Portugal plans to increase the residency requirement for citizenship from five to ten years. Let's take a look around Europe. How many years do you need to spend as a resident before becoming a citizen?

1. Austria 10 years
2. Belgium 5 years
3. Bulgaria 5 years
4. Croatia 8 years
5. Cyprus 7 years
6. Czech Republic 5 years
7. Denmark 9 years
8. Estonia 8 years
9. Finland 5 years
10. France 5 years
11. Germany 8 years (can be reduced to 6 with integration)
12. Greece 7 years
13. Hungary 8 years
14. Ireland 5 years (with specific conditions)
15. Italy 10 years
16. Latvia 5 years
17. Lithuania 10 years
18. Luxembourg 5 years
19. Malta 5 years
20. Netherlands 5 years
21. Poland 3 years (with permanent residence)
22. Portugal 5 years
23. Romania 8 years
24. Slovakia 8 years
25. Slovenia 10 years
26. Spain 10 years
27. Sweden 5 years

Don't forget, there are always exceptions, options or schemes which can make your naturalisation process faster. The typical reasons to expedite the naturalisation process are through marriage, ancestry, or refugee status.

For example, in Spain, you must have resided for ten years to obtain a passport. But there are many exceptions.

These are the following: 

• Ibero-American countries 2 years
• Andorra 2 years
• Philippines 2 years
• Equatorial Guinea 2 years
• Portugal 2 years
• Sephardic Jewish origin 2 years
• Refugees 5 years
• Born in Spain (but not registered) 1 year
• Married to a Spanish citizen 1 year
• Widow(er) of a Spanish citizen 1 year
• Under the guardianship of a Spanish citizen/institution 1 year
• Descendants of Spanish citizens (up to grandparents) 1 year 

Each EU Member State has the sovereign right to determine the timeframe for granting residency status to foreigners from within or outside the Schengen zone for naturalisation purposes. And these laws may change. Recently, Italy increased the number of necessary years; now, Portugal is following suit to address the challenges of global immigration processes. 

Which are the Member States of the European Union with residency by investment programs? 

Residency by investment programs usually lead to citizenship. Of course, you must fulfil all the requirements, such as continuous physical residency or passing language or cultural tests. 

Austria (several options), Belgium (Business investment), Bulgaria (real estate and bonds), Cyprus (real estate and business), Greece (real estate and funds), Hungary (real estate funds or donation), Italy (business, donation, bonds), Latvia (real estate and business), Malta (real estaste and donation), Portugal (funds, business, donation). 

Do you want to become a resident, later a citizen of the European Union? Discus Holdings Ltd is your most reliable partner to support you in becoming European. Contact us for a tailor-made solution here!

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