Dual citizenship in Germany: what the law allows now

Yes. Since 27 June 2024 Germany generally accepts dual and multiple citizenship. If you naturalise, you no longer have to renounce your current nationality, and Germans no longer lose their German citizenship when they take on another one. Whether you actually keep your old nationality, however, is decided by your other country under its own law.

What changed on 27 June 2024

Until the reform, German law followed the principle of avoiding multiple citizenship. Most applicants had to give up their previous nationality to become German. The main exceptions were citizens of other EU countries and Switzerland, and people whose country would not release them. The citizenship modernisation act dropped that principle, as the Federal Ministry of the Interior summarises.

In 2025 Germany naturalised more people than in any year since records began in 2000. Naturalisations of Turkish and Russian nationals rose especially fast, by 51 per cent each – an increase the Federal Statistical Office considers likely to be linked to the new rule. For EU citizens little changes, because they could already keep their nationality (see German citizenship for EU citizens).

Your other country has the final say

Every state decides for itself who its citizens are and when that status is lost. Germany can only promise that it won't ask you to give up your nationality. What your country of origin does is set out in its own law:

• Some countries allow dual citizenship without restriction.
• Some countries withdraw their citizenship automatically when you voluntarily acquire another one.
• Some countries require permission beforehand or notification afterwards.

Losing a nationality can have real consequences – for an inheritance, for property, or for your right to live and work in that country without a visa. Clarify this before you accept your naturalisation certificate (Einbürgerungsurkunde). You become German the moment it is handed to you (section 16 of the Nationality Act, StAG), and from then on your other country's rules apply to you as well.

Checklist: can you keep your passport?

1. Look up what your country's nationality law says about voluntarily acquiring a foreign nationality.
2. Ask your country's embassy or consulate in Germany – ideally in writing, and keep the reply.
3. Find out whether you need to apply for permission before naturalising or report it afterwards, and how long that takes.
4. Check what losing that nationality would mean for inheritance, property, living or working in that country.
5. Keep your foreign passport valid: your identity and nationality must be established during the procedure, usually with a valid passport.
6. Think about your family: the same question arises for a spouse or children who naturalise with you.
7. If you're still unsure, get advice – for example from your naturalisation authority (Einbürgerungsbehörde) or a migration counselling service.

Already German and getting a second passport?

The reverse situation has changed too. In the past, Germans often lost their citizenship when they acquired a foreign one on application – unless they had obtained a retention permit first. Since 27 June 2024 that rule and the permit are gone. If you have lived abroad for years and naturalise there, you stay German.

There are two caveats. The other country may require you to give up German citizenship as a condition of its own naturalisation. And the change is not retroactive: if you lost German citizenship this way before 27 June 2024, you do not get it back automatically. Ask the naturalisation authority, or the Federal Office of Administration (Bundesverwaltungsamt) if you live abroad.

Children born in Germany: no more choosing

A child of foreign parents becomes German at birth in Germany if one parent has lived here lawfully for five years and holds an unlimited right of residence at the time of the birth (section 4(3) StAG). The child then holds German citizenship plus that of its parents, as far as their law allows. The registry office (Standesamt) normally informs the parents.

The old duty to choose one nationality as a young adult (Optionspflicht) has been abolished completely, so these children can keep all their nationalities for life. How children can also naturalise together with their parents is explained in German citizenship for children.

Living with two passports

Once naturalised, you are simply German in Germany, with all the rights that come with it, including the right to vote. From the age of 16 you must have a valid German ID card or passport. What to do after the ceremony is covered in Naturalised – what now?.

• Travel: some states require their own citizens to enter and leave on that country's passport. Keep both passports valid and, where possible, book and cross borders on the same one.
• Consular help: in third countries, German embassies and consulates can assist you. In the country of your other nationality, that state will usually treat you as its own citizen, so German help there is often very limited or impossible – the Federal Foreign Office points this out explicitly in its travel advice for some countries.
• Obligations: rights and duties that come with your other nationality, such as registration or military service, depend on that country's law and may continue.

What hasn't changed

Dual citizenship makes naturalising more attractive, not easier. You still normally need at least five years of lawful residence, B1 German, a pass in the citizenship test, secure means of support and a commitment to the constitution. All of them are listed in German citizenship requirements.

If you're still weighing up whether it's worth it, see permanent residence or German citizenship?. Either way, you can start preparing for the test now – for example with a free practice exam under real conditions.