Relocation of a Population - Few naturalization applications discarded due to extremist tendencies.
Each time a foreigner is naturalized in Germany, there is a petition to the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. However, the frequency of naturalization applications that are denied because of signs of extremist tendencies is not statistically documented in most federal regions, as a survey by the German Press Agency on the state interior ministries reveals. In other regions, it's just a few cases.
State Situations
In Bremen, there are approximately five instances yearly where naturalization is barred due to the domestic intelligence agency's discoveries. This year, two such applications have been rejected, officials said.
The naturalization offices in Thuringia reject, according to information from the Interior Ministry in Erfurt, an average of three naturalization candidates annually who have attracted the attention of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. When compared to the total number of naturalizations in the state - 1605 in 2023 - "the number of cases in Thuringia falls within the percentage range," a spokesperson explained.
In Hamburg, a total of 15 naturalizations were not carried out inside the last five years due to concerns from the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution. Furthermore, there are situations where an applicant, who has information from the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, withdrew his application after being advised by the naturalization authorities.
Numerous Instances in the North
In Schleswig-Holstein, at least the number of instances including security-relevant information in naturalization processes is kept as statistics. According to the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution's report, 27 naturalization applicants had links to extremist leanings in 2020, 71 in 2021.
For the subsequent years, the statistics no longer separate inquiries in connection with residency law or naturalization. Nevertheless, the number of cases with "procedure-relevant information" was less than in 2021. It was 44 cases in 2022 and 37 in 2023.
System in the Southwestern Regions
In most federal states, the naturalization authority sends an inquiry to the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution in every individual case, often through mail. Just in a few regions, like Hesse, Baden-Württemberg, and North Rhine-Westphalia, there is a platform for data exchange for this inquiry.
In Berlin, the automated procedure has been active since the beginning of this year. In the capital, based on the Senate Interior Administration, 229 naturalization applications were rejected last year. However, the authority could not divulge the reasons for rejection.
The fact that the states are not required to gather such data has been criticized by interior politicians of the - at that time, the opposition - Union in a petition to the previous red-green federal government. One of the deputies, Thomas Strobl (CDU), is now the interior minister in Baden-Württemberg.
The ministry will then conduct a so-called naturalization interview, which will be led by staff members of the naturalization authorities. The written protocol after the interview, which should be signed by the applicant, then goes to the assessment of the government presidium and is sent to the Interior Ministry, the statement said.
Naturalization will only occur in such situations if the ministry, after careful evaluation, finds that "the person seeking naturalization successfully clarified themselves in the interview or explicitly distanced themselves from unconstitutional or extremist activities or naturalization cannot be rejected by the court due to a lack of sufficient evidence."
Criteria for Naturalization in Germany
The standard requirement for naturalization in Germany is that the applicant supports the liberal democratic order and does not act against it or the security of the country or a state.
