Berlin's immigration office 'processing citizenship applications 3x faster'

The immigration office in Berlin (LEA) has significantly reduced the processing time for citizenship applications thanks to its new digital system, Tagesspiegel reported this week. 

According to statements from the LEA, the office processed as many applications in the last three months as it handled in the nine months before that.

The LEA has served as the central processing point for naturalisations since the beginning of this year. 

Previously, district offices were responsible and had accumulated an estimated 40,000 unprocessed applications between them in previous years.

How many applications are being processed?

The LEA reported to Tagesspiegel that as of July 14th, more than 6,500 people had been naturalised in Berlin this year. 

That’s about 2,500 less than were processed in the entire year of 2023. The vast majority of those had been processed since April 1st, and more than one thousand of them in just the first two weeks of July.

These figures suggest that the LEA’s speed has ramped up significantly in recent weeks.

An LEA spokesperson said these figures showed that the office was equipped to meet the goal of 20,000 naturalisations annually - a target set by Interior Senator Iris Spranger (SPD).

But the LEA’s new system is currently being tested by a surge of new applicants who have applied to naturalise following the introduction of the dual citizenship law.

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This year more than 24,000 applications for naturalisation had been received as of July 14th, and they have significantly ramped up since the new citizenship law came into effect.

In the second week of July, the LEA received an average of 139 applications per day.

Old applicants left waiting for years

As The Local previously reported, director of the Berlin LEA, Engelhard Mazanke, held a conference in March in which he apologised to applicants who hadn't heard back about analogue applications submitted years prior, and promised that those unprocessed applications would be digitalised by June and then handled more quickly.

At the time Mazanke’s statements were disparaging. Discussing the old applications, he claimed they were “still in some securely locked warehouse in Brandenburg".

But to his credit, it appears the LEA has delivered on its promise to digitalise the old files.

The approximately 40,000 old applications have now been fully digitalised, according to the LEA. The oldest unprocessed application is roughly 19 years outdated – dating back to 2005. 

Applicants who filed under the old system have complained that they are left waiting while newer applicants in the digital system are being processed at speed. 

Those tired of waiting may consider submitting a new digital application, but that would require paying a further €255 - as well as any costs for other new documentation that may be required. 

READ ALSO: What are citizenship offices around Germany doing to prepare for the new law?

Asked about this tactic, Mazanke had previously told The Local: "We can't directly recommend you do that. But if you were to do that of your own accord, it may be helpful to both you and us." 

Regardless, naturalisation in Germany, at the moment, is a waiting game.

Responding to a readers' survey, Vaughn from the US told The Local that he'd already applied twice - once in paper and then again with the digital form in hopes that it would speed up the process.

"Prepare to wait to wait even when you have done everything perfectly," he warned.