How to Become a Citizen of an EU Member Nation

Americans who want to become a citizen of a European Union (EU) member nation can face a difficult task. With patience and determination, it can be completed in a few months under certain circumstances; usually though, it takes several years to complete. We will examine both conventional methods for changing citizenship as well as unconventional methods in the steps below. These steps are listed not in chronological order but in order of ease and highest likelihood of success.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A parent or grandfather who is or was a citizen of an EU member nation
• Statistical data from American archives proving your family status
• Certification of statistical data

1. Ask immigrant parents (if you have them) about their citizenship status. Usually people who have at least one parent who is a citizen in an EU member nation can obtain dual citizenship fairly easily. Dual citizens are afforded nearly all of the same rights and privileges as regular citizens, including the right to hold passports from each of their countries.

2. Check with the nearest consulate of the country (whose citizenship you are seeking) about the requirements for seeking ancestral citizenship through that nation. Most countries only permit claims through your father's or paternal grandfather's country of citizenship (see Tips below). Under certain circumstances, it is possible for American citizens to reclaim ancestral citizenship in the country of their family origin. The process can be long and complicated, but also well worth the effort if one is successful.

3. Obtain citizenship by registration. This is one of the easier ways of gaining citizenship, but it only applies to certain individuals. These generally include exceptions to naturalization laws, such as children born in the EU member nation but who are now stateless due to complications in their country of citizenship. A complete list of causes for registration are listed in one of the links below.

4. Seek citizenship by adoption. Some EU member nations permit children to become citizens if they are adopted by someone who is already a citizen. All rights and privileges of citizenship are given to them (including passports) as long as the application is completed before the child turns 18 years old.

5. Attempt to obtain citizenship through naturalization. There are two ways in which most EU member nations naturalize citizens of other nations. First is in the case of a foreigner being married to a citizen. In this situation, the foreigner needs to be a legal resident of the country for at least three years and able to pass a naturalization test, which generally necessitates sufficient knowledge of the national language. For non-married naturalization, it's the same process as above, only the time periods for waiting are longer.

Tips & Warnings

• Not all European Union member nations have the same policies for claiming ancestral citizenship, be sure to thoroughly check with the appropriate consulate to find out what the policies are. Though most countries require that the citizenship be passed on paternally, not all do: Britain, Ireland and Italy allow you to claim citizenship through the maternal line.
• Be prepared in case you are not accepted as a legitimate candidate for citizenship. Following these steps does not mean that you will be guaranteed acceptance. Occasionally, even though people meet all of the criteria for citizenship flawlessly, they are still not given citizenship. The decision is the prerogative of the member nation or of the officials handling an individual's case. All citizenship claims are handled on a case-by-case basis.

References

• http://www.wikihow.com/Obtain-an-EU-Passport-as-a-US-Citizen
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_nationality_law#Acquisition_of_British_citizenship