to do this as long as the assurance of naturalization was valid.
If you have received an assurance of naturalization before 27 June 2024, you should ask for a date to be set after this date to receive your naturalization certificate without renouncing your current citizenship. Our lawyers will be happy to advise you on this.
Can I apply for naturalization now if I want the provisions of the new law (dual citizenship, shorter period of residence, etc.) to apply to me?
The new law on citizenship comes into force on 27 June 2024, but the processing time for an application for naturalization is usually around 12 months. The decisive factor for your application is the legal situation at the time when the authorities make a decision. It is very likely that this will not be until after June 27. This means that you can, in principle, submit an application for naturalization now, which will then be decided according to the new legal situation. If a decision is made on your application before June 27, 2024, you will first be asked to provide proof that you have been released from your existing citizenship. If you do not do this by June 27, you will be able to benefit from the new law after this date and retain your citizenship.
However, this varies from authority to authority and also depends on how long you have been in Germany. Our lawyers will be happy to advise you on your personal situation.
I have already applied for naturalization. Can I still get dual citizenship?
The question of dual citizenship depends on the legal situation at the time you receive your naturalization certificate. If you meet all the requirements, you will initially only receive an assurance of naturalization from the authorities, in which you will be asked to renounce your previous citizenship.
This assurance of naturalization is usually valid for two years. As the new law comes into force on June 27, 2024, you can then be naturalized without having to give up your previous citizenship.
When and for whom is dual citizenship permitted under the new law?
According to the new Citizenship Act, since June 27, 2024, anyone who wants to be naturalized in Germany can now retain their previous citizenship under German law.
However, the country of origin must also allow dual citizenship. In some countries, such as Austria, China, India, Uganda and South Korea, citizenship is automatically lost if you naturalize in another country.
A detailed list of all countries with which dual citizenship is not possible can be found here.
Tip: Before starting the naturalization process, always check whether the previous citizenship may be retained under foreign law. You can inquire about this at foreign missions, for example. German lawyers are generally unable to provide information on foreign legal issues.
What will be the minimum period of residence for naturalization in the future?
Since the new law on citizenship came into force on June 27, 2024, the minimum period of residence in Germany is now only five years. It can be shortened to up to three years in cases of particularly good integration.
When does a child of parents with foreign citizenship automatically receive German citizenship at birth?
Since June 27, 2024, when the new Citizenship Act came into force, children born in Germany to foreign parents automatically receive German citizenship if one parent has been living legally in Germany for more than five years and has an unlimited right of residence. For children born before June 27, 2024, this period is still eight years according to the old legal situation.
As a German citizen, do I still have to apply for a retention permit if I want to take on a foreign nationality?
According to the legal situation before June 27, 2024, you generally lost your German citizenship if you naturalized in another country. This could only be prevented by obtaining a retention permit. Since the new Citizenship Act came into force on June 27, 2024, this is no longer the case. Germany now generally allows multiple nationalities. You can find more information on this on the website of the Federal Office of Administration.
When will the new Naturalization Act come into force?
The new Naturalization Act (Act on the Modernization of Citizenship Law) comes into force on June 27, 2024 in force, three months after its promulgation in the Federal Law Gazette. From then on dual citizenship in principle under German law possible for all, and will in particular the minimum period of residence to five years to five years. You can read more about the details of the new law here.
Can I check if I meet all the requirements for naturalization?
If you want to check whether your naturalization application would be successful, you can do our naturalization check. However, this check only gives you a first overview. If you still have detailed questions or are unsure, then it is best to contact our lawyers.
From when is dual citizenship possible?
The Act on the Modernization of Citizenship Law was passed by the Bundestag at the end of January 2024 and has also passed the Bundesrat. It came into force on June 27, 2024, three months after it was promulgated in the Federal Law Gazette. Since this date, everyone has had the option of dual citizenship under German law.
In the course of naturalization in Germany, the old citizenship was given up. Is it now possible to get it back in addition to the German citizenship?
Is it possible to have more than two citizenships?
Strictly speaking, the forthcoming law on citizenship will not allow dual citizenship, but will lift the general ban on multiple citizenship. If this ban is lifted, it will also be possible under German law to have more than two nationalities. Multiple citizenship will then be possible without further ado.
What are the requirements to become a naturalized citizen?
We have explained this in detail in our article on naturalization.
Alternatively, you can complete our Naturalization Check.
Is naturalization possible without giving up the previous citizenship in any case?
Yes, at least as far as German citizenship law is concerned. In principle, dual citizenship has been open to all foreigners, regardless of their country of origin, since June 27, 2024. However, there may be laws in the country of origin that stipulate the loss of citizenship in the event that a citizen is granted citizenship of another country. Such laws exist in countries such as China, Austria, Lithuania, Estonia and the Netherlands. In any case, we advise you to obtain information in the country of your previous citizenship.
