The Pass[t] Genau service will aid residents with their citizenship applications, to stop incomplete applications increasing the processing time for others.

Pass[t] Genau project hopes to speed up citizenship applications

A new project launched by the German Federal Commission for Migration, Refugees and Integration will advise residents through their citizenship application, in the hope that applications will be submitted correctly and processing times will be reduced.

The Pass[t] Genau project, a pun on the German word Pass (passport) and “passt Genau” (fits perfectly), is currently being piloted in two federal states, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Rhineland-Palatinate.

Interested parties can apply for help from Pass[t] Genau via their website. If accepted, you will receive guidance from a trained volunteer in submitting your application, help in corresponding with the responsible authorities and moving the process along.

Short of employees and overwhelmed by a backlog of applications since Germany relaxed its citizenship law in June, immigration authorities have cited incomplete or incorrectly completed applications as a main catalyst for continued delays.

Will Pass[t] Genau be extended to other federal states?

Speaking to public broadcaster SWR, Pass[t] Genau manager Susanne Kolb said that the project could run in Germany’s 14 other federal states.

However, setting up the project would require other states to organise funding, since the Federal Commission is only currently funding the project in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Rhineland-Palatinate.

In the meantime, Pass[t] Genau is also looking for volunteers, who, on an expenses-paid trip to Berlin will receive training in citizenship law, naturalisation and advising.

To find out more about the project, as an applicant or prospective volunteer, head to the Pass[t] Genau website.

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