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Germany Issues Record 310k Passports After Citizenship Reforms

5/25/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Germany issued a record 309,852 passports in 2025, exceeding the 291,955 granted in 2024.
Mid-2024 reforms allow individuals to hold multiple passports and cut the residency requirement for citizenship to five years.
Passport data cover 14 of Germany’s 16 federal states, with figures still missing from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Saxony-Anhalt.
Officials expect many Ukrainian refugees to apply for citizenship in 2027 when the five-year rule and the end of collective protection align.

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Story summary

Germany issued a record 309,852 passports in 2025, exceeding the 291,955 granted in 2024.
Mid-2024 reforms allow individuals to hold multiple passports and cut the residency requirement for citizenship to five years.
Passport data cover 14 of Germany’s 16 federal states, with figures still missing from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Saxony-Anhalt.
Officials expect many Ukrainian refugees to apply for citizenship in 2027 when the five-year rule and the end of collective protection align.