Dual citizenship after the reform
German law no longer requires you to give up your old nationality. Whether you keep it is up to your country of origin.
Earliest application
January 2027
3 months to go, counted from October 2026.
| Deadline (s. 10 StAG: 5 years’ residence) | January 2027 |
| Length of residence | from January 2027 |
| Residence title | met |
| Livelihood | met |
| German B1 | met |
| Citizenship test | still to prove |
| Criminal record | met |
| Fee per person | €255 |
The authority also checks your declaration of commitment to the Basic Law and that your identity and nationality are clear. Naturalisation after three years no longer exists. An estimate from the law, not legal advice.
Prepared by Radif Partners · Method · BAMF question catalogue of 7 May 2025 · laws checked on 22 October 2026
Since the 2024 reform of nationality law, Germany accepts multiple nationality as a rule. The former condition of giving up or losing your previous nationality has been deleted from section 10 StAG, and the exceptions to it in section 12 have gone with it. In the other direction, Germans no longer automatically lose their nationality when they take up a foreign one, because section 25 has been repealed. The duty to choose a nationality for children born in Germany to foreign parents, under section 29, has also been abolished. In practice, the naturalisation authority no longer asks for a release certificate or a renunciation. Whether you actually keep your previous nationality, however, is governed solely by the law of your country of origin. Some countries withdraw it automatically when a person voluntarily acquires another, others require permission or notification. Check with your country’s consulate before you apply.
What the law says today
Three provisions used to restrict dual citizenship, and all three are now marked “weggefallen” (repealed) on gesetze-im-internet.de. Section 10(1) no. 4 StAG required you to give up your old nationality, and section 12 set out when that was waived, for example for EU citizens or where the other country would not release you. Section 25 stripped Germans of their nationality if they applied for a foreign one, unless they held a retention permit. Section 29 obliged some children born in Germany to foreign parents to choose one nationality.
| Rule | Before | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Naturalisation | Give up old nationality, with many exceptions | No renunciation needed |
| Germans acquiring a foreign nationality | Loss without a retention permit | No loss under German law |
| Children of foreign parents born in Germany | Duty to choose in some cases | Both nationalities kept |
Which countries? Your country’s law decides
German law only decides whether you become German. Whether you lose your previous nationality in the process is decided by the state that granted it. The rules vary widely: some countries accept multiple nationality without conditions, others tie automatic loss to voluntarily acquiring a foreign nationality, others require permission first. We do not give a country list, because these rules change and cannot be verified reliably here. Ask your country’s consulate in writing and keep the reply.
If you still want to give up your old nationality, for example to end obligations in that country, you can. It is simply no longer a requirement, and the naturalisation authority no longer issues an assurance of naturalisation as a mandatory step for it.
What is still required
All other conditions are unchanged: 5 years of residence, German at B1, the test, livelihood and a clean record. Whether you meet them and when you can apply is what the calculator shows:
Earliest application
Earliest application
January 2027
| Deadline (s. 10 StAG: 5 years’ residence) | January 2027 |
| Length of residence | from January 2027 |
| Residence title | met |
| Livelihood | met |
Children born in Germany have their own rule: if one parent has lived here lawfully for five years and holds a permanent right of residence, the child is German from birth (section 4(3) StAG); see citizenship for children.