Only 15,000 out of 600,000 eligible people with Turkish roots in Germany have applied for Turkish citizenship in the first five-and-a-half months since a new law that permits dual citizenship went into effect this summer, the Sözcü daily reported over the weekend, citing an opposition lawmaker.
The federal parliament on January 19 approved the legislation for Germany’s citizenship reform, which had been in the works since the center-left coalition of Social Democrats (SPD), Greens and the neoliberal Free Democrats (FDP) took office in the fall of 2021.
The citizenship reforms, which took effect on June 27, aim to streamline the naturalization process, making it easier for long-term residents to obtain citizenship. The reforms allow for dual nationality and accelerate the naturalization process.
As a result, Turks seeking to become German citizens will no longer be required to renounce their original citizenship.
Utku Çakırözer, a member of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), told Sözcü that despite the significant opportunity presented by the new law, the vast majority of eligible Turkish citizens chose not to pursue dual citizenship. As a result, 585,000 Turkish nationals opted to remain solely German citizens.
Germany, with a population of around 84 million, is home to some 2.8 million people with a Turkish background, according to statistics.
An agreement signed in 1961 to bring in so-called “guest workers” on a temporary basis paved the way for a huge number of Turks to move to work in Germany.
About 870,000 Turks went to Germany under the agreement, which ran until 1973. Hundreds of thousands ended up staying, ushering in major social and demographic changes in Europe’s most populous country.
The new law, which allows dual citizenship, was expected to have a significant impact on the Turkish community since hundreds of thousands of Turks had to give up their Turkish nationality to become German citizens.