Naturalization wave in Munich: the number of applications has almost tripled since 2015

Created: 06/27/2022, 08:02

By: Klaus Vick

Staff is missing: long queues in front of the KVR.

© Jantz

The city can no longer save itself from naturalization applications.

According to statistics from the district administration department (KVR), the number has almost tripled within six years.

Munich – Expressed in numbers: In 2015, 3,629 foreigners living in Munich applied for German citizenship.

In the previous year there were 9209.

The KVR is lagging behind an application backlog of currently around 10,000 customers.

Therefore, seven new positions are to be created in addition to the existing 24 positions.

According to a proposal for the city council, there is no alternative to this.

However, this is offset by income.

The fees for naturalization are 255 euros.

Munich: Many refugees are now allowed to apply for German citizenship

The main reason for the naturalization wave is that many refugees have now lived in the city long enough to be able to apply for German citizenship.

A stay of at least eight years is required for this.

Children and spouses can also be naturalized.

According to the KVR, people from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia make up a large proportion.

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Because there has been strong immigration since 2015 and the federal government is planning to reduce the minimum length of stay to five years, the KVR expects a further increase.

The KVR predicts that the planned amendment to the law to allow dual nationality in general should also cause the number of applications to skyrocket again.

The KVR fears that if the application backlog has not been dealt with by then, there is no chance of being able to cope even halfway with the rush.

Naturalization: Applications have eight months to process

The average processing time for applications has already increased from three to eight months.

According to the naturalization office, the authority is faced with a large number of complaints, which puts an additional burden on the clerks.

The KVR admits that problems arose when processing the applications due to "an unusually high fluctuation among the clerks".