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Flood of applications overwhelms Hesse: naturalization now takes years!
The article highlights the increasing number of naturalization applications in Hesse and the challenges the authorities face in processing them.
Flood of applications overwhelms Hesse: naturalization now takes years!
Naturalization in Hesse is currently a hotly debated topic. With an increase in applications, the authorities have their hands full, which not only leads to long waiting times but also puts affected applicants under pressure. Kire Trajkov, a 34-year-old from Frankfurt, applied for German citizenship in January 2024. The application, which was submitted to the Darmstadt regional council in April 2024, is still pending today, after 18 months. Trajkov met all the requirements, but the prolonged delays are driving him to despair and to thinking about getting a lawyer and possibly filing a lawsuit for failure to act. “I wait and wait, but nothing happens,” says Trajkov, hoping for a response. According to [hessenschau.de].
In the city of Frankfurt, the situation is even more complex. In 2023, around 9,600 people applied for naturalization - almost twice as many as in the previous year. There was a notable increase throughout Hesse in 2023 with almost 40,590 applications. This number has replicated itself over the last three years. By September 30, 2024 alone, 32,274 people applied for naturalization. A particularly large number of applicants come from Syria, Afghanistan and Turkey. Interior Minister Roman Poseck (CDU) also expresses concern about the situation, but emphasizes that naturalization should be the end of successful integration. “We have to accelerate implementation,” says Poseck.
Challenges for the authorities
The regional councils are responsible for processing the applications after the documents have been checked by the local authorities. The regional council in Darmstadt has set up ten new positions for application processing in 2023 in order to cope with the increasing numbers. Despite these measures, many applications remain unprocessed. In June 2024, around 56,000 applications had not yet been decided, which is a sign of the overburdened structures that the authorities have to support.
An important aspect is the requirements for naturalization: These include a permanent right of residence, a minimum stay of five years, sufficient knowledge of German (at least B1) and proof of various identities. A naturalization test is also required, which can lead to further delays. The adult education centers that hold the tests have already reported an increase in registrations and are fully booked until the end of January 2026. As the government website rp-darmstadt.de reports, this not only requires time but also patience. The naturalization process itself involves several steps and can mean a certain financial burden, as fees of around 255 euros have to be paid.
Naturalization as part of integration
Naturalization is an important perspective for many. The Citizenship Act slightly relaxed the requirements through a reform in June 2024 by shortening the minimum period of residence from eight to five years. Nevertheless, the path there remains difficult. An applicant is not only checked for his or her readiness to integrate, but must also ensure that he or she has no criminal history. The path to citizenship is therefore not only a bureaucratic hurdle, but also an indicator of social and economic integration into society.
With the increasing numbers and the associated challenges, we can only hope that the situation will soon ease so that people like Kire Trajkov no longer have to wait for their dreams to come true.