EU Residency Citizenship Golden Visa
How to Get EU Citizenship: Every Route Explained
In this article, we examine six ways to get EU citizenship: by descent, by marriage, through naturalisation, the golden visa route, the fast-track route via a culturally linked country, and finally, rarest of all, citizenship by merit. Below, we cover how long each takes, who qualifies and what it costs, starting with the cheapest.
EU citizens have the right to live, work, study and retire across all 27 EU countries. As an EU passport holder, your global mobility increases with freedom of travel throughout Europe and visa-free travel worldwide.
Topics covered:
- EU citizenship by descent
- EU citizenship by marriage
- Naturalization: residency to EU citizenship
- Can you still buy EU citizenship?
- Golden visas: residency first, citizenship later
- The fast-track citizenship method via a linked country
- EU citizenship by merit.
1. EU Citizenship by Descent – Affordable and Fast
Citizenship by descent (CBD) should be your first consideration, before all others. Why? Because it is generally the cheapest and most straightforward path to citizenship.
If you have ancestry in the country you’re applying in – and more importantly if you can prove it – then you can apply for citizenship without any investment amount required.
This is how our founder, Jeremy Savory, got his French passport, since he has French ancestry as well as British.
And, as he will no doubt tell you, when it comes to citizenship by descent, the devil really is in the details. A heritage claim is not enough, you will need to make sure you meet your target country’s criteria and that you have the paperwork to prove it.
Citizenship by descent may be the lowest-cost route, but you still have legal fees to consider. Also, don’t underestimate the time and effort spent tracking down paperwork.
This can be especially tricky if your parent or grandparent was a citizen of the country(or a former version of that country) before that country became an EU member state. (It may not feel the fastest at the time but it’s certainly a faster option than waiting anything from five to ten years to naturalise.)
Tracking down the paperwork is usually the trickiest part, but European bureaucracy being what it is, expect a lot of back and forth to various offices along the way.
Expect anything from 6 months to 3 years, depending on the paperwork. You may be required to track down multiple documents including birth, marriage and death records, often from several countries and sometimes these will need to be translated.
Jeremy's French claim meant repeated visits to embassies and town halls, but after Brexit that effort was more than rewarded with enhanced mobility and easier transit through European airports.
Ireland, Italy, Poland, Hungary and Lithuania are popular CBD routes, especially with Americans, but the rules are tightening.
Since May 24, 2025, Italy only recognizes descent through a parent or grandparent born in Italy, great-grandparent claims no longer qualify.
Ireland, meanwhile, has become a victim of its own success, with growing backlogs of applicants, many from the United States.
2. EU Citizenship by Marriage
Every EU country offers a shorter path to citizenship for the spouse of a citizen, but the rules have tightened to stop abuse. You must be legally married, with the marriage recognized in that country, and most countries also want proof the relationship is genuine, a period of living together and often time resident in the country.
The fastest routes include Portugal, after more than three years of marriage, and Spain, after one year of legal residence as the spouse of a Spanish citizen, which means actually living in Spain.
Elsewhere, timelines vary. Italy allows spouses living abroad to apply after three years of marriage, while France generally requires four years, or five in some cases. Fees are relatively low.
While we don't recommend marrying for a passport, if you're already married to an EU citizen, this may be your fastest route.
3. EU Citizenship Through Naturalisation
One of the most common paths to citizenship is through naturalisation. With this path you move to an EU country on a work, retirement, passive-income or remote-work visa, live there for the required period, and then apply for citizenship. Spain, Portugal and Greece all offer suitable permits, and application fees are low.
The catch is time, and time gives governments room to move the goalposts. Portugal went from 5 to 10 years for most non-EU and non-CPLP nationals on May 19, 2026, matching Italy and Spain at 10 years, while Germany and Ireland generally sit at around five, with the latter currently looking to extend that time to eight years.
With some Portuguese residence permits stuck in a two-to-three-year backlog, even for golden visa applicants, and citizenship now requiring 10 years of residence, you could be looking at 12 years or more. Once one of Europe’s most popular destinations, particularly with Americans, Portugal gradually lost its appeal.
Given Portugal’s longer naturalisation period, and Spain’s restrictions on dual citizenship, expats from the US, Canada and elsewhere are increasingly looking at alternatives like Malta, Italy and Greece.
4. Can You Still Buy EU Citizenship?
No. Malta previously offered citizenship by investment, but the program ended after the EU Court of Justice ruled in April 2025 that selling EU citizenship breaches EU principles.
Malta was the last European holdout after Cyprus closed its program in 2020, once again under pressure from the EU.
The EU, in particular, has an aversion towards citizenship by investment programs and not long after Malta closed, it turned its attention towards Caribbean CBI programs. At the time of writing, the EU is pressuring all five Caribbean CBI countries to shut down their programs.
Europe would prefer more countries follow Malta’s lead and shift more towards a citizenship by merit model. However, while Europe no longer offers citizenship by investment, it does offer the next best thing – residency by investment.
5. EU Citizenship – The Golden Visa + Naturalisation Route
A golden visa gives you residency in exchange for an investment in a fund, property or business. It is not citizenship, so you still have to qualify for naturalization like anyone else.
This means you have two sets of hurdles to clear; first the golden visa compliance requirements, then, after a set number of years (typically 5, 7, 10 or more, depending on the country), the country’s citizenship criteria.
Greece's tiered real estate route is likely the best option right now, but that real estate option is not what it once was and, in time, will likely go the way of its other European counterparts and disappear completely.
Malta and Italy are also popular options, as is Portugal, despite the recently extended naturalisation time. Other EU options include Hungary and Latvia, though the future of both programs looks uncertain.
The key point with going the golden visa route is that you get the right to live their first and apply for citizenship later. Unlike citizenship by investment which can take just a few months, residency by investment is more of a long-term investment, since you’re investing your time, as well as your money, in a country where you need to reside long term.
This is why lifestyle matters just as much as the passport you are eventually looking to attain, and it’s the reason why we recommend talking to us first to ensure you pick the right country and residency path to suit your needs.
6. EU Citizenship –The Fast-Tracked Nationality Method
Several EU countries shorten naturalization for nationals of culturally linked countries. Spain requires just two years of residence for nationals of origin of Ibero-American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea and Portugal, instead of the standard 10 years.
Portugal requires seven years for nationals of Portuguese-speaking countries and EU member states, instead of 10 for most other nationalities.
7. EU Citizenship by Merit
Some EU countries, including Malta and several in Eastern Europe, can grant citizenship by merit or exception to people with exceptional profiles such as scientists, high-profile business figures, athletes, celebrities, cultural ambassadors, and philanthropists.
The government decides case by case, and the cost varies with the profile. Unlike an investment program, success can’t be predicted or guaranteed, but it’s still worth considering if you believe you match the profile.
EU Citizenship –Key Takeaways:
- You can get EU citizenship by descent, marriage, naturalization, a golden visa, a fast-track via a linked country, or merit.
- Check your ancestry first –descent is the lowest-cost route, though as with all other routes, eligibility is getting tighter.
- EU citizenship by investment no longer exists, Malta's program was the last of its kind and was shut down in 2025.
- Golden visas give you residency, and citizenship only after years of genuine residence, but you also need to weigh up lifestyle and naturalisation time.
- Long timelines leave room for rule changes, as Portugal's move from 5 to 10 years in 2026 showed.
EU Citizenship Pathways – Conclusion:
The cheapest EU passport may already be in your family tree, so start there. If it isn't, the right route depends on your timeline, your capital and whether you actually want to live in Europe or not.
Combining routes, such as a golden visa now and a fast-track nationality, if possible, protects you if one set of rules changes. As with everything, it’s about growing your knowledge and planning in advance.
At Millionaire Migrant we have long-term practical experience of various immigration programs, in Europe and throughout the world. We know the rules, the processes involved and have experience helping clients navigate them successfully.
Increasingly, wealthy individuals are less concerned with a single passport or residency and are more interested in achieving personal sovereignty.
By creating your own Plan B, you can ensure you are no longer at the mercy of one passport, one government, or one nation. Our Blueprint service is designed to help you achieve just that, safeguarding your business, assets and your family for generations to come.
EU Citizenship Paths FAQ:
What is the easiest way to get EU citizenship?
If you have a parent or grandparent from an EU country the easiest way to get EU citizenship is through citizenship by descent. It costs the least and doesn't require you to live there, though you will need to visit the country and some legwork may be required gathering all the necessary documents in advance.
Can I buy EU citizenship?
No. Malta's citizenship by investment program, the last in the EU, ended after the EU Court of Justice ruled against it in April 2025. If you do wish to go down the investment route, you can instead apply for residency by investment, commonly known as a golden visa, then, once resident, you can apply to naturalise as a citizen.
How long does it take to get EU citizenship through residency?
Getting EU through residency typically takes between 5-10 years, depending on the country. As always, the sooner you apply the better since rules are growing stricter and countries are now raising their naturalisation times.
Portugal recently doubled its naturalisation time from 5 to ten years. The move was announced in late 2025 but didn’t go into force until May 2026.
Ireland recently announced similar changes, upping the time from 5 to eight years, though the changes are not yet law.
Does a golden visa give you EU citizenship?
No. A golden visa gives you residency which can be the first step. Citizenship requires meeting the country's naturalization rules, usually including years of genuine residence.
In other words, through a golden visa you get the legal right to reside in the country and then, after you have lived there a long enough time, you can apply to be a citizen.
Can I get EU citizenship through my grandparents?
Often, yes. Ireland and Italy both recognize descent through a grandparent, though Italy requires that grandparent to have been born in Italy. As with other routes, eligibility criteria have tightened in the past and are likely to tighten further, so it’s better to apply sooner rather than later.