German CDU proposes stricter naturalization rules after record 2025 numbers
CDU politician Alexander Throm has called for legal tightening after a record high in naturalizations in Germany in 2025. Throm proposes extending the naturalization period back to eight years and abolishing dual citizenship generally. The Union failed to push through these changes in coalition talks with the SPD.
CDU domestic policy spokesman Alexander Throm has called for stricter naturalization rules after a record high of more than 309,000 people received German citizenship in 2025, surpassing the previous record of roughly 292,000 in 2024.
"We were able to abolish the worst of the traffic-light reform on citizenship law, namely the turbo-naturalization after just three years," Throm told Die Welt. He proposes extending the naturalization period back to eight years and abolishing the general permissibility of dual citizenship. Throm also proposes that naturalization should not be possible directly from a protection status; first a settlement permit must be obtained, which requires at least 60 months of contributions to the pension insurance.
However, Throm acknowledged that the Union did not prevail on this point in coalition talks with the SPD. The black-red federal government has already abolished the "turbo" naturalization, which was introduced by the traffic-light coalition under Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) in 2024. That reform allowed naturalization after five years instead of eight, with a "turbo" option after three years for well-integrated individuals.
Hesse Interior Minister Roman Poseck (CDU) also argued for legal changes, telling Die Welt: "Dual citizenship makes integration more difficult." Poseck said dual citizenship should only be granted in exceptional cases.
Left party migration politician Clara Bünger criticized the proposals, calling them "a slap in the face for all those who have worked hard for years and are already part of this society." She called for strengthening participation and easing access to citizenship rather than keeping people on probation permanently.