How to Apply for EU Citizenship

France's membership in the European Union allows French citizens freedom to work and travel freely throughout EU member states.

Becoming one of the 495 million citizens living in the European Union requires an attachment by law or nationality to one of the 27 member states, or countries, that belong to the EU because each country keeps its own laws and borders. You can only attain EU citizenship by being a citizen by law or birth of one of the EU member states or four non-member states. Citizenship in the European Union allows you to live, work, and travel freely in any of the member states, in addition to Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland.

Instructions

1. Make an ancestral claim. Many members states of the European recognize ancestry as a legitimate claim for citizenship. If you can prove that your parents, and in some cases your grandparents as is the case in Ireland, were born in an EU country, you may qualify for that country's citizenship with a shorter waiting period. Other exceptions such as this exist for ancestors of many former Soviet bloc countries.

2. Choose the country in which you want to live. Citizenship in the EU requires citizenship in one of the EU member states.

3. Learn the native language fluently of the country where you want to live and gain citizenship. Many countries, such as Latvia, Romania, and Germany, require knowledge of the language and culture as a condition of citizenship whether it's gained through an ancestral link or naturalization.

4. Live in a country that is part of the European Union. All EU member states require some period of residency in the country where you are applying for citizenship. Ireland and Cyprus require a total of 5 years residency for naturalized citizens.

5. Apply to an EU member state for citizenship. Your citizenship application will include proof of residency, ability to earn a living, good character, and fluency in the native language. The waiting period for application approval varies by each country in the European Union and depends on the accuracy of the records you provide.

Tips & Warnings

• Marriage to an EU citizen still requires a period of residency in your spouse's native country.

• Even though some ancestral claims allow citizenship without language requirements, the required forms are in the language of the country.

References

• Europa: How many people live in the EU?
• Living in Greece: Get EU Citizenship
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia: Latvian Citizenship
• Auswartiges Amt: Law on Nationality
• Embassy of Romania: Acquiring Romanian Citizenship

Resources

• Citizens Information: Becoming an Irish citizen through naturalisation
• Minister of Foreign Affairs: Acquisition of Cypriot Citizenship
• Living in Greece: Acquiring EU citizenship through ancestry or naturalization