The citizenship law of Germany has been reformed. According to the reform the children born of non-German parents will get German citizenship provided that their father or mother has been legally resident in Germany for eight years, if these children also acquire the citizenship of another country at birth, they must give up the citizenship of the other country to keep their German citizenship. They must be solvent and must not commit any crime. To do military sere ice for a short period is compulsory in Germany for acquiring German citizenship.
All non-German children in Germans cannot apply for citizenship. On 1st January 2000 a new citizenship law has come into force in German. The children of the non-German parents must prove that they have given up or withdrawn the citizenship of another country. Non-German citizens who had acquired the citizenship of another country at birth must choose between their German and non-German citizenship after they are 18 years old. (e) The criteria should be fulfilled by adult non-Germans who want to apply for are:
(i) should have stayed for eight years.
(ii) must be able to support themselves and then families without the help of social security payments.
(iii) must have not committed crimes.
(iv) must possess adequate knowledge of German.
