Citizens of the UK who reside in Germany and meet the respective requirements will be able to receive German citizenship even during the transition period after Brexit, according to draft legislation.

The German legislature has drafted a law called Brexit-Übergangsgesetz (BrexitÜG) which is yet to be adopted, reports Politico EU, whose Brussels Playbook has seen the draft.

It pertains to the so called post-Brexit transition period of 18 months which was agreed upon in principle by the EU and UK negotiators earlier this year.

As per the draft law, UK citizens will be treated legally as the citizens of an EU member state until the last day of the transition period.

This would allow British citizens applying for German citizenship before the end of the post-Brexit transition period to keep their British passport as well as their new EU passport.

That is an important exemption since German does not generally permit dual citizenship – save for the citizens of EU countries.

“After all, only [52 percent] wanted Brexit. Most of them would probably know by now that they better remain Europeans. A German EU passport can certainly help,” said Linn Selle, the new president of the European Movement Germany.

Selle made it clear she was pleased with the new “generous rules for British nationals,” as they will send “the right sign for the Europe-friendly Britons.”

The post-Brexit transition period agreed in principle by the EU and the UK, however, would fall, together with other arrangements made so far, if the two parties fail to agree on a final Brexit deal.

The UK is set to depart from the Union on 29 March 2019. The UK and the EU are aiming at striking a Brexit deal by October 2018 which would allow the British and European Parliaments sufficient time to vote on it.

The deal will decide the future relationship of Britain and Europe after a proposed transition period comes to an end, on December 31, 2020.

In apparent ramifications of the Brexit referendum, 2017 saw a record number of British citizens acquire citizenship of another EU member state, and registered the highest number of EU citizens who emigrated from the UK.

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