Most people applying for German citizenship opt to keep their original nationality, according to a new survey.
Germany’s rules changed in 2024 to allow dual citizenship, leading to a surge in new applications. However, Indians do not stand to benefit because India does not allow dual nationality.
“The Constitution of India does not allow holding Indian citizenship and the citizenship of a foreign country simultaneously,” an Indian government statement said.
A survey by the Mediendienst Integration research group said that more than 85% of newly naturalized citizens retained their original nationality.
German citizenship a matter of practicality
For someone like Ashish Kumar, 56, taking up German citizenship was eventually a matter of practicality.
“I had the option of getting German citizenship years ago, but I never followed through because of my pride in being Indian,” Kumar, who runs an online community helping expats in Germany with the homebuying process, said in an interview with DW.
However, traveling frequently with his German wife and son forced his hand, as a German passport freed him from the constant “lines, queues and paperwork.”
“My parents are still in India, so it wasn’t an easy decision, but in the end, frustration pushed me to take German citizenship,” he said.
He said it would be great if India had dual citizenship, “especially for my son, so he could keep his roots and connection to the country,” Kumar said. “But unfortunately, when I applied, I was told I had to give it up, there was no way around it. So, really, I had no choice.”
Madhav, 44, who works in the tech industry in Germany, said that having the option for dual citizenship would allow him to buy back some of his ancestral lands.
“That would be nice,” he said.