EU Passport
Its significance
An EU passport is a passport issued by one of the 27 member states of the European Union. It allows the holder to travel freely between EU countries and to visit many non-EU countries without a visa, depending on the agreements and entry requirements in place.
An EU passport holder is a citizen of one of the 27 EU member states and has the right to live, work, study, and retire in any EU country.
How to get an EU passport
There are three common ways to acquire citizenship:
- Jus sanguinis (English: right of blood) - known as Citizenship by descent
- Jus soli (English: right of ground) - through your place of birth
- Naturalization - through prolonged residence (e.g. working in the EU on the EU Blue Card)
Jus sanguinis
This is a relatively unknown and often overlooked option, but it can be the most convenient and least expensive way to obtain an EU passport.
You may be eligible for EU citizenship if you have parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents who were born in a country that is now an EU member state. For example, if your grandfather was born in Ireland, you may be eligible for an Irish passport. As Ireland is an EU member state, an Irish passport gives you the right to live, work, study, and retire throughout the European Union.
The entire procedure may cost no more than a few hundred euros, although the total cost depends on the country, the complexity of the application, and the documents required. The cost-benefit ratio can therefore be highly favorable.
There is no common EU-wide law or procedure governing citizenship by descent. Each EU country has its own eligibility rules, application process, and documentation requirements. Therefore it is advisable to work with a specialist when pursuing this route. An organisation such as EU Passport assists with the most important part of the process: identifying, obtaining, and organizing the required documents.
Jus soli
In some countries, being born within the country's borders is sufficient to acquire citizenship. The most notable example is the United States of America.
EU countries generally do not automatically and unconditionally grant citizenship to children born in their territories to foreign parents. A common condition for acquiring citizenship by birth is that one or both parents must have legally resided in the country for a specified period before the child was born.
Naturalization
If you legally reside in an EU country for an extended period, you gradually acquire certain rights. The most common reasons for a prolonged stay in a foreign country are employment and retirement.
Initially, your stay is generally supported by a temporary residence permit, together with a work permit where applicable. After a specified period, you may be able to convert your temporary residence permit into permanent resident status. You may subsequently become eligible to apply for citizenship.
The conditions for acquiring citizenship through naturalization vary among EU countries. Some countries allow you to apply for citizenship soon after obtaining permanent residence, while others require you to complete a rigorous process, which may include integration tests and several additional years of residence. Naturalization also commonly requires applicants to demonstrate a certain level of proficiency in the local language.
Dual citizenship
Dual citizenship, or holding a second passport, is becoming increasingly popular. One of the main reasons for this is security. A second passport can be regarded as a form of insurance: in a tumultuous world, it may provide additional safety, flexibility, and freedom of movement.
An EU passport can be particularly valuable as a second passport because it generally gives its holder the right to live, work, study, and retire in any of the 27 member states of the European Union.
Appendix I
EU countries that allow dual citizenship: Belgium, Germany, Greece, France, Ireland, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Poland, Sweden, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Luxembourg, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia.
Key non-EU countries that have historically been major destinations for European immigrants and that allow dual citizenship include the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia.
Appendix II
EU member states use various incentives to attract foreign investment from non-EU nationals. Some offer citizenship-by-investment (CbI) or residency-by-investment (RbI) programs, sometimes referred to as 'golden passport' or 'golden visa' programs. These programs may provide a route to residency or citizenship in exchange for a qualifying investment.
