Germany: Why are so many Turks applying for citizenship?

Germany has become increasingly attractive for Turks — whether for life, work or study. Immigration statistics show that a total of 22,525 Turkish citizens received German passports in 2024 — a 110% increase over 2023.

Turkey is now second only to Syria when it comes to the number of its citizens receiving German passports.

Alaz Sumer is one of those who decided to apply. He came to Germany about eight years ago to pursue his master's degree. Now a lawyer, he works for a Berlin-based NGO and is completing his doctorate in constitutional law. 

He told DW that citizenship is the goal of every immigrant, saying it is much more practical. "Otherwise you are always stuck dealing with bureaucracy — and it is heavy here. Just getting a residency permit can be torturous."

Lawyer Alaz Sumer was tired of the bureaucracy tied to being a foreign resident Image: Privat

Burak Keceli, an IT specialist who graduated from Istanbul's respected Bogazici University, came to Germany in 2016. He says he came for career reasons and has spent several years working in the private sector. Today, he continues to live in Berlin.

Looking back, he says: "I've lived in Germany for years and speak the language fluently. After all that time, I wanted to be able to have my say politically. The power of a German passport was also an important factor … with it, I can travel to many countries around the world without a visa."

According to the 2025 Global Passport Index, which ranks passports by the number of countries a holder thereof can travel to visa-free, Germany ranked fifth in the world — behind the United Arab Emirates, Spain, Singapore and France.

A German passport provides visa-free entry into 131 countries, whereas a Turkish passport only allows 75. 

Dual citizenship a big incentive

Germany's June 2024 citizenship reforms no doubt gave the trend a major boost, with dual citizenship becoming a major incentive for migrants to seek a second passport.

Alaz Sumer, for instance, says he had no desire to relinquish his Turkish citizenship.

"I didn't want to give up my right to vote," he says. A Turkish passport he says, also has advantages in countries with which Turkey has better relations than Germany.

Burak Keceli is also a dual citizen. He calls the possibility of having two passports "very positive" but says he would have sought German citizenship either way.

Germany's previous government also shortened the residency requirement for citizenship from eight down to five years and down to three for those who could show special integration potential.

The new government under Chancellor Friedrich Merz did away with the three-year rule in May, 2025.

Still, the new government has let the dual-citizenship model stand, meaning migrants can keep their original passports.

That's very important to many of those who have come to Germany from elsewhere.

Until recently, Germany required all migrants — with the exception of Swiss and EU-member state passport holders — to renounce prior citizenship before granting them German passports. That forced many to hold off seeking German citizenship over the emotional, familial and business ties they maintained with their country of origin. That goes for an estimated 3 million Turks living in Germany.

Germany's immigration authorities, which are responsible for work, residency and citizenship issues, have long been criticized for glacial bureaucracy Image: Bernd Weißbrod/dpa/picture alliance

Political repression and skyrocketing inflation in Turkey

The political, social and economic situation in Turkey has also been a major driver for immigration. "I wanted to be an academic," says Alaz Sumer, "but I didn't have the impression that it was really possible to do so freely in Turkey. When the situation deteriorated, I left."

As for Keceli, he says would wouldn't have been able to have a "nice life" in Turkey.

"If I had chosen to go to another country [other than Germany] I probably would have applied for citizenship there."

The political climate in Turkey has been worsening for years. Human rights organizations regularly report freedom of speech and press violations by the government. In March, the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had his most capable election challenger, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, arrested — a drastic measure even by Erdogan's standards.

Moreover, the country has languished economically for years: In 2015, a euro cost about 2.3 Turkish lira, now it's nearly 46 ($1 is currently worth around 40 Turkish lira, 10 years ago it was around it cost around 2.7 Turkish lira).

Turkey will always be 'home'

Despite integration and years of life spent in Germany, many Turks here still feel rooted in their old culture and continue to call Turkey home.

"Germany never became home for me. I wouldn't describe myself as a German. But even if I did, Germans would laugh at me — and rightly so," says Sumer.

Keceli sees things similarly: "All of my loved ones are in Turkey. I never lost the connection. I will continue to travel back and forth. And even if I don't always keep up on the latest news, I still listen to Turkish music. I will always call Turkey home. I don't really feel at home in Germany."

IT specialist Burak Keceli says he doesn't truly feel at home in GermanyImage: Privat

Not German enough?

Sumer says he "mostly enjoys" life in Germany but admits he doesn't feel like he really belongs.

"I don't think that you're immediately accepted when you get a German passport — that certainly wasn't the case for me."

He then describes experiences that mirror those of other migrants: "I feel closer to Turkey than I do to Germany. It's clear to me that I am only German on paper. Even if you assimilate and live by German standards — you're still always an immigrant."

Sumer recounts moments of everyday discrimination. When he tried to find an apartment after receiving his citizenship, he says, he didn't get any replies whatsoever to his online queries using his real name. That changed when he a fake name.

"If you don't have a German name, a German passport won't do you much good either," he says.

This article was originally published in Turkish.