Germany Naturalises Record 332,500 People in 2025 After Citizenship Law Eased to Five Years and Dual Nationality Normalised

Germany recorded 332,500 naturalisations in 2025, the highest annual total on record, according to the Federal Statistical Office. The figure marked a 14 percent increase from 2024. Syrians accounted for 20 percent of the new citizens, though the number of Syrians naturalised fell by almost 20,000 compared with 2024.

Turks made up 10 percent and Russians 6 percent. Naturalisations rose sharply among several other groups. S. citizens rose 100 percent to 6,600, and Albanian citizens grew 97 percent to 6,100.

Almost all new citizens retained their original nationality. The Integration Media Service said dual citizenship has become the standard since a reform passed by the traffic light coalition took effect at the end of June 2024. The same law shortened the required residence period from eight years to five.

AfD party leader Alice Weidel responded on social media that new citizens were using German benefits without committing to the country. She called for an end to mass naturalisations and a review of those already granted. 3 million Ukrainian nationals currently live in Germany.

Euronews reported they could surpass Syrians as the largest group of new citizens from spring 2027 onward if temporary protection status ends. EU-granted temporary protection for Ukrainians is scheduled to expire in March 2027. EU interior ministers discussed possible extension parameters this week, according to Euronews.

One version under consideration would maintain protection for all Ukrainians; another would exclude men aged 23 to 60, likely applying only to new arrivals. The legal affairs committee of the German Association of Cities warned that citizenship offices are already operating at full capacity. It stated that additional Ukrainian applications could create a permanent overload.

Some local authorities expressed uncertainty over eligibility. The district of Uelzen and the city of Flensburg told Die Welt that a residence permit alone does not guarantee naturalisation. Towns such as Leer in Lower Saxony are preparing for a possible surge in applications.

Union politician Alexander Throm called for returning the residence requirement to eight years and ending dual citizenship. Sebastian Fiedler, the SPD parliamentary group’s spokesperson on domestic policy, told Die Welt the coalition agreement preserved dual citizenship and that the current figures benefit the labour market, welfare systems, and social cohesion.

The black-red coalition agreement states that turbo naturalisation after three years has been abolished while the broader 2024 reform remains in place.

Turbo naturalisation ended at the end of October 2025.