We examine the impact of 1990 and 2000 laws of citizenship in Germany, which liberalized the path to the acquisition of citizenship, on the national identity of immigrants. Leveraging the exogenous variation in waiting time for naturalization generated
by those two reforms, we find that immigrants who benefited from less restrictive conditions to become citizens developed a stronger national identification with Germany. The effect was particularly strong for women and for those immigrants that were older
at the time of their arrival. A higher attachment to Germany seems to have been mainly driven by psychological and sociopolitical mechanisms: a more liberal regime enhanced feelings of belonging to the country of destination, reduced subjective concerns about
discrimination, heightened the interest of immigrants on the politics of the country of destination, and fostered their social and political participation.