How to a become an EU citizen
The purpose of this post is to help you gain EU citizenship in a legal way.
Dual citizen as an American
Many Americans often talk about the desire to be a dual citizen. We Americans do not always like some of the economic or political policies of Europe, but peace and love we secretly admire the more relaxed lifestyle and cultural richness. Third generations Americans rediscover and connect to the roots that the first generation left and the second generation swore off.
How citizenship is determined
American citizenship is defined by birth, whereas European Citizenship is often connected to nationality. You ca be born in Germany yet not granted citizenship.So how can An American get/claim a dual citizenship, now the USA allows this. You will simply follow the laws of each country you enter and can not claim protect as a USA citizen if you entered on another passport.
Jason Bourne and his multiple passports
Ok so how do you get a draw full of passports like Jason Bourne.
Rules of citizenship
Generally for most counties these are the rules, – a parent, not a grandparent must have citizenship. If you grandparents came from there your patents must get it first, than you have to apply.
How to get citizenship
You can get all birth certificate on line and sent to you; just check off the box that says you are applying fore dual citizen it costs about 20 dollars at any state online site. Once you have all the birth and marriage documents, create a family tree. Then translate all this by an official translator. Then fill out the paperwork you can get at the consulate. If you parents are citizens then you are all set, if not usually you have to legally live in the country for five years for at least six months out of the year. Last option is write the president with your story and sometimes if you give them enough paper you case will be accepted. Oh and if you speak the language even to some level this will help you case.
Myth: Marry a EU citizen and you will become a EU citizen.
People have old fashion TV based ideas. Marriage does not change your citizenship. It will allow you to get a visa easier to stay in the country which in term will allow you get get become citizen after many years and lot of paper.
If you know some of the language, you will see how much easier it will be to be a citizen.
422 responses to How to get an EU citizenship
German Citizenship by giving up US citizenship
Me and my Wife are both US Citizens and our Children were born in Germany and have lived their whole lives in Germany. In order to get their German Citizenship they are required to give up their American Citizenship. Is it possible to give the American Citizenship up get the German Citizenship and then re appy for the American ? The Germans do not have nothing against you getting another Citizenship once you are German you are just not allowed to have one before you are German and as far as I understand it the Americans do not care how many you have.
Germany is a nice citizenship to have an all, but there is no way I would give up my US citixzenship to get a European citizenship. Zero, no chance. I have lived in Europe a good part of my life and the USA is much more fun and easy, even though Europe is interesting. If you give up your US citizenship, you might not get it back, you can try but they really do not just give out citizenships, talk to the embassy about this one.
My mother was born in Manchester, but moved when she was 10 years old. She is now a Canadian citizen. Would she need to apply for her dual citizenship so that I could get my British passport? If I can attain it, do you know if I would still need to pay International student fees if i came overseas for university? I suppose I would need to contact the school for that answer, but just wanted to throw it out there.
Thanks!!
From my understanding of British citizenship law she was born a UK citizen and does not need to apply for anything. If you are still under I think 21 you just need to be confirmed a UK citizen, if not you can still apply. Talk to the UK embassy in this regard as I think you all have UK citizenship already, you just need confirmation.
Thanks very much, Mark!
See I don’t think id ever state I was an American in Europe. Have you seen what those crazy bastards do in new york/Toronto?
To much of a pain in the neck dealing with those crazed bbc followers. Easier to just to say ur Canadian or better yet new Zealand. Nobody gives a damn about newzealand. It’s ok in canada cause hell they just toss u back in the usa. No way in hell would I want to do jack shit that would wind up with me having anything to do with the fuzz in alot of those countries.
As for citizenship, getting that in the eu can be a pain in the ass sometimes. Definitely alot of paperwork involved to be a full fledged worker. Though if you were born in the EU doesn’t that make you a duel citizen? If ur parents are Americans ur automatically US. But I thought with EU if you were born there it was pretty much no questions, your a continent citizen.
Course as said just take a trip down to the embassy and have a nice long, (very long) chat about all the rules, the holes, the stacks and mounds of paperwork, and of course the ever dependable wait time. Good luck with that headache. The DMV ain’t got shit on citizenship for migraines.
Is EU citizenship possible for a 3rd generation Italian-American
My grandfather came to the United States from Sicily as a very young child. It was mentioned to me that I might be able to obtain dual citizenship due to this. Is this true, and if so, do you have any idea on how to begin this process?
Yes you can claim Italian citizenship, as long as the family did not come here before, March 17, 1861, then it might be an issue as Italy did not exist. There is no generational limit on claiming Italian citizenship. Contact the embassy and fill out the paperwork. Jus sanguinis is the rule in Italy.
I am EU, he is illegal. Can we marry?
Hi Mark:
I am EU (UK) visiting Austria when I happened upon my own Eat Pray Love moment. He is Tunisian, and illegal. Can we marry in Austria?
I wish I could say yes, but marriage is a civil thing, and you would have to get proper documents and residence somewhere legally to marry, if you try he would most likely be deported. I would try in Tunisia. My friend married a Tunsian and he was able to enter the EU legally under a marriage visa latter.
Working and living in Spain for NZ citizen married to UK passport holder
Hi there,
My wife and I want to live and work in Spain. We are both New Zealanders but she has a British passport. She is pregnant and we will probably have the child in New Zealand. I want to know what is the likelihood of the three of us being able to live in Spain and what we need to do to make it happen. I have two years left on a British spouse visa.
Thank you,
Aidan.
Canadian Citizenship
Hi Mark, nice work you’re doing on here. I’m an a dual national of America and Britain, I’d like to ask how you rate Canadian citizenship? Is it well sought after and what are the benefits in your honest opinion?
Kind Regards
Leroy
I think Canadian citizenship is on par with US citizenship. Ok, Canada is cold and the USA rocks in terms of variety of things to do, but Canada has a high standard of living and this will not change, because of the shale oil and free markets. Canada is peaceful and has many social benefits. I think EU, USA and Canadian are all very close along with Australian and New Zealand. I would say USA, the Canadian and then an EU citizenship close behind it.
Mark, I think Canadian citizenship is better than US citizenship these days. Unfortunately, the US wants to apply their rules extraterritorialy, making life somewhat “restrictive” for US citizens abroad. I’m talking about the FACTA and the overall treatment of American-owned businesses abroad. Even if an American is a 10% partner in a business, they have to send financial information to the US, yet the company does no business with America and the business partners aren’t Americans. That’s overreach to me.
Additionally, I can tell you that travelling in South America as a US Citizen is more expensive, than say someone with a EU passport due to “reciprocity fees”. The US charges them, so they will charge US Citizens.
I think the US passport was great 30-40 years ago because you were free to travel just about anywhere. Fast-forward to today, and many people from many different countries can do that. With some countries, you just need to get a visa. I think that will never change because these countries make a lot of revenue from issuing visas, especially the US.
Here’s what I’m talking about – the visa requirements for US and Canadian citizens is almost identical:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_requirements_for_Canadian_citizens
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_requirements_for_United_States_citizens
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_requirements_for_Brazilian_citizens
Well the US is one of the few countries that require US citizens living abroad or doing anything abroad to report everything to the IRS. I mean I lived in the EU for years but I am still reporting the pittance I make teaching students English and paying Polish taxes too. I have to report everything. A US passport is good if you want to live in the USA. I moved to sunny Florida on an Island and I enjoy the quality of life here. But you are right, it is not the 1950s and the magic blue passport ment you are Brahmins in this world. I look around at my local Walmart and I do not know if these Americans are really that great off.
US citizenship and relative value of a US passport
Hi Mark, I think i disagree on the citizenship or passport ranks, I’d trade my USA passport any day for a Norwegian or Swiss passport. The USA is not what it was in the seventies, and the non ending debt and money printing will back fire big time down the road. I travel a lot to Scandinavia and Switzerland , the life quality and freedom are there, expensive? yes, but worth it. regards
I would still rather have an US passport than any other. The USA speaks English and I can travel anywhere and live anywhere. If I had a European passport, I can live in Europe (I do have one). But if I want to be somewhere warm and sunny, Norway is not either is Switzerland I would have to park in some rocky foreign land of the Mediterranean. While as an American I am living on an Island off the coast of Florida with white sandy beaches and English.
The debt problems will be corrected if the libs do not keep voting for representitives who inflate the debt to no end.
USA is the land of dreams still if you can use your imagination and freedom. Europe has greater social benefits but these are overatedin terms of living a high quality of live.
European Citizenship
Hey Mark
If I have a brother in Spain with a European Citizenship is their any way I could get a European Citizenship through him rather than a parent?
No, not through him as European citizenship is achieved through blood or marriage and I assume he got this via marriage? However, you can certainly apply for a visa that could lead to citizenship, but you would have to live in Spain for a while and do a lot of paperwork.
EU husband BRitish wife
Dear Mark I had to questions,I hope you can help me answer I’m uk born and I married my husband who is a EU Lativan Citizen but was born in ukrian. In other words he is Russian/ukrianian.
In have Been having trouble with trying to Change my name to his. Which is a typical Russian name. Ending in “ov” the problem is for me it would be “olva” but I have been having trouble trying to convince the emberssy that the “a” on the end is what is needed. Other wise it would be a male surname. I have got lativan documents to translates the “suffix in slavic surnnames” also a English translation.
Could you tell me why it is so hard to change my name upon marriage.
2) my husband has been to a English university and graduated with a teaching degree . To teach English in schools. He now can’t find/refuses job calls. They keep saying it’s because he is not British citizen. Even though he holds a EU passport and has been in the UK for 5+ years and married to me for one!
What can he do! He seems like he wasted his university in England only to be told he cannot get a job in england!?
When in Rome do as the Romans. In Poland for example we have the same convention of putting an ‘a’ at the end of a female name. But many names do not require this. Like my wife’s name is Kasia Biernat not Kasia Biernata. The PM of Poland’s name was Miller. His wife was not Millera. Our daughter’s name is Łucja but on her US passport it is Lucja and we call her Lucy in the Usa and Łucja in Poland. When living in an English country it is OK to be flexible and the embassy is OK with it too. Legally she is Lucja here in the USA.
Do the best you can but you do not have to follow Slavic naming conventions in the English speaking world.
Question about UK Scotish citiznenship
My husband was born in Scotland we married in the US and we live in the US but I was wondering what I have to do to get duel citizenship so I can legally travel, work and live in Europe if I were to ever want to with him. Thank you!
Polish Citizenship - three passports?
At time I have dual citizenship (Brazilian & German), but my mother was polish, and I am now applying for the polish citizenship.
I have the original birth certify from my mother, travel document from PKP (Polish state railways company), where my grandfather was working, and the surname of my mother, Kolesinska, sounds traditional Polish.
She left Europe in 1947, when she was underaged (she born in 1929), and arrive to Brazil mentioned in the UNRRA “passport” of my GrandFather, as daughter of Wladyslaw Kolesinski.
I born in Brazil in 1960, then the second Polish law allows me try the Polish citizenship.
I know a lot of persons in Brazil with Polish roots that acquire succesfully the Polish citizenship, with parents from both or either side from Poland, including with lack of passports or ID Cards, due the complicated conditions in Europe in time of WW2.
I obviously contract a good lawyer in Poland to apply my citizenship, and I ask you, how are my chances to confirm my Polish citizenship?
Best Regards
Thomas
My grandparents were Polish citizens and I got Polish citizenship by first getting a greencard, which is easier, then living in Poland. However, if you can prove one of your parents are Polish citizens all you have to do is get a letter of confirmation from the Polish embassy. You are already a Polish citizen. I think one EU citizenship is enough frankly unless you want to be like Jason Boune or more for national pride. However, I think all you need to do is prove your connection to a Polish parent with a birth certificate and you should be all set.
Polish citizenship born before WWII
Thomas or Mark
If you can please recommend an attorney in Poland for obtaining citizenship, my wife,s mother was born and a citizen of Poland before world war 2 , and as i read in several sites my wife will be entitled to apply for Polish citizenship, her father was Russian
You do not need an attorney, just contact the Polish embassy. Attoney will do nothing greater than explain the law which is what the embassy will do.
Jewish Citizenship with lost documents
Now I am again.
My GrandMother, Anna Voss, was borned in Poland, Luninets, and was from Jewish origins, but all documents of she where loosed in WW2, due German and Soviet persecution against Jewish and Polish persons.
By the Jewish rules, I have the right to be Israeli citizen, is necessary first change religion to Jewish and live in Israel for over 1 year, it is the Cafetorah right.
I read some notices that the Jewish govern may cancel the Cafetorah right, it is done? or the Cafetorah continue valid?
My friend is a devout Messianic Jew and he has told me he would not be accepted in Israel nor could he get citizenship. The irony is there are many Jews in Israel that are atheists (and around the world). If you want Israeli citizenship I would keep the fact that you are not of the Jewish religion under your hat.
israel citizenship for Jews of all nations
So many Russian christians who entered Israel as Jews are Israeli citizens and continue wearing a cross after they received their citizenship, Hundreds of thousands of them, to get Israeli citizenship for any jew is very easy, much better to do it in Israel after entering as a tourist.
Get Polish citizen from a permanent residence card
Hi Mark I am Udaya Raj Giri from Nepal.I am living and working in Poland from 5 year. As I heard if you work 5 year in EU you can apply permanent resident card. I know for sure I can get PR but my question is after getting PR I can apply citizen in poland or not?
Thanks
Best Regard
Udaya Raj Giri
After five years of living in Poland with a Permanent residence card you can apply for Polish citizenship. That is what I did, although since my family was Polish I was on an accelerated track.
Hi Mark,
I have been in a relationship with my first cousin for the past 4 years. I am Spanish by ancestry and already have my EU passport but he is not EU. He wants to work in Europe so we have been talking about getting married in Denmark soon and then live in Scotland, London or Germany. Are there any problems we may encounter? What do we have to be prepared for? How long does it take for him to get residence there?
Thanks for the help.
Sara
You have to just make sure that first cousins can marry. In the UK and those countries you mentioned I think yes. It is about the country you marry in not the country you travel to. Once you are married I think you are married all over the world. Once married he can get a visa and then a passort.
My brother is from Syria and his wife is Canadian . So I wanted to know if I can take the Canadian citizenship from her or not? And if yes, what shall I do to have it.
You have to go through a long process with the Canadian embassy. All you might be able to get is a visa. That could lead to citizenship over time.
Polish passport and US passport
Dear Mark
My boyfriend is an US citizen and has papers of when his grandparents took American citizenship in Chicago around 1912. Both his parents are deceased so we can’t get them Polish citizenship first before he tries as you mentioned above and there are no further papers available. We are living in Spain so want to get him an EU passport to make it easier to finally get Spanish residency as a retired non working person. Would he have any chance if he applied ? And would he have to give up his US passport – someone once told me that the Polish can only hold one passport – is it true ? Thank – you are a great information base.
You can hold both a US an Polish passport not problem. I do as does my daughter. Here is the thing. Your boyfriend can not get Polish citizenship confirmed but if he lived in Poland he can apply for a Polish green card which will lead to citizenship. He can get this based on the Polish constitution.
A Spanish residence card is possible as long as he works in Spain legally for a number of years.
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