BERLIN – The German parliament, the Bundestag, has voted to abolish the "turbo" or fast-track citizenship path that allowed exceptionally integrated individuals to naturalize after just three years of residency. This decision, following a vote on October 8, 2025, marks a significant adjustment to Germany's immigration policy, reversing a key provision of the comprehensive citizenship reform enacted just over a year ago. The move reflects a shifting political consensus in Berlin, aiming to reinforce that German citizenship is a recognition of long-term commitment and successful integration, rather than solely an incentive for rapid assimilation.
The recent legislative change comes after a period of considerable liberalization in Germany's approach to naturalization. In early 2024, the previous Social Democrat-led coalition government ushered in sweeping reforms designed to modernize the country's nationality law and attract skilled labor. These reforms, which officially entered into force on June 27, 2024, significantly reduced the general residency requirement for naturalization from eight years to five years. Crucially, they also introduced the now-rescinded three-year fast-track option for those demonstrating outstanding integration achievements, such as C1 German language proficiency, exceptional professional or academic success, or significant volunteer work. Another landmark change from 2024, the allowance for dual citizenship for foreign nationals, remains a cornerstone of the new policy, permitting individuals to hold multiple nationalities without relinquishing their German citizenship. The intent of these broader reforms was to promote social participation and signal to long-term residents that they are a valued part of German society, fostering a stronger sense of belonging.
However, the political landscape in Germany has evolved since the initial reforms. Following the 2025 federal election, a new coalition government formed by the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU)/Christian Social Union (CSU) alliance and the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) took office. A central tenet of the CDU/CSU's election campaign was to address what they termed the "cheapening" of German citizenship, with particular criticism leveled at the three-year "turbo naturalization" route. Conservative voices argued that a three-year residency period was insufficient to demonstrate the deep and sustainable integration required for citizenship. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt stated that a German passport "must come as recognition of a successful integration process and not act as an incentive for illegal immigration". This ideological stance laid the groundwork for the push to dismantle the expedited pathway, despite the broader liberalizing changes like dual citizenship and the five-year residency requirement remaining intact as part of the coalition agreement.
The vote on October 8, 2025, in the Bundestag solidified this policy shift. The proposal to eliminate the three-year path, which had been widely anticipated, passed as expected, effectively making the minimum residency period for naturalization five years for all applicants, regardless of exceptional integration efforts. While the SPD, now junior partners in the coalition, had initially defended the fast-track provision, they ultimately supported its abolition, citing that the pathway was rarely utilized and that the core liberalizations of the 2024 law would persist. Indeed, statistics from 2024 indicate that out of a record 300,000 naturalizations, only a few hundred were granted via the three-year fast-track, suggesting its impact on overall naturalization numbers was marginal. For those who had already submitted applications under the three-year rule, there will be no grace period. Instead, their applications will be put on hold until they meet the now-standard five-year residency requirement, avoiding outright rejection but extending their wait for citizenship.
The implications of rescinding the "turbo" citizenship path are multifaceted. For potential applicants, it streamlines the process to a single, albeit longer, residency requirement, removing the highly demanding criteria for the three-year option. This may simplify expectations but also eliminates a specific incentive for highly skilled individuals to demonstrate accelerated integration. The Bundesrat, Germany's upper house of parliament representing the federal states, had previously expressed regret over the potential removal of the three-year option, noting its role as an incentive for integration and for recruiting skilled workers. The federal government, under Chancellor Friedrich Merz, has emphasized that citizenship now unambiguously requires a long-term commitment to Germany – encompassing linguistic, social, economic, and cultural integration. This emphasis underscores a desire for naturalization to be an expression of sustainable integration rather than a quick gateway. Simultaneously, a separate proposal from The Left Party to abolish financial independence requirements for citizenship, also debated on October 8, was expected to fail, indicating the government's continued insistence on economic self-sufficiency as a prerequisite for naturalization.
In conclusion, Germany's recent legislative action marks a complex evolution in its approach to immigration and citizenship. While the sweeping reforms of 2024 significantly eased general naturalization pathways and embraced dual citizenship, the subsequent decision in October 2025 to discontinue the three-year fast-track reflects a renewed emphasis on the duration and depth of integration. The move signals a conservative shift in the political discourse around citizenship, prioritizing a minimum five-year commitment from all applicants, even as other liberalizing elements of the 2024 law remain. This nuanced recalibration aims to balance Germany's need for skilled migrants and its commitment to integration with a foundational belief that citizenship should be earned through sustained dedication to the country's societal fabric.
