Naturalization in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate will continue to allow for applications without providing a formal language certificate. In response to an inquiry from the news magazine “Focus,” a spokesperson for the state’s Interior Ministry confirmed that the ministry maintains this existing approach. The ministry referenced specific “guidelines from the Federal Ministry of the Interior on the Citizenship Act” that the state utilizes, stipulating that a language test can be waived if the applicant is “obviously possessing the required language skills, as determined by the citizenship authority during a personal interview.”
This practice had previously generated public debate during the regional election campaign. Gordon Schnieder, who is now the Minister-President and was a leading CDU candidate at the time, had strongly criticized the policy, stating, “It is completely clear to me: anyone who wants to become a German citizen must master our language and live by our values.” He argued that fluency in German should be a “mandatory prerequisite” for successful naturalization, characterizing the state’s failure to consistently enforce language tests as “unacceptable.”
Despite the previous public critique, Schnieder declined to comment on why his own state government continues a policy he had recently labeled as unacceptable. The state government’s spokesperson clarified that all applicants seeking German citizenship must fulfill the legal requirements, which include having sufficient German language skills. A waiver of a formal language certificate is only considered in very limited exceptional cases. However, the spokesperson added that even in these situations, the necessary language proficiency must be provably demonstrated through alternative means. The state chancellery did not specify what these alternatives entail.
Furthermore, the spokesperson noted that existing legal exceptions for proving language proficiency for certain age groups, which were in place until March 20th, have been revoked. The state government maintains that naturalization without adequate German language skills does not take place.
