Germany has passed a new citizenship law

In a recent vote in the Bundestag, the ruling coalition succeeded in passing the document. Once the rules go into effect, it will be much easier to get a German passport.

First of all, the changes will affect those who really want to become naturalized German citizens. For this, it will now be necessary to live in the country for 5 years instead of 8. There is also an accelerated program for those who are "deeply integrated into the life of the country". The criteria for "deep integration" have not yet been defined.

Another important innovation is the possibility of obtaining dual citizenship for EU citizens and, in exceptional cases, for representatives of third countries. This gives a person the right to be a citizen of two countries at the same time, with the rights and obligations of both. At the same time, the countries agree to standardize procedures in order to avoid confusion and legal difficulties in case of contradictions in legislation.

The main difference is that in the case of dual citizenship, each country considers a person only as its own citizen and requires full compliance with its obligations. There is no treaty involved, and some rules may be mutually exclusive.

Strategically, this is an important law for Germany. It has the potential to significantly increase the country's attractiveness in the eyes of foreign professionals, who have begun to avoid moving to Germany precisely because of its bureaucratic complexities. Instead, expats prefer Luxembourg or Spain on a digital nomad visa.

Time will tell if the bill will be able to solve the current labor crisis. For now, it's worth adding that not everyone will be affected by the simplified rules: they will primarily affect high-level professionals and those who can support themselves.

The rules are expected to come into effect within three months.