- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

Toodle-Oo: Record Number of Brits Seek German Passports as Brexit Looms

© AP Photo / Kirsty WigglesworthAnti Brexit campaigners carry a Germany flag and European flags outside Britain's parliament in London, Saturday March 25, 2017.
Anti Brexit campaigners carry a Germany flag and European flags outside Britain's parliament in London, Saturday March 25, 2017. - Sputnik International
Subscribe
As the reality of Brexit closes in on the UK, Berlin has noted a sharp uptick in German passport applications from citizens of the British isles.

Airbus Helicopters H225M - Sputnik International
'The Time Is Ripe': UK Heads for Brexit, EU Chiefs Accelerate Plans for EU Army
The number of UK citizens seeking German passports has risen sharply over the past year, according to a Tuesday announcement by Berlin's Federal Statistical Office.

Following the popular referendum in the country to separate from the European Union, many UK citizens are taking steps to become German nationals, according to a new report from Deutsche Welle.

Citing recent figures, Germany's Federal Statistical Office noted that 2,865 UK citizens gained German citizenship in 2016, an eye-opening 361-percent increase over 2015.

"A connection with Brexit is obvious," noted an unnamed spokesperson for the Berlin statistics agency, who added that the percentage is the highest for UK citizens since records began being kept.

An EU flag flies above Parliament Square during a Unite for Europe march, in London, Britain March 25, 2017 - Sputnik International
EU, UK Citizens' Status First on Brexit Talks Agenda - UK Brexit Secretary

Reports have noted that many Britons are concerned that their country's departure from the EU will make transactions with the bloc's market problematic, as well as end their ability to participate in the popular visa-free movement between EU-member nations.

Berlin's statistical agency noted that it expects the number of UK citizens applying for German citizenship to rise even more as the UK's expected 2019 separation date from the bloc approaches.

The application process is lengthy, the agency observed.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала