The large hall in the castle was filled with a special atmosphere: we welcomed around 100 people who were granted German citizenship this year with an official naturalization ceremony. Lord Mayor Dennis Weilmann welcomed them personally on behalf of the city of Wolfsburg.

"You have acquired German citizenship, and I would like to congratulate you on behalf of the city," said Dennis Weilmann in his speech. Naturalization is far more than just a bureaucratic step, emphasized the Lord Mayor. "You have come to a country whose language and culture were initially foreign to you. With a great deal of effort, you have settled in, learned the language, made new contacts and found your place in our society - and finally decided to become a German citizen."

He also made it clear: "Naturalization comes with rights and obligations. Germany stands for democratic values and fundamental rights, which are by no means a matter of course worldwide. All citizens are called upon to protect and live these values."

643 new citizens in 2025

A look at the figures also shows that Wolfsburg is a city with an international character: We have naturalized a total of 643 people so far in 2025 - last year it was 560, in 2023 even 666. The largest group of new citizens this year comes from Syria (159), followed by Iraq (63), Russia (35), Turkey (35) and Tunisia (32).