Long wait for German passport despite citizenship reform

Foreigners applying for a German passport face a lengthy wait after conditions were eased this year, according to the Association of German Cities, reported dpa.

Demand has surged after a reform came into effect on June 27, lowering eligibility conditions for dual citizenship.

The common belief is that the law makes naturalization not just easier but faster too, Helmut Dedy, the head of the cities association, told dpa in recent days.

"This is not the case, at least for the next few months," he warned.

Rather, the new wave of applications hitting overburdened authorities is initially slowing down the process instead of speeding it up, he said. "Naturalization applicants must first of all be very patient," Dedy noted.

The new citizenship law, passed by the centre-left coalition of Chancellor Olaf Scholz, allows people to apply for citizenship after living in Germany for five years, instead of the previous requirement of eight years, provided they meet all conditions.

If applicants demonstrate "special integration achievements" through particularly good performance at school or work or civic engagement, they can apply after just three years.

The law also makes it easier to hold two passports.

In former East Germany, foreigners invited at the time to work in the then-socialist state are having their path to citizenship eased further.

At the citizenship office in the former East German city of Erfurt, applicants currently have to wait more than a year for their claim to be processed. The office has said it then needs three to six months to process a case, depending on its complexity.

In June, 68 applications were submitted in the Thuringian state capital, while in July the number surged to 114 applications.

In Hamburg, where a spokesman said that staff had been increased as a precaution, the processing time averages around a year.

Many cities are making great efforts to welcome new citizens at citizenship ceremonies, according to the Association of German Cities.

Efforts were also being made to boost staffing, however Dedy said they had reached a limit.

"The staffing bottlenecks that have arisen due to new tasks and an increasing number of procedures in the administrations are not easy to remove," he said.

By dpa writers Anne-Béatrice Clasmann, Stefan Hantzschmann and Martin Fischer.