If you love entertaining the thought of moving to the European Union permanently or semi-permanently, you’d be happy to know that there are ways you can obtain citizenship. With citizenship in Europe, you will enjoy a myriad of benefits. Including travel between the member nations and the right to study, work, and live in any of the union countries.
While the easiest way to get citizenship is through residence or ancestry. Several countries offer other ways that make individuals eligible for citizenship. Such as through real estate investment. Some countries provide specialized visas that could make candidates eligible for citizenship under certain other circumstances or requirements. However, it’s important to note that obtaining citizenship can be detailed and highly complex. Sometimes, even not qualifying one criterion could be why an application could be rejected. So it’s always a good idea to have alternatives.
In case you cannot obtain citizenship. Several European countries provide long-term residency visas that could be enough to fuel your passion for living in your dream European country.
Now, if your heart is set on giving additional citizenship a try, here are the top European Union countries that can offer fantastic opportunities to you –
#1 – Portugal
Portugal offers a beautiful destination to live, work, and travel with a warm climate, picturesque views, and a substantially large ex-pat community. Through the government’s Golden Visa program, you only need to invest at least €500,000 in real estate. You can quickly obtain citizenship that will allow you to move with your entire family for five years or more. Other initiatives demand lesser investment as well.
You don’t necessarily have to move to Portugal to qualify for citizenship. Hence, it gives you an excellent opportunity to recover your investment costs by putting your property for rent.
#2 – Italy
If you’re already in love with Italy’s culture, food, and fashion, you can apply for citizenship if you have Italian heritage. Fortunately, there isn’t a set upward limit on how many generations back your connection has to go to qualify for citizenship. Making it one of the easiest countries to claim a second passport by descent.
However, it does come with other strings attached. You have to show that your Italian ancestor was living in the country after 1861, and the chain of Italian citizenship hasn’t been broken over the years.
You could also get Italian citizenship by working for the government for at least five years. You don’t necessarily have to live in Italy to earn this citizenship. Because Italy is almost everywhere globally, you can qualify for citizenship without setting foot in the nation.
#3 – Greece
Home to the exotic islands of the Aegean Sea and with a rich Athenian history, Greece won’t take long to win you over. If your great-grandparents hailed from Greece, you might have a fair shot at obtaining citizenship by descent. However, everybody in the line may have to seek citizenship, which means that your parents will have to get their citizenship before you can make a formal application. The cost could be as little as €200 at a Greek consulate.
Suppose you don’t have a Greek ancestor. In that case, you can apply for a Digital Nomad visa to live in the country. Alternatively, you could make a substantial investment of around €250,000 (although the number may soon increase to €500,000) to gain residency status. Once you maintain your residency status for about seven years, you’ll be able to apply for citizenship.
Wrapping Up
If you’ve always wanted to move to one of the magical European countries, now is the time to make it happen. With so many opportunities at your disposal. You can make your dream of settling in a European country come true while enjoying the many benefits dual citizenship offers.
And in case the thought of making that initial move to a new country seems like a big task, fret not. Having premium relocation services at your beck and call, you can make your transition as hassle-free as possible.
