Job Discussion Forums

[balatro]

How hard is it to get citizenship in a EU country and then get a passport so you can legally move around the EU as far as jobs are concerned?

I was told that it's typically the same across the board -- live there for 5-7 years, establish yourself as worthiness, apply for citizenship, and they usually accept you and then you can get a Passport very easily after that.

Just curious how that works and if anyone here has had such experience?

[EnglishBrian]

I'm not sure it's quite that simple. There isn't an EU citizenship or passport as such. Citizens of the member countries are the EU citizens. I have a British passport - that is an EU passport. If you have a US passport, that isn't an EU passport.

So to become an EU citizen, what you are actually doing is trying to become a citizen of a particular EU country. You may be able to do this through having a parent or grandparent from one of the countries (rules vary of course by country), by marrying someone from that country or by living and working in a country for a long time then applying to become a citizen afterwards - though I don't think there is an across the board 5-7 year rule and it wouldn't be automatic in any event I would reckon. If you work in certain countries long enough they might give you a kind of permanent or long term residence/work permit without you needing to apply for citizenship, but that would probably be specific to the one country, not valid EU wide.

I'm married to a Lithuanian and was told she wont be entitled to apply for a British passport till she's actually lived in the UK for 5 years - being married to me overseas doesn't count, though now Lithuania is in the EU the point is moot. As I say, rules vary, but that's one 'case study'.

If I remember rightly there's a lot more info on this by people who probably know more, on the Europe job forums.

[balatro]

Thanks for the reply. I am aware that a US Passport doesn't qualify as a EU Passport but seeing some form of treaty established between the EU and US would be interesting to allow free flow of workers and moving ... but then again, maybe not. There are certain advantages and disadvantages as always ... but I'll reserve that debate for a politican.

I was unsure what some of these people meant by "I have an EU Passport" though now I understand that they're saying "I have a <insert country here> passport that happens to be accepted in other countries of the EU"

I've heard different rules as far as getting citizenship in other countries ... my 1st level Latin teacher had dual citizenship with Italy, she said she was only there for 4 years but her husband was a businessman and had connections so it helped her expedite the process.

[EnglishBrian]

I have heard arguments from Canadians that they would like to leave NAFTA and join the EU. Conversely Some people have argued Britain should leave the EU and join NAFTA. Don't think either's likely though.

[31]

There is no talk of a treaty between America and the EU about the free flow of labour between the two.

When people talk about having an EU passport or employers in EU countries want employees to have an EU passport they mean that the individual has a passport from a country that is part of the EU. A Turkish passport is accepted worldwide as in an American one but as Turkey is not part of the EU the passport holder does not automatically have the right to work in an EU member country. The passport holder would have to obtain a work permit to work in that particular EU country.

When you talk about obtaining an EU passport or getting the nationality of an EU country of course each EU country has different rules about how to obtain citizenship. Don`t forget that in many if not all EU countries obtaining citizenship has been made much more difficult. Also remember how difficult it would be for citizens of an EU country to obtain American citizenship and many people on this board seen to act as if obtaining ''an EU recognised'' passport was just some sort of scam.

[dagi]

To get the citizenship of a country of the EU you must be a legal resident for a certain number of years. You must speak the local language and be integrated in society. The required number of years vary from 5-15 years. A lot of countries will test you as well on your language skills and about your knowledge about the history of the country. You must pass the test to get citizenship.
Also keep in mind that most countries will require you to give up your original citizenship. Very few EU countries have an agreement with the U.S. about double-nationalitiy. The only way to keep/get both passports is getting married to a EU-national.
Every contry has its own laws. In the Netherlands for example you can, after 5 years of legal residency, apply for an indefinite RP. It costs a lot of money, but you will granted the exact same rights as the Dutch citizens (except you can't vote) and they can't throw you out of the country, ever.

[dyak]

Really really hard.

[31]

Not all countries have a citizenship test. The UK have been talking about having one but nobody can agree about what it means to be British.

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

[Chasgul]

Be aware that even if you marry an EU passport-holder you are unlikely to recieve a passport for six years, that applies Europe-wide because of legislation from Brussels. After two years you can apply for permanent residency, after another four you can apply for the passport. And that's if you're married. Alternatively, if you have already been married for six years, you can apply for the passport directly.

Note that you have the right to APPLY, that is not the right to receive. They have the right to refuse your application for all sorts of reasons.