German cities see soaring number of naturalisations as CDU pushes for tighter rules

Just over 69,000 people became German in the country's five largest cities in 2025, according to new figures. 

As The Local reported, Berlin saw its highest ever number of naturalisations last year, with 39,034 people becoming German. The number is almost twice as many as the previous year when 21,811 naturalisations took place in the capital, and four times the number issued in 2023 (9,041).

Cologne also saw a huge jump in naturalisations in 2025 with 7,000 new German citizens – up from 3,400 the previous year. In 2023, 3,672 people became German in the western city. 

Around 11,532 people became German in Hamburg in 2025. That's up from the previous year when 9,599 people naturalised, while 7,538 got a German passport in 2023.

In Munich, a total of 7,549 people naturalised last year, compared to 6,747 in 2024 and 6,437 the previous year. 

And in Frankfurt, 3,913 people became German last year, compared to around 3,780 in 2024. No figures are available for the previous year. 

Overall, 69,028 people were granted citizenship last year in these five cities alone, according to reporting by Bild. 

Figures for the whole of Germany are usually not available until summer. In 2024, Germany recorded its highest number of naturalisations, with at least 249,901 people being granted citizenship (although some smaller states did not report their numbers). 

READ ALSO: How many of Berlin's nearly 40,000 naturalisations last year were rejected?

Why are naturalisations rising?

There are two main reasons Germany is seeing more and more naturalisations. One is that the country's citizenship laws were relaxed in 2024, which made it easier for many foreigners to qualify. 

The amended law allows German passport holders to be dual-citizens, and it also eased the requirements to naturalise: Foreign residents can apply to become German after five years of legal residence rather than the previous eight years. 

READ ALSO: What do I need to apply for German citizenship?

Meanwhile, the move by some authorities to digitise and reform the citizenship process has allowed for much faster processing of applications.

A spokesperson from the State Office for Immigration (LEA) told The Local the city has made "considerable efficiency gains" due to centralising all of their immigration and citizenship procedures "under one roof", as well as digitising everything and bringing on more staff. 

Some cities still have long delays to naturalisation. For instance, we reported in January last year how residents in Frankfurt faced waiting times of up to two and a half years to get citizenship. An updated report from June 2025 showed that long delays have persisted.

READ MORE: Which German cities have the longest waiting times for German citizenship?

Conservative lawmakers still want to make it harder for people to become German

While more and more well-integrated foreign residents are collecting German passports, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) – the leading partner in Germany's federal government coalition – continue to rally against the current German citizenship rules.

The CDU's leading candidate in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Daniel Peters, recently called for "the suspension of all naturalisation procedures", citing concerns over fraudulent activity. 

The Local has reported on cases of suspected fraud surrounding language and citizenship tests, but these cases do not appear to be widespread. 

Meanwhile, during the CDU's party conference at the weekend, delegates voted to push to reverse the residency requirement to eight years.

The party said five years of residence is not enough because "many immigrants are not yet sufficiently integrated into German society".

The CDU party conference also called for even stricter checks in future before naturalisation to ensure that those seeking citizenship "agree with the principles of the constitution and the core values of our society".

In 2025, Germany got rid of the fast-track path to citizenship, which allowed exceptionally well-integrated residents with strong language skills to become German after just three years.

READ ALSO: Is dual citizenship really at risk of reversal?