Post-Brexit, over 110,000 Britons have naturalised in EU countries from 2016 to 2023, marking a sharp increase compared to previous years. Notably, Germany saw the highest number of naturalisations at 36,888. This data excludes individuals who gained citizenship via ancestry or marriage, focusing strictly on those who obtained it through residency. The findings underline the impact of Brexit on British citizens’ migration decisions. Moreover, restrictions in certain countries, such as Spain's dual citizenship policy, have affected the naturalisation process for many Britons.
The dramatic increase in naturalisation of British citizens across the EU and associated countries is one of the unmistakable effects of Brexit. New Eurostat data show that 8 years after the UK decided to leave the EU, we are well over the naturalisation peak of 2019, said Maarten Vink, Chair in Citizenship Studies and Director of the Global Citizenship research area at the European University Institute in Florence.
Overall, 110,295 Britons living in EU countries took on the nationality of their country of residence in these eight years, according to the figures.
Despite hosting the largest British population in the EU, Spain allows dual citizenship only with certain countries, so Britons would have to give up their UK passport to naturalise there.
The largest number of naturalisation was recorded in Germany (36,888), followed by France (20,966) and Sweden (11,384), highlighting the varied impact of Brexit on citizenship rights.
Collection
[
|
...
]