The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

"Authorities scare you": Upper Bavarian fights for two years for German passport

2022-12-19T04:28:31.605Z


"Authorities scare you": Upper Bavarian fights for two years for German passport Created: 12/19/2022 5:19 am By: Josef Ametsbichler Semira Ledda (27) from Glonn and her "naturalization helper" Richard Hochleitner (64) now have it in black and green: after more than two years of paperwork, the former Montenegrin holds her naturalization certificate from the Federal Republic of Germany in her han


"Authorities scare you": Upper Bavarian fights for two years for German passport

Created: 12/19/2022 5:19 am

By: Josef Ametsbichler

Semira Ledda (27) from Glonn and her "naturalization helper" Richard Hochleitner (64) now have it in black and green: after more than two years of paperwork, the former Montenegrin holds her naturalization certificate from the Federal Republic of Germany in her hands.

© Josef Ametsbichler

Becoming German is not that easy.

Even if you were born and raised here, live, work and have a family here.

Glonnerin Semira Ledda (27) found out.

Glonn/Ebersberg

– Semira Ledda, whose roots are in Montenegro, carefully plucks a transparent cover from a fully packed briefcase with fingernails painted baby blue.

Authorities green background, imprinted federal eagle: The letter could easily be confused with an official certificate of good conduct.

But Samira Ledda fought for this piece of paper for more than two years and accumulated a whole mountain of forms in the process.

It's her naturalization certificate.

The 27-year-old has been a citizen of the Federal Republic of Germany since November 23.

"I never thought it would be so complicated"

Ledda strokes the certificate and breathes deeply.

Then she says: "I never thought it would be so complicated." In any case, she only got the application done because Richard Hochleitner (64), the father of a friend, helped her.

The Munich graduate engineer says: "Semira is a prime example of good naturalization, but the Germans didn't want her."

Actually, one would like to think that the state should roll out the red carpet for someone like you.

Samira Ledda was born in Munich, grew up in the country and now lives in Glonn with her husband, who is a German citizen.

Their daughter Marlena is two and a half.

Ledda did the qualification, then the training and works as a doctor's assistant in a practice in the district.

Skilled worker, family man, taxpayer, accent-free German.

And: Immigrant child, therefore citizen of the Republic of Montenegro until this year.

It is quite possible that the federal government has people like Semira Ledda in mind as it works on its naturalization reform.

People who have lived in the country for years, are integrated here and can take care of themselves should be able to become Germans more easily.

Glonnerin finally wanted a German passport

Always being the only one in the non-EU queue at the airport, always having to travel to the consulate in Frankfurt for visa formalities or even to Montenegro, having the feeling: “I’m only tolerated here.” – at some point the Glonnerin had had enough in order to.

She finally wanted a German passport.

Semira Ledda pulls another piece of paper out of her briefcase.

It is a checklist with 32 possible points.

19 of them have a cross printed next to them.

Each cross is checked off by hand with a ballpoint pen.

These are the proofs that the Glonner woman had to submit to the Ebersberg district office for her naturalization.

Birth certificate, marriage certificate, curriculum vitae, income tax assessment, old-age and health insurance, all school reports since elementary school, rental contract, employment contract, proof of income, proof of child benefit, and so on.

Everything in original and copy.

Foreign-language certificates in German, certified translation made in Germany.

Business registration, spouse's death certificate, custody order: Luckily she was able to save these and ten other points, as they were not applicable.

2000 euros invested in paperwork

But it was complicated and expensive enough.

Ledda estimates that she invested around 2,000 euros in the paperwork that is now behind her.

The issuing of the naturalization certificate alone cost 255 euros.

"I would wish for the next ones that it would be easier," she says.

also read

New butcher shop in town: The transport routes are complicated

READ

Winter barbecues: Hearty, healthy and tasty throughout the cold season

READ

Mini district grows by ten percent: 30 refugees come into a two-family house

READ

Bottlenecks in clinics: Lifeguards send SOS

READ

Rottweiler bites his wife inches deep in the restaurant parking lot – owner has a criminal record

READ

Fancy a journey of discovery?

My space

Plus the uncertainty.

In February, she had her previous home country of Montenegro deprived of her citizenship by the District Office with a guarantee of naturalization.

Makes 567 euros.

With every month that she then had to wait for her certificate, a worry grew.

Because the assurance only applies in the event "that the factual or legal situation relevant to naturalization (...) does not change," it says.

What would have happened if she had become unemployed in the meantime or if the marriage had broken up – Samira Ledda doesn't want to imagine it.

"The authorities scare you," she says.

In the worst case, the district office confirmed this when asked by EZ, she would have remained stateless for the time being, since the "living security" would probably no longer have been given.

"Naturalization worker": District office to blame for hanging game

Semira Ledda's "naturalization helper" Richard Hochleitner sees the long stalemate as the fault of the Ebersberg district office and its poor communication.

The decision was delayed again and again because of trivial things - in the end by a week, when Semira Ledda had to withdraw without having done anything: The person who had the key to the filing cabinet with her naturalization certificate was ill at short notice - and no one else was there.

The district office admits this incident and justifies itself with the high level of protection under which such files would stand.

Overall, however, it is the case that naturalization procedures for so-called third countries, i.e. people from a non-EU country - as in the case of Semira Leddas Montenegro - can take two years in individual cases.

This is due to the dismissal procedure there and a new loop of necessary official checks on the German side.

"Many naturalization procedures are completed within four to six months," the authority also writes.

You can find more current news from the district of Ebersberg at Merkur.de/Ebersberg.

For Semira Ledda, the story is almost over.

Although, now she is waiting for the town hall in Glonn, where she has applied for her identity card with the naturalization certificate.

That it worked out with the German, she says, “I only really believe that when I hold it in my hands.”

newcomers to the district

According to the Ebersberg district office, 228 naturalizations were completed in 2021, and 51 naturalization confirmations were issued.

Applicants need these to be released from their previous citizenship.

Eleven naturalization procedures were withdrawn or discontinued.

According to the district authority, most applicants come from Romania and Hungary, but there are also many former refugees from Syria.

Ebersberg newsletter: Everything from your region!

Our Ebersberg newsletter informs you regularly about all the important stories from the Ebersberg region - including all the news about the Corona crisis in your community.

Sign up here.

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2022-12-19

You may like

News/Politics 2024-01-30T10:20:15.390Z
News/Politics 2024-02-02T10:21:50.664Z

Trends 24h

News/Politics 2024-03-28T06:04:53.137Z

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.