How to Get EU Citizenship: Your Essential Guide in 2026

Live in Paris, start a business in Berlin, or retire in Portugal, without visas, border restrictions, or extra paperwork. That is the everyday reality for millions of EU citizens, and it is why so many people ask how to get EU citizenship.

This guide covers how to become a citizen of the European Union, whether you qualify through ancestry, marriage, work, investment, or European residency. It covers the real options available and the details you need to know.

EU Citizenship at a Glance: What It Really Means

5 Pathways to EU Citizenship

EU citizenship matters if you plan to live, work, or travel across Europe.

What EU Citizenship Really Is

When you hold citizenship in any of the 27 EU member states, such as Italy, Germany, Portugal, or Spain, you are automatically recognised as a citizen of the European Union. This status grants you rights both within your country of nationality and across the EU.

Additional agreements extend these rights to Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland, giving access to much of Europe for living, working, studying, and travelling.

Core Rights of EU Citizens

Here is what being an EU citizen gives you:

EU citizenship offers freedom of movement and benefits for you and your family.

Here is how you can qualify for EU citizenship based on your background and situation.

EU Citizenship vs Residency: Not the Same

Being a resident of an EU country (through a visa or permit) is not the same as being a citizen.

Many people confuse the two, but citizenship gives the fullest security and rights.

Dual Citizenship: Can You Keep Your Original Passport?

One of the biggest concerns people have is whether they'll lose their original citizenship (like U.S., Canadian, British, Australian, etc.) when they become an EU citizen.

• Many EU countries allow dual citizenship, like Italy, Ireland, Portugal, France, Germany and Sweden.
• Some are stricter, like Austria and the Netherlands, which generally expect you to give up your previous nationality. Germany has allowed dual citizenship since 27 June 2024.
• Rules vary, but most non-EU countries (like the U.S., Canada, and Australia) don't force you to give up your original citizenship either.

How to Qualify for EU Citizenship

There are five main ways you can qualify for EU citizenship:

• By Descent: If you have parents, grandparents, or even great-grandparents from an EU country.
• By Marriage: Through marrying an EU citizen, leading to a faster naturalisation process.
• By Naturalisation: After living legally in an EU country for several years.
• By Investment: Through Golden Visa programmes or direct investment in select EU countries.
• By Work and Employment: Building residency rights through long-term employment and legal stay.

Each path has different requirements depending on the country.

Residence periods reflect each country's national rules and the EU Court of Justice ruling on Malta (Case C-181/23, 29 April 2025). Portugal's figures follow Lei Orgânica 1/2026, in force 19 May 2026. Always confirm current requirements with the relevant government authority. Last reviewed 18 October 2026.

You may need to show:

• Minimum years of residency
• Basic language skills
• Integration into local culture
• Clean criminal background

Important to Know

Not all EU countries make the path to citizenship equally easy.

Some countries offer:

• Residency-by-investment (Golden Visa) routes that can lead to citizenship over time
• Shorter residency periods before applying
• Flexible dual citizenship policies
• Special programs for Americans, Brits, Australians, and other non-EU citizens

How to Get EU Citizenship Through Investment

For those without European ancestry, investing in certain EU countries can offer a powerful route to citizenship.

Through strategic real estate purchases, business investments, or government contributions, you can gain residency and later full EU citizenship while building assets at the same time.

Here are the top countries offering real investment pathways in 2026:

Portugal: Golden Visa (Residency by Investment)

Key Updates

• In late 2023, real estate investments were no longer eligible for Golden Visas.
• Since 19 May 2026 the qualifying residency period is 7 years (EU and Portuguese-speaking nationals) or 10 years (others), counted only while you hold a valid residence title, usually from when your first permit is issued; the 2024 rule counting from the application date was repealed (Lei Orgânica 1/2026).
• Since Lei 56/2023 the routes are a €500,000 qualifying fund, €500,000 for scientific research, €250,000 for cultural heritage, €500,000 in company capital with 5 permanent jobs, or creating 10 jobs (AIMA Golden Visa page).

Timeline to citizenship

• 7 years of legal residency for EU and Portuguese-speaking (CPLP) nationals, or 10 years for all others, since 19 May 2026 (Lei Orgânica 1/2026). The Golden Visa keeps a low physical-presence requirement of 7 days in the first year and 14 days in each following two-year period.
• Under Lei Orgânica 1/2026 (in force 19 May 2026), only time under a valid residence title counts toward naturalisation, and the old rule counting time from the residence application was repealed, so don't assume months spent waiting for AIMA count.

Key Benefits

• This is a residency route to citizenship, with naturalisation possible after 7 years for EU and Portuguese-speaking nationals or 10 years for others, since 19 May 2026.
• Residency flexibility: low physical presence, 7 days in the first year and 14 days in each following two-year period.
• Strong passport once you naturalise: visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to most countries.
• Family inclusion: spouse, children, and dependant parents included.
• Attractive lifestyle: top healthcare, international schools, and overall quality of life.
• Tax incentives: Tax planning opportunities (note: the NHR regime closed to new applicants in 2024).

Spain: Golden Visa Abolished (Closed 3 April 2025)

Important Update: Spain's Golden Visa closed to new applications on 3 April 2025 (Ley Orgánica 1/2025), including the €500,000 property route. Visas already granted keep their validity, and renewals follow the rules in force when they were first granted (BOE, consolidated Ley 14/2013).

Historical investment options included:

Investment Options (Historical)

• €500,000 real estate purchase (no longer available)
• Business investment creating jobs or adding innovation
• Significant bank deposit or government bond

For those seeking Spanish residency, alternative routes include work visas, the Digital Nomad Visa, non-lucrative visas, or entrepreneur visas. Citizenship still requires 10 years of legal residency (or 2 years for nationals of Ibero-American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea, Portugal, and Sephardic Jews).

Malta: Citizenship for Exceptional Services by Direct Investment (Program Terminated)

Important Update: Malta's MEIN citizenship-by-investment program was declared illegal by the European Court of Justice on April 29, 2025, ruling it violated EU law. Malta repealed the investment route in July 2025; its remaining merit route is discretionary naturalisation for exceptional contributions, not an investment option.

Malta previously offered a rare direct citizenship route, without needing years of residency first. Historical requirements were:

Requirements (Historical)

• €600,000 contribution to the national development fund after 36 months of residency, or
• €750,000 contribution after 12 months (fast-track option).
• €700,000 property purchase (or €16,000/year lease).
• €10,000 charitable donation.

For current EU citizenship options via investment, consider Portugal's Golden Visa or Greece's Golden Visa, which offer residency that can lead to citizenship after about 7 to 10 years, depending on nationality and physical-presence rules.

Italy: Investor Visa Leading to Citizenship

Italy's investor visa gives residence, not citizenship, for one of these investments (Immigration Code art. 26-bis):

• €250,000 investment in an innovative startup.
• €500,000 in an Italian company or a venture-capital fund operating in Italy.
• €2 million in government bonds.
• €1 million in a philanthropic initiative.

Timeline to citizenship

Ten years of legal residence in Italy are required (4 for EU citizens).

Key Benefits

• You have access to the entire Schengen Zone.
• The permit lasts 2 years and renews for 3-year periods, and holders are exempt from the usual continuity-of-stay rules for 5 years; naturalisation still needs 10 years of legal residence.
• Once they are naturalised, they will have full rights to public healthcare and education.

Greece: Golden Visa Program

Investment Options (2026 Thresholds)

• €800,000 in the Attica region (including Athens), the regional unit of Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini and islands with more than 3,100 residents, in a single property of at least 120 m2.
• €400,000 for all other areas (same single-property and 120 m2 rules).
• €250,000 only for converting a non-residential building to residential use or restoring a listed building (strict conditions apply; most investors face the €400,000-€800,000 thresholds).

Timeline to citizenship

Naturalisation needs 7 years of lawful and permanent residence. The Golden Visa is one of the permits that qualifies, but you must actually live in Greece and pass the PEGP knowledge exam.

Key Benefits

• There is no minimum stay to keep the 5-year residence permit, but time counts toward citizenship only if you actually live in Greece.
• The Schengen Zone allows for movement without the need for a visa.
• Access to affordable European healthcare and education.

Citizenship by Descent (Ancestry)

For many people, proving ancestral ties is one of the most powerful and emotional ways to become an EU citizen.

If you have parents, grandparents, or even great-grandparents from an EU country, you might qualify for citizenship automatically. But each country has its own rules, and the documentation standards are strict.

How to Prove Ancestral Ties

Typically, you'll need to prove an unbroken chain from your EU ancestor to yourself. This means collecting and submitting:

• Birth certificates
• Marriage certificates
• Citizenship or naturalisation records
• Apostilled and officially translated documents

Small issues, like name misspellings, missing records, or unclear timelines, can derail your application, so careful preparation matters.

Portugal

Portugal grants citizenship of origin to children of a Portuguese parent. Grandchildren of a Portuguese citizen of origin can also acquire it, but since 19 May 2026 (Lei Orgânica 1/2026) they must meet tests on Portuguese language and culture, civic knowledge and criminal record. Great-grandchildren can apply for a discretionary naturalisation route that still needs 5 years of legal residence.

Italy

Italy tightened its ancestry rules with Decree-Law 36/2025 (in force 29 March 2025, converted by Law 74/2025). If you were born abroad and hold another citizenship, a claim filed after 23:59 Rome time on 27 March 2025 generally needs a parent or grandparent who holds, or held at death, only Italian citizenship, or a parent who lived in Italy for 2 continuous years after becoming Italian and before your birth (Law 91/1992 art. 3-bis, Normattiva). Pre-1948 maternal-line claims still go through the courts; claims filed by 27 March 2025 stay under the old law, and later claims must meet the same test. The Constitutional Court upheld the rule in 2026, and an EU-law question on it is pending before the EU Court of Justice.

Spain

Spain offers nationality of origin to the children of a Spanish parent, regardless of where the child is born. Grandchildren of a Spaniard by origin can naturalise after 1 year of legal residence in Spain (Civil Code art. 22). Spain's Democratic Memory Law (Ley 20/2022) offered a route for descendants of Spaniards affected by historical exile, but its application window closed on 22 October 2025.

Malta

Malta allows citizenship by descent if you have at least one Maltese parent at birth. Descendants of Maltese-born emigrants may also be able to register as citizens under certain conditions.

Greece

Greece grants citizenship to descendants of Greek citizens, especially if the birth was registered in Greece. If you have a Greek parent or grandparent, you may be able to claim through them, but you must prove each family link through official Greek documents.

Germany

Germany recognises citizenship by descent primarily for children of German citizens. Since 2021 (§15 of the Nationality Act), descendants of people who lost or were denied German citizenship under Nazi persecution have a statutory right to naturalisation. Otherwise, claims based on ancestry beyond the first generation (i.e., grandparents and great-grandparents) are more restricted when compared to countries such as Italy.

How Much Does It Cost to Get EU Citizenship or Residency?

EU citizenship or residency comes with costs that vary by pathway.

Here's what to expect:

Investment Minimums: Golden Visa Programs

If you're pursuing EU citizenship via a Golden Visa or investment residency program, the costs are significantly higher upfront:

Government fees, due diligence and family-member charges come on top of the investment. In Portugal, for example, AIMA charges €6,946.30 per person for the first Golden Visa card (AIMA fee table in force from 1 March 2026).

Golden Visa vs Naturalisation: Cost Comparison

EU citizenship costs both time and money. Some paths are affordable but slow; others are faster but expensive.

Here are the typical costs by route.

As you can see, naturalisation routes like descent or marriage are often far more affordable, but they demand time and patience. Investment paths like the Golden Visa come with a high price tag but reward you with faster residency rights and flexibility.

How to Get EU Citizenship as an American

1. Naturalisation Through Residency

Typically, the process involves living in a country for several continuous years, integrating into society, learning the local language, and demonstrating ties to the community.

Key Factors to Expect

• Proof of legal residence
• Language proficiency (varies by country)
• Knowledge of local culture or passing a basic civics exam
• Clean criminal record
• Financial self-sufficiency

Examples:

• Portugal: Naturalisation after 7 years of residency for EU and Portuguese-speaking (CPLP) nationals, or 10 years for others, since 19 May 2026.
• Spain: Requires 10 years of residency, reduced to 2 years for nationals of Ibero-American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea, Portugal, and Sephardic Jews (Código Civil art. 22).

2. Citizenship by Investment

Several EU countries offer residency through investment, which can eventually lead to citizenship.

Investors are granted residency rights after making qualifying investments in real estate, business, funds, or government bonds. After maintaining residency and meeting national requirements, they may become eligible to apply for citizenship.

Portugal and Greece remain top destinations offering Golden Visa programmes with paths toward citizenship. (Note: Spain's Golden Visa closed to new applications on 3 April 2025; Malta's citizenship-by-investment scheme was ruled unlawful by the CJEU on 29 April 2025.)

Common Investment Types

• Investment in regulated investment funds
• Strategic real estate purchases (where still allowed)
• Business creation that generates local jobs
• Donations supporting scientific research or cultural projects

3. Citizenship by Descent

If you have European ancestry, you might be eligible for citizenship through descent. Key countries offering this pathway include:

• Italy: for claims filed after 27 March 2025 by people born abroad with another citizenship, generally limited to those with a parent or grandparent who holds, or held at death, only Italian citizenship, or an Italian parent who lived in Italy for 2 continuous years before the birth (Decree-Law 36/2025, converted by Law 74/2025).
• Poland: possible through citizenship confirmation if Polish citizenship passed in an unbroken line from an ancestor who held it under Poland's first citizenship law of 31 January 1920.
• Germany: Recognised for descendants of German citizens, including those impacted by Nazi-era laws.
• Portugal: The special naturalisation route for descendants of Sephardic Jews was repealed by Lei Orgânica 1/2026 and is closed to new applications from 19 May 2026.
• Spain: Offered to children of a Spanish parent; the Democratic Memory Law window for descendants of exiles closed on 22 October 2025.
• Ireland: Eligible if a parent or grandparent was born in Ireland.

4. Work and Business Pathways

Employment or entrepreneurship in the EU can lead to residency and eventually citizenship:

• EU Blue Card: For highly skilled workers; offers a pathway to permanent residency and citizenship.
• Startup Visas: Countries like France and Italy offer visas for entrepreneurs planning to establish innovative businesses. ​

Note: These pathways typically require a job offer or business plan, along with financial stability.

5. Citizenship Through Marriage

Marrying an EU citizen can significantly shorten the path to citizenship. Most EU countries offer accelerated naturalisation timelines for spouses, often reducing residency requirements compared to standard applicants.

Typical conditions include maintaining the marriage for several years, demonstrating ties to the country, passing basic language tests, and meeting residency obligations.

While timelines and integration requirements vary, countries like Portugal, Spain, Italy, and France provide well-established spousal routes to citizenship.

6. Dual Citizenship Considerations

The United States allows dual citizenship, and many EU countries permit Americans to retain US citizenship once they are naturalised.

However, a few EU nations require individuals to renounce prior citizenships unless specific exemptions apply.

Here's a quick overview:

How to Get EU Citizenship as a UK Citizen

Brexit reshaped the rights of British nationals across Europe, removing automatic freedom of movement, work, and residency rights across the EU.

But many pathways remain open for those looking to regain their European status.

Restoring European Mobility: Main Pathways

While no single program "undoes" Brexit, several options help UK citizens reclaim access to the EU:

Top Countries Where Brits Are Moving to Regain EU Rights

Certain EU countries have emerged as Britain's favourites for restoring their European footprints.

How to Get Citizenship Through Marriage

Marrying an EU citizen can offer a faster and simpler path to citizenship, but it's not automatic. Each country sets its own rules, and requirements can vary significantly.

In most cases, you'll need to:

• Live in the EU country where your spouse is a citizen for a few years before applying.
• Prove the marriage is genuine with shared residency, family ties, or joint financial commitments.
• Pass basic integration tests, such as a language or civics exam (depending on the country).
• Maintain a clean legal record and demonstrate financial stability.

Some countries offer notably faster timelines:

Portugal

Citizenship can be acquired after 3 years of marriage or a recognised civil partnership, even without living in Portugal, but you must prove an effective connection to the Portuguese community; for marriages of under 6 years that proof is assessed more strictly under Lei Orgânica 1/2026.

Spain

If you're married to a Spanish citizen and reside in Spain, you can apply for citizenship after just 1 year of legal residency.

Italy

You can apply after completing 2 years of residency in Italy or after living abroad for 3 years. If you have minor children (under 18, biological or adopted) with your spouse, the timeline reduces by half.

Greece

Marriage to a Greek citizen gives access to residency. The reduced 3-year naturalisation period applies only if you also have a child together; otherwise the standard 7-year residence requirement applies.

Malta

A foreign spouse of a Maltese citizen can apply to register as a citizen after 5 years of marriage and living together (Community Malta Agency Form B).

While this is one of the more affordable routes to EU citizenship, it still involves careful documentation and time.

Check the exact requirements in your spouse's country, and consider speaking with a local immigration expert.

How to Get Citizenship Through Work or Business

Working or building a business in the EU can lead to long-term residency and full citizenship. This type of visa is a popular route for skilled professionals, digital nomads, and entrepreneurs who want to live in Europe long-term without relying on ancestry or investment capital.

While the path is usually longer than other routes, it's also one of the most accessible for non-EU nationals with employable skills or business plans.

How to Become Naturalised in Europe

Naturalisation is the most common pathway to EU citizenship for people without ancestry, marriage, or investment options.

It involves legally living in an EU country for several years and meeting integration requirements, such as language skills, community ties, and a clean legal record.

Choosing Your Route

There is a route to EU citizenship for most situations, whether through ancestry, marriage, work, or investment.

Some paths are slow but cheap; others are faster but more expensive. Choose by your timeline and budget.

Sources

This guide draws on official EU and national government sources:

• Your Europe: EU Residence Rights
• AIMA, Portugal's immigration agency: Golden Visa
• Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Nationality law
• Italian Citizenship Law 91/1992 (Normattiva): citizenship by descent and naturalisation
• German Federal Foreign Office: 2024 citizenship reforms
• Irish Department of Foreign Affairs: Irish citizenship and the Foreign Births Register
• Greek Ministry of Migration: Golden Visa program

Last reviewed: 18 October 2026. Citizenship laws change frequently, so always confirm with official sources or qualified legal counsel.