630,000 expats expected to reapply for Turkish citizenship

ISTANBUL

Some 630,000 expatriates who previously relinquished their Turkish citizenship to obtain German nationality are expected to reapply under Berlin’s new law, a senior Turkish official has said.

The naturalization law in Germany, which also facilitates dual citizenship, came into effect on June 27. This regulation now allows for the acquisition of additional nationalities alongside German citizenship, ending of the automatic revocation of another citizenship upon acquiring German nationality.

Particularly for individuals possessing multiple citizenships by birth, the obligation to choose between German citizenship and another nationality upon reaching adulthood has been eliminated. Following the implementation of this legal amendment, attention has turned to the status of approximately 1 million individuals of Turkish origin residing in Germany, who can now maintain their German citizenship while reacquiring Turkish citizenship.

İbrahim Taşyapan, the head of the Turkish population and citizenship body, provided information about the status of Turkish citizens in Germany during a parliamentary committee session.

He recalled that Germany abolished dual citizenship in 2000. In the same year, Ankara increased the permissions for expatriates wishing to obtain German citizenship to renounce their Turkish citizenship.

“They [Turkish citizens] obtained permission and exited citizenship, and we issued them a 'blue card.' The blue card can perform nearly all the functions of an identity card except for voting, military service, etc. It functions almost identically to a national ID card."

"We facilitated their situation, but our citizens faced challenges with some German state practices. Now, our citizens can easily hold dual citizenship and return to Turkish citizenship,” Taşyapan said.

Based on the number of blue cards issued, Taşyapan estimated that approximately 630,000 German citizens of Turkish origin might reapply.

However, he noted that these applications are expected to be submitted gradually rather than immediately, with the obligatory military service for young men reclaiming Turkish citizenship being a potential deterrent.

Almost 3 million of Germany’s 83.2 million residents are Turkish. Turkish immigrants started arriving in Germany in significant numbers more than 60 years ago, when Germany recruited “guest workers” from Türkiye as part of an agreement.

During a visit to Türkiye in April, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier paid tribute to the contributions of the Turkish community in his country, recognizing their role in the country's economic reconstruction since the 1960s.

"They helped build our country, they made it strong, and they belong at the heart of our society,” he said during a speech at Istanbul’s Sirkeci Station from where a large number of Turks departed for Germany for the first time in the 1960s.