EU Citizenship By Investment – Facts & Limitations

September 27, 2022 | | Blog |

The most common way to become a citizen of an EU nation is by naturalization. You must get resident status and stay in the nation for a number of years.

Investment programmes exist in various EU nations that make the process of obtaining citizenship easier. Investors can become citizens of Malta on the basis of extraordinary distinction after 1 to 3 years as a resident, without having to stay there permanently.

Having EU citizenship may help you and your family have a secure future, make successful investments, offer your kids a decent education, and open up opportunities for you to pursue a career overseas. The residents of EU nations also have access to high-quality social security and healthcare services.

Many EU nations enable persons to acquire second citizenship without giving up their first. For people who want to save their prior status and rights in their native country, this is essential.

9 benefits of EU citizenship

  1. Free residence in any country of the European Union (EU).
  2. Travel without visas in the EU and Schengen countries.
  3. Visa-free travel to an average of 170+ countries.
  4. The opportunity to work in any EU country with an EU passport.
  5. Quality healthcare.
  6. Access to social security such as pensions, benefits.
  7. Opportunity to educate children in prestigious universities.
  8.  Purchase of real estate in any of the EU countries.
  9. Stable high standard of living, safety.

How to obtain EU citizenship

There are three ways to become a citizen of the European Union:

  1. Naturalization
  2. Investment
  3. Repatriation

Each choice has limitations of its own. The programmes do not operate in all countries, nor are they accessible to everyone.

Finland, Germany, Hungary, and a few more nations run repatriation programmes. Their participants are given an EU passport or a residency permit.  The existence of close relatives who were citizens of the nation is the primary requirement.

Some programmes place restrictions on participants’ birth dates or the length of time their kin have been in the state. For instance, obtaining citizenship in Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia requires that your relatives lived in those countries throughout their respective periods of independence. It would be impossible to get a passport after being repatriated if family members were in these countries during the Soviet era.

For someone to become a citizen by naturalization, they must first receive a residency permit, then a permanent residency, and finally a passport. Depending on the nation and criteria, the process might take anywhere between 6 to 12 years.

Obtaining citizenship through naturalization is challenging. You must first apply for a residency permission card; suitable justifications include an invitation from a company, enrollment in school, or union with a national. You can obtain a permanent residency permit after a few years and subsequently citizenship.