Several cities and towns in the Bavaria region of Germany have received record numbers of applications for citizenship following the country’s decision to permit dual citizenship.
This situation is causing tension over authorities receiving these applications due to a lack of personnel and an increasing load of requests, Schengen.News reports.
The new rules introduced by the end of June will allow foreigners in the country to obtain German citizenship easier, which has prompted the surge in applications.
These Bavarian Cities & Towns Have Received a Record Number of Citizenship Applications
Munich, the capital of the Bavarian region of Germany, received more applications for citizenship by the beginning of August than it had in all of 2023. According to Augsburger Allgemeine, nearly one-third of the essential staff positions are unfilled, so processing these applications can take up to two years.
Augsburg received over 3,000 applications, exceeding the expectations of public order officer Frank Pintsch. The majority of applicants are people from Türkiye, Russia and Balkan countries who had to give up their citizenship under the new law. The dual citizenship law has ignited interest among residents in Germany in obtaining citizenship.
The town of Bamberg also saw an increase in applications for citizenship, as 178 people were granted German citizenship between January and July – which is equal to the number of applications received throughout 2019.
The offices are mentally prepared, but not in terms of personnel.
In Kempten, the number of requests for German citizenship is anticipated to double, reaching 450 by the end of the year. The main nationalities to apply are Romanians, Italians and Turks.
Over 200,000 People Gained German Citizenship in 2023
According to data fom the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), the number of people who were granted German citizenship in 2023 reached 200,095, the majority of which came from Asia (58.5 per cent).
In terms of continents, the majority of applicants originated from places as seen below:
- Europe was the origin-destination for 58,165 people, representing 29 per cent of the total
- Africa – 13,235 representing 6.61 per cent
- America – 6,305 (3.15 per cent)
- Australia and Oceania – 100 (0.04 per cent)
- Stateless – 5,150 (2.57 per cent)
Syrians are the top beneficiaries, with 75,485 people becoming German citizens. This means that Syrians represent 37.7 per cent of all nationalities that gained citizenship for the year.
The second nationality group that obtained citizenship the most is Turkish nationals (10,735), closely followed by Iraqis (10,710).
