VisaProAdviserVisas, migration and life abroad
A passport of any member state makes you an EU citizen. Residence years, language tests and dual-citizenship rules compared across France, Spain, Italy and more.
15 articles tagged EU citizenship
Investor residence permit in Luxembourg from €500,000, professional card in Belgium, programme cancellation in the Netherlands. Naturalisation and citizenship rules for 2026.
France, Netherlands and Britain grant passports after 5 years. Comparison of conditions, costs, language requirements and residency permit timelines before naturalisation.
What rights EU citizenship opens for work, study and life. Taxes, business and family after obtaining a European Union passport.
Invest €30,000 in a French company, get a Talent residence permit for your family, and apply for citizenship in 5 years — versus Greece's €800,000 golden visa.
Bulgarian citizenship opens up labor markets and education across the EU, free movement within Schengen, and the freedom to live anywhere. A breakdown of real rights and their limits.
Ireland to extend naturalization to 8 years, Germany to abolish dual citizenship, Latvia to close investment programs. Key EU migration policy news for September 2026.
EU citizenship was created by the Maastricht Treaty: every national of a member state is automatically a citizen of the Union. It carries the right to live, work, study and run a business in any EU country without a permit.
It can only be acquired through the nationality of a specific country, so the rules differ widely: required residence, language level, and whether you must give up your current passport. Some countries, such as Romania, also restore citizenship to descendants of former nationals.
EU citizens can vote and stand in local and European Parliament elections in the member state where they live. Outside the EU they may ask for help from the consulate of any member state if their own country has no representation there. Time to naturalization ranges from five years of residence in France or Ireland to ten in Italy and Spain, where Latin American nationals qualify after two.