Dreaming of a life in Europe? You aren’t alone. Many people from outside the EU seek the advantages of European residency, including the freedom to travel visa-free within the Schengen area, the opportunity to live and work without additional permits, and a generally high quality of life.
Securing an EU residency permit might be easier than you think. Several pathways can lead you to residency, with processing times varying from a few weeks to several months, depending on the specific country and application method.
Imagine the benefits: access to EU education, robust social security, plentiful job opportunities, and seamless access to a wide range of products and services.
Ready to explore your options? Here are ten of the most popular methods for obtaining EU residency and enjoying all the advantages of life in Europe!
1. The Golden Ticket: Golden Visa Programs
Several EU nations offer residency through investment programs, known as Golden Visas. This typically involves investing a specified sum in real estate, government bonds, or other designated assets. Successfully participating in this program leads to residency eligibility.
Investment thresholds vary by country. Portugal, for instance, requires a real estate investment of €350,000 or €500,000, or other investments as defined by the program. Malta’s program requires a €250,000 investment, while Cyprus offers permanent residency with a €300,000 investment.
Golden Visa programs often have a five-year duration. During this period, you’ll usually need to maintain your investment to keep your residency valid. Other conditions may apply to retain your permit, like minimum stay requirements, even if full-time residency isn’t mandatory.
Once you’ve made your investment, engage a legal professional to guide you through the residency application process. The Golden Visa application route tends to be relatively straightforward.
Expect a face-to-face interview after submitting your application, where your biometric data will be collected. Afterward, you’ll await the processing of your application. Depending on the volume of applications, a response could take anywhere from two weeks to six months.
Having legal representation is strongly recommended to navigate the application process and receive updates on its progress.
2. Entrepreneurial Spirit: Starting a Business
Another popular route to EU residency is establishing a business in an EU country. Non-EU citizens can legally enter and establish a business by adhering to the required procedures. Setting up a business in the EU can be a relatively quick process, sometimes taking as little as a week to gather the necessary paperwork.
Specific requirements vary across EU countries. In Belgium, forming a company that creates jobs can qualify you for an investor residency permit. Meeting these conditions will lead to a temporary residency permit, renewable first within a year and then again in the third year.
In Sweden, securing an investor visa means demonstrating both the skills and capital necessary to successfully run your venture. Furthermore, you’ll need to prove that you can adequately support yourself and your family while residing in the country.
Estonia has a freelancer residency visa, welcoming remote workers. In France, you may obtain an investor residency by owning or being employed by a startup, provided you can demonstrate sufficient funds to support yourself and your family.
3. Joining the Workforce: Getting a Job
A common path to EU residency involves securing employment within an EU country. To qualify, you’ll need to have the job offer in hand before entering the country. Your employer will then need to sponsor a work permit allowing you to join their company.
Work permit regulations differ across EU member states. Having your employer’s support in securing the permit simplifies the process considerably. Once you possess a work permit, you’ll then have to apply separately for a residency permit, allowing you to live in the country while working.
Work visa applications are typically submitted from your home country at an EU consulate. Aim to apply at least two months before your intended travel date. With your work visa secured, you can begin working while your residency permit application is processed.
4. Tying the Knot: Residency by Marriage
Marriage to a citizen or resident is a well-trodden path to residency in many countries around the world.
Marrying an EU citizen and joining them in their home country or in another EU nation makes you eligible to apply for and receive a residency permit. Upon arrival, some EU countries require you to notify the authorities of your presence. Failing to do so could result in financial penalties.
If your stay is limited to three months, a valid passport (and entry visa, if your nationality requires one) is sufficient. However, for longer stays, you can apply for residency after your first three months in the EU.
As the spouse of an EU citizen, a continuous five-year stay in the EU can qualify you for citizenship. In the meantime, your residency permit allows you to seek employment or pursue education.
5. Living off Investments: Passive Income Visa
EU residency can also be obtained if you have sufficient passive income, such as income from rental properties or pensions. This type of residency permit is commonly called a “person of independent means” visa. Various European countries offer such visas, each with its own specific regulations regarding the required income level, and potentially addressing dependents and spouses.
In Spain, this is referred to as a non-lucrative visa. To qualify, you must demonstrate sufficient income to cover your living expenses for the duration of your stay in Spain. This income can stem from passive investments, freelance work, or remote employment paid from abroad.
Portugal offers a passive income visa based on similar principles. Cyprus and Austria also offer this visa, sometimes called an income-based visa, requiring proof that your income is sufficient to allow you to live in the country without working.
Ireland requires proof of at least €50,000 in annual income, as well as significant emergency funds, to qualify for their “person of independent means” visa and residency.
If you can demonstrate reliable passive income, this visa offers a simple route to residing in a European country without needing local employment.
6. The Fast Track: Citizenship by Investment
Citizenship by investment takes you a step further than the Golden Visa, facilitating outright EU citizenship.
Several countries offer this route to citizenship. It works precisely as it sounds: invest a specific amount of money in a specific EU country in exchange for citizenship. Different nations impose different investment thresholds to qualify.
Malta offers one of the most prominent citizenship by investment programs in the EU. To qualify, you’ll need to invest a total of €900,000, with €650,000 allocated to real estate and the remainder to government bonds. A successful application leads to one year of residency before you receive your passport, valid for 10 years. Be aware, however, that Malta has a rigorous program with a high application rejection rate.
Cyprus also has a well-publicized, active citizenship by investment program within the EU.
Citizenship through investment constitutes a faster path to residency and citizenship in EU countries, eliminating the standard five-year residency waiting period.
7. Honoring Heritage: Citizenship by Ancestry
If you were born outside the EU but your parents or ancestors (extending in some instances to grandparents, or even great-grandparents) were EU residents, you might be eligible for EU residency and, eventually, citizenship.
Citizenship by ancestry or descent ranges from simple to complicated, depending on the specific EU country. Typically, establishing ancestry is key to obtaining residency or citizenship in the country from which your ancestors originated.
8. Enjoying Leisure: Retirement and Freelance Visas
Retirees and freelance workers seeking a European lifestyle can apply for visas that serve as a stepping stone to residency in various countries. Qualifying for these visas requires meeting the individual standards, rules, and regulations of each country.
Portugal is a particularly popular option, offering relatively lenient requirements such as demonstrating savings or investments of around €15,000 and proving you can support yourself without seeking employment locally. Once in Portugal, you can then proceed with your residency application.
Residency requirements with this visa involve at least four months of stay during the first year, with no absences lasting longer than six consecutive months. Residency renewals are required every two years until the fifth year.
After five years, you can apply for Portuguese citizenship, involving an interview to assess basic language skills and biometric data collection. Expect your passport roughly a year after application.
9. Found Families: Adoption
Adoption enables another path to EU residency. Each country mandates particular rules for adoption, especially for children originating from non-EU countries. Successful adoption entails obtaining residency permits for the child, followed by naturalization within their adoptive parents’ country of citizenship.
10. Seeking Sanctuary: Asylum
Refugees can find asylum in various European countries, granting legal residency upon acceptance. Asylum seekers must abide by the laws of the country, are generally permitted to seek employment, and enjoy freedom of movement within the country. Citizenship through naturalization is possible according to the country’s laws, typically requiring permanent residency for eight to ten years before qualifying for application.
Conclusion
These ten pathways represent prominent methods for acquiring residency in an EU country, available only to citizens of non-EU countries. The EU’s appeal stems from its robust economy, political stability, and freedom of movement across member states.
