Dual Citizenship in the Transnational German-Turkish Space

Executive Summary

This policy brief examines the growing importance of dual citizenship within the expanding transnational German-Turkish space. As a legal status, dual citizenship provides transnational actors with the ability to participate as full members in both Germany and Turkey, making it a central issue in debates on migration, integration, and citizenship.

While Turkey recognized the right of its citizens to acquire multiple citizenship statuses as early as 1981, Germany has maintained more restrictive approaches toward dual citizenship. The report analyzes the major citizenship reforms introduced in Germany since 1999 and evaluates their implementation and consequences.

The study argues that Germany’s 1999 Nationality Act and subsequent reforms represent important steps toward developing a modern citizenship regime capable of responding to the realities of a globalizing Germany. However, it also highlights significant political problems arising from these reforms, particularly the creation of new inequalities among migrant communities and the continued expansion of so-called “exceptional cases.”

The policy brief draws attention to the emergence of an asymmetric, de facto naturalization system in Germany. It concludes that recognizing the importance of dual citizenship from the German perspective is essential for overcoming these challenges and for developing a more inclusive and equitable citizenship framework.