European Citizenship Requirements
Becoming a citizen of a European nation means you can legally live and work in your chosen country. This task can be fairly simple if you already have family ties to the country where you are seeking citizenship. For those without such ties, becoming a citizen can prove to be a time consuming and expensive task, but it is not impossible.
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European Union
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The European Union, or EU, consists of 27 countries in Europe including all of the western European countries as well as Finland, Sweden, Hungary and Czech Republic. The four non-EU countries are Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. EU citizenship allows you to move to any EU country and observe the same legal rights there as you would in your home country including being able to work and vote. Once you become an European citizen, you can obtain a national ID card and passport.
Ancestry
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You can become a citizen of the European Union or non-member states if you were born or adopted in that country. If you were not born there, but your parent or other ancestor was born in that country, you can apply to become a citize. If you have close ties to that particular country, you can apply for simplified naturalization. Most countries do not have residency or language requirements for this type of citizenship.
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Marriage
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If you are married to and/or have a child with a citizen of the European Union, you are entitled to obtain a residence and work permit. These permits grant you the same rights as a European citizen. Also, you may be eligible to obtain citizenship by naturalization faster than those who are not married or have a child with a citizen. In this instance, there are generally requirements for residency and language. You will be required to show the birth and/or marriage certificates.
Dual Citizenship
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People who do not have family ties to a European citizen can apply for dual citizenship, which means you are a citizen of two countries simultaneously. You should first obtain a visa and move there. Dual citizenship requires that you are over age 18, of good character and have resided in the country for a minimum of three to nine years depending on the country's requirements. You can then apply for citizenship through that country's consulate by completing the appropriate paperwork and paying the corresponding fees, which can cost hundreds of dollars.
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