At least 309,852 people received German passports in 2025, according to a report by Welt am Sonntag — surpassing the 291,955 naturalizations recorded the previous year.
Observers attribute the increase to changes in citizenship law introduced in mid-2024. The reform allows dual or multiple citizenship and shortens the required period of lawful residence from eight years to five, making naturalization accessible to more long-term residents.
The figures published by the paper are drawn from 14 of Germany’s 16 federal states. Data were not yet available from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Saxony-Anhalt. Lower Saxony, Saarland and Schleswig-Holstein had not provided fully consolidated figures, though most cities and districts in those states did report. In some cases the numbers cited are based on preliminary data.
Municipalities reported mixed short-term trends: some said applications and naturalizations are currently easing off, while others expect another surge when cohorts of refugees reach the new five-year residency threshold.
A number of Ukrainians who fled to Germany after Russia’s full-scale invasion arrived in early 2022. Many of them will meet the five-year residency requirement by spring 2027, and local officials expect a wave of citizenship applications then. The planned expiry of collective protection status for Ukrainian refugees in March 2027 may also prompt people to seek the legal security that a passport provides.
Analysts note important differences between recent refugee cohorts and earlier arrivals. Many Ukrainians were granted immediate permission to work and full residency rights on arrival, advantages not available to large groups of asylum seekers who arrived in 2015–2016, such as many Syrians.
The biggest jump in naturalizations took place in 2024, when the number of new German citizens rose by 46% year-on-year. The increase in 2025 was smaller, about 6% compared with 2024. In 2024, roughly 28% of those naturalized came from Syria, followed by people from Turkey among the largest groups.
The reported totals and trends reflect recent legislative changes and demographic shifts; incomplete reporting from some states and provisional figures mean final nationwide statistics may be revised when all data are compiled.