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One in Six 2008-Born German Men Hold Dual Citizenship, Official Data Show

The government is pairing mass mustering from 2026 with a supported constitutional-loyalty check for new volunteers.

Overview

  • Federal Statistical Office figures reported by Die Welt show 56,693 of 340,859 German men born in 2008 have at least one additional passport.
  • The most common second nationalities are Turkish (14,463), Polish (4,141), Italian (3,857) and Russian (3,691), followed by Serbia, Morocco and Kazakhstan.
  • Coalition plans provide for nationwide mustering starting in 2026 with a potential demand-based draft authorized by the Bundestag if volunteer targets are not met.
  • The draft Wehrdienstgesetz requires a supported loyalty-to-the-constitution check before first-time voluntary service, the Defence Ministry said, which also reaffirmed a uniform duty of loyalty for all soldiers.
  • Experts say dual citizenship has expanded since the 2024 nationality reform, raising security and conflict-of-loyalty concerns, and some dual nationals could be excluded from call-up or limited to non-sensitive roles.