On March 26, 2024, the German government issued an amendment to the German Citizenship Act, which will become effective on June 26, 2024. This will have a positive impact on German nationals residing in the United States interested in applying for U.S. citizenship.

Historically, German citizens interested in obtaining citizenship of other countries were required to request special exemption, known as Beibehaltungsgenehmigung, to ensure they would not lose German citizenship if they became citizens of another country. This law will be voided as of June 26, 2024.

Under the new naturalization reform law, approved by the upper house of parliament, non-German born nationals will also be eligible to become German citizens while retaining their original citizenship. Further liberalizing German citizenship laws, applicants for German citizenship will be eligible to apply for German citizenship after five years and not the requisite eight years as required to date. Children of parents from abroad will also be eligible for German citizenship at birth if one parent had been legally residing in Germany for five years, rather than eight years.

For German citizens interested in naturalizing in the United States, the path for them to achieve U.S. citizenship has been made smoother by changes made by the German Parliament.

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