The three-year fast track is gone, dual citizenship stays and Berlin applications take about a year. Here is what has changed and how to prepare.
German citizenship law has changed twice in two years, and most of what you read online is out of date. This guide covers the rules as of October 2026 and what they mean in practice. It is general information, not legal advice.
The reform that took effect on 27 June 2024 cut the standard residence period for naturalisation from eight years to five and allowed dual citizenship. It also created a fast track: citizenship after three years for applicants with exceptional integration, including German at C1 level.
That fast track is gone. The Bundestag voted to abolish it on 8 October 2025 and the change took effect on 30 October 2025. There was no transition period, so applications that relied on the three-year rule are now assessed under the five-year rule. Five years of residence is the standard route again, and dual citizenship stays.
The core criteria, such as German at B1 level, the naturalisation test, secure income and a clean record, did not change. What changed is how long you need to live here first, and how long you will wait for a decision.
Spouses and registered partners of German citizens can apply after three years of residence if the marriage has lasted at least two years. Both conditions apply at the same time, and the marriage must still exist when you are naturalised. This route was not affected by the end of the fast track. Other requirements still apply, so it is worth having your situation assessed before you apply.
In Berlin, the Landesamt für Einwanderung (LEA) has handled all naturalisations since January 2024 and took over a large backlog of older cases. It does not publish a processing time. In our experience, most applications currently take 12 to 14 months from submission to decision.
With waits like that, perfect preparation matters more than ever. Missing documents and inconsistencies trigger requests for more information, and each one can add weeks or months. That is why we treat the application as a project, not a form.
Many readers ask about the Untätigkeitsklage, a lawsuit for inaction. In principle, if the authority has not decided after three months without a good reason, you can ask the administrative court to require it to act. These cases are tough. They do not guarantee success, and court fees and possible refunds can get complicated. In our experience, expect to pay roughly 1,000 to 3,000 euros to a lawyer, with no guarantee. If your application has been waiting a long time, we are happy to talk it through and refer you to our partner immigration lawyer for an assessment.
In almost all cases we recommend applying for permanent residency as well. Citizenship takes a long time, and it makes sense to decouple your long-term status from the purpose of your current permit. Permanent residence is no longer tied to your specific job, and in Berlin it currently takes about one to three months in our experience.
Pension contributions and compliant health insurance are key here. Permanent residency generally requires 60 months of pension contributions (fewer for Blue Card holders), and for citizenship you need to show that you can support yourself and are properly insured. If you are unsure whether your cover or pension record will hold up, talk to Ina. We offer in-house consultations on health insurance and pension plans.
Since June 2024, Germany no longer requires you to give up your previous citizenship. Whether you can keep your other passport depends on your home country. China, India, Japan and Singapore, for example, do not allow adults to hold a second nationality, so naturalising in Germany can mean losing the original. India offers an OCI card instead, which is not citizenship. Check with your embassy or consulate before you apply, and tell us early if this affects you.
The naturalisation test is a 33-question multiple-choice exam, and booking it is often the hardest part. In Berlin you register at a Volkshochschule and are assigned a later test date. Places are limited, some centres offer only one date a month, and appointments are booked up most of the time. We can help you secure one as part of our application support. You can practise with the public question catalogue on the BAMF website.
It is a live political debate. Some CDU/CSU politicians want dual citizenship to become the exception again, but their coalition partner, the SPD, rejects that, and the coalition agreement kept dual citizenship. No such change has been passed as of October 2026. Politics can move, but changing citizenship law needs agreement between coalition partners, and that rarely happens fast. The fast track vanished without any transition period, which shows that rules can change while you wait. If you are eligible, apply now.
We work with our partner immigration lawyer, who offers a detailed assessment of eligibility, and we support you throughout: preparing your application, taking over communication with the immigration authority and booking those hard-to-get test appointments. We work with families, employees, freelancers, the self-employed and more. If you want support, get in touch.
