Germany's CDU has drafted a plan to end dual citizenship, moving within days of the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) recording its strongest-ever result in a state election.

The draft proposal signals a potential reversal of Germany's citizenship policy shift, which under the current government had made dual citizenship a central feature of naturalization reform. If the CDU converts the plan into law, applicants for German citizenship would once again face a requirement to give up their previous nationality in most cases.

The move follows a record state election performance by the AfD, the far-right party that has campaigned aggressively against dual citizenship and faster naturalization. The result has intensified pressure on mainstream conservative parties to tighten their migration positions.

What does the CDU draft propose?

The plan targets the abolition of dual citizenship. Key elements reported with the draft:

• Ending general acceptance of dual nationality for naturalization applicants in Germany
• Reversing the direction of the citizenship reform introduced under the current coalition government
• Responding to the AfD's record state election result, which reshaped the political debate on migration and citizenship

The proposal remains at the draft stage. It has not yet passed through Germany's legislative process, and no date for a parliamentary vote or entry into force has been confirmed.

Who would be affected?

Any move to end dual citizenship would affect foreign residents of Germany applying for naturalization, a group that under current rules can retain their original nationality when they take German citizenship. Millions of residents in Germany hold a foreign passport, and dual citizenship has become increasingly common among naturalized Germans.

Applicants already holding dual citizenship, and those who naturalized under the existing framework, would face questions about how the CDU plan treats existing statuses. The draft's provisions on retroactivity have not been finalized.

EU citizens, refugees, and nationals of countries that do not allow renunciation of citizenship have historically received exemptions from renunciation requirements in German law. The draft's treatment of these groups is not yet clear.

Why now?

The timing follows the AfD's best-ever showing in a German state election. The result placed citizenship and migration policy at the center of the national political agenda and pushed the CDU, Germany's main opposition conservative party, to draft a harder line on naturalization.

The CDU plan represents a direct challenge to the citizenship reform passed by the governing coalition, which expanded access to dual citizenship as part of a broader modernization of German nationality law.

What happens next?

The proposal must clear several hurdles before it can become law. As a draft, it requires approval within the CDU, negotiation with potential coalition partners, and passage through the Bundestag. The outcome depends heavily on the composition of the next German government.

For now, the rules in force remain unchanged: Germany's existing citizenship law, including its dual citizenship provisions, continues to apply until new legislation passes and takes effect. Readers tracking German naturalization should monitor official announcements from the Federal Ministry of the Interior and federal legislation channels for the authoritative text of any change.

Passport File will update this story as the draft progresses through Germany's political process.