Germany’s Fast-Track Citizenship Is Gone – Here’s What It Means

Quick Facts

• New rule: Citizenship only after 5 years of residence

• Fast-track (3 years): No longer available

• Dual citizenship: Still allowed

• Applies from: October 2025

If you’ve been following the changes to Germany’s citizenship laws, you might have noticed things are moving… backward again.

Just last year, it became possible to apply for a German passport after only three years of living here — but that option has already been cancelled.

From October 2025, you’ll need to live in Germany for at least five years before you can apply for citizenship. This of course doesn’t apply to spouses of Germans who want to naturalize.

What Just Changed?

The 3-year rule was introduced in 2024 to reward people who were especially well integrated — those who spoke the language, worked, paid taxes, and participated actively in society.

It sounded like a great step toward a more open, modern Germany.

But this October, the new government voted to remove that option.

So we’re back to a minimum of five years before you can apply — just like before 2024.

The only good news?

You can still keep dual citizenship, so you won’t have to give up your original passport.

Why Was It Reversed?

Officially, the reason is that the fast-track option was “barely used.”

In some states, only a handful of people applied under the 3-year rule.

But if you’ve ever gone through German bureaucracy, that might not surprise you.

The process is long, the paperwork is intense, and even with the faster rule, most people didn’t qualify or didn’t even know it existed.

So instead of improving access, the government decided to just… remove it.