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.
Ok so how do you get a drawer 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.
Hi again mark! sorry i miss leaded you:)
my girlfriend is not Lithuanian. she is Latvian.does this change anything?
and I did’nt understand one Point as well. Being in Europe but not member (Turkey , Ukraine) gives u an advantage already or u are the same with the rest until u enter anyway?
and i repeat the question again.
-if I marry my Latvian girlfriend who is living in France. May I be eligible to work in France in a short time (like 1 month) and how long would be the validity of this permit at the beginning.
-after working there 3-5 years and being married to a Latvian do I became eligible for any citizenship of these countries. if yes which one?
-if I marry her here in Italy and settle down here.
may I apply to renew my residence permit to work here.and again how long would be the coverage of this permit. and after how many years living here may i became eligible for Italy or Latvian citizenship?
-if something goes wrong about marriage and we start living apart and this is discovered by police or we just divorce, dose become my residence permit invalid immediately or can I use it until the date of validity anyway?
regards…
Citizenship is based on jus sanguinis in Latvia and does not allow dual citizenship. It is very restrictive. So much that 20% of the people that live there are not citizens as they are not ethnically Latvian. I do not want to answer your question in full about EU citizenship because you entertain the option of divorce. Marriage is sacred, not something for citizenship or money.
Hi. I am wondering if you could answer my question.
I live in the Uk and have been for the past 10 years. However, i was born in Poland to non-ethnically-Polish parents.(I do speak some Polish)
I know that Polish citizenship law does not permit foreign nationals to acquire Polish citizenship, even those born in Poland to non-Polish parents, unless you are married to a Polish national.
Having said that, I have also heard that foreigners are now eligible to apply for Polish citizenship under certain criteria e.g. connections to Poland, Long residence in Poland and passing the Language test or submitting an application to the Polish president.
I however, left Poland about 10 years ago and do not have any connections to the country, so where do I stand? Can i get Polish citizenship under any circumstance.
If you are living there with a visa you can apply, but they will not just give you a citizenship out of the blue. You have to live and work there.
I agree with you that marriage is sacred and not for citizenship or money. I love this girl and I would love to stay with her for the rest of my life however if to marry her does not make me eligible to stay in France or Italy how can we stay together?
I have already a good job and life in Turkey. a very reputable social status as well. so I don’t care really so much staying in EU just to stay but only for her. And I have to have a work and residence permit in EU to stay with her. Even I love her so much I just can not stay here like jobless and ruin both of our lives. I don’t know if I have been clear enough.
I asked also the case of divorce cause what if she wants to divorce? what will I do in this case?
I don’t want to be deported in one day. Don’t you agree with me?
your advises and information is in gold value now Mark.
If you love her no problem you can both live in Turkey. I was a rich American that moved to Poland and lived in a 19 meter flat to be with my love and now wife. Money does not matter. I live in Poland now. I would live anywhere to be with my love.
Turkey is a wonderful country. I love it. The people are nice, warm and friendly. The climate is wonderful. If you have not achieved citizenship in the EU and you are not married they can in theory deport you. I know Americans deported from the EU. It all depends on the situation. If your girlfriend believes in the idea of divorce then I would not get married. Never, ever, marry a girl who believes in the idea of divorce because her promises to love you forever are false if she has that door open. The basic thing about the EU is this, 10 years about it was in my opinion very easy to get citizenship, now with the downturn, governments are under pressure to make sure immigration is legal 100%, so they check it.
My husband, my son and I are USA citizen. We are living USA now. However, we want to live in Switzerland. So can I live in Switzerland as a legal resident or do my family and I have right to get Swiss citizenship.
I do not have enough information. Why do you want to live in Europe, what connection do you have with that connection? Were you born there? If you have no connection all you have to do is a get a company to sponsor you and then you can get a work visa. But unless you have specific skill this will be hard. Once you are in the country you can take steps to get a more long term visa and eventually citizenship.
However, unless you have a connection to the country a green card or citizenship would be hard, as the whole world wants this.
Hello Mark,
I am a 28 year old American who lives in England with my Polish girlfriend. I have lived here for a year and have traveled extensively since arriving. Poland, Germany, France, Belgium, Spain, etc..
I love it here but we don’t want to get married yet. I finally just ran out of money and have to go back home to earn more since I only have a tourist visa. The thing is I don’t want to go back. I love it here. I feel like I belong. The culture, the history, the amazing architecture. Its just awesome. So my dilemma is I cannot legally work. What should I do? Which European country will give me a work permit? If I apply for school here can I work? I plan on staying permanently in Europe. My plane home leaves in less than a month and I desperately want to stay anywhere in Europe. Please advise me on what to do. I do have great grandparents from France, Spain, Ireland and Norway. but am not in contact since I was adopted as a baby. Thank you for your time
Jay
If you have Irish ancestry then you can get Irish citizenship and hence Eu citizenship. I think that is the easiest country for you. Even if you do not have contact with them, it does not matter. It is what is on paper. It is all about the Foreign Births Register. If there is anyway you can research this I would. Even if it takes years to get citizenship with lots of work it is worth it. Follow up on leads on citizenship by descent. It took me years to get my citizenship but boy was it worth it.
You are an American native speaker. People like this. If you learn English somewhere else it does not matter. But if you are a native speaker from America, many language school will sponsor you for a visa. But do not let them take advantage of you and pay slave wages. Your an American native speaker.
Also you can takes some classes and get a student visa. You could study something like English for example and be a student. There are many ways to skin a cat. I would not get married for citizenship as marriage is for love. However, legally you as an American have many options as the EU and America have good relations and the citizens of each country are treated pretty well I think. That is EU citizens in American and US citizens in Europe. Race has nothing to do with anything it is about citizenship, cultural ties and decent because Europe is based on jus sanguine.
Let me know how you make out or have follow up questions.
Wow! Thanks for the informative reply. Very helpful.
I have considered enrolling in university here but the problem is that I believe it still does not entitle me to work. I would have to pay my tuition and living expenses from savings earned in the states.
As far as teaching English goes I simply am not qualified. Instead of pursuing a traditional degree I opted for trade school (computers) so that is not an option. I would love to be an English teacher though. However I would be open to earning a degree here if it were feasible. Marriage for a visa is out of the question. Its just morally wrong and irresponsible. I guess my best bet is to research my family history and try that way. Do you know how far back an ancestor can go for me to be eligible in Ireland? great grandparents? great-great gandparents?
Thanks again!!
Do you want to live in the EU? You can if you are patient, very patient and put on your thinking cap. They do not let anyone in the EU and do not hand out citizenship papers. But with patience and research you can stay in Europe legally.
Do not let the non native speakers of a language give you some line that you need to get qualifications, and you need to go to school to learn about the perfect tense and conditionals. You are a native speaker in American English, nobody will ever use English as well as you do. You can read a little how to teach, it will all come with time or watch Youtube videos, or if you really must take a course, in it but save your ducats. However, do not be intimidated by non native speakers with English degrees. You use the language in ways they can not. You can teach anywhere in the world. Believe in yourself. Many advanced ESL students are looking more for conversation as they know the grammar already.
Citizenship by decent goes back as far as you can prove it with paper, that is documents. It is called right by blood, just like if someone is a royal family member they are a royal, jus sanguinis.
There is a way to make it all work believe me. I have seen many Americans find a way, money, teaching and getting a legal visa and citizenship to the EU.
I really amire your enthusiasm on this subject. I am just not sure where to start. Could you maybe point me in the direction of some places I could teach English without a degree or maybe give me some specific ideas on how to gain a work permit? I am currently searching family records now to find my link to Ireland. Unfortunately I was told that only parents and grandparents allow you to qualify for jus sanguinis and my great-grandparents were the ones born there so that rules me out. I am staying here and not giving up. I have ecided not to leave. I must find a way to live my life how I want to live it. And that is right here, in Europe.
My question is that I am living in Sweden as a asylum seeker but my case has been finished now and they have told me to go back to my country.
I have already done the appeal in the court. I want to know if i get marry a lady from Spain after how long I will be eligible to get permanent residency in Sweden on the base of my marriage. But she is residing in Spain and coming to marry me in Sweden .
It sounds like you are getting married to get an EU citizenship, which is wrong.
Either way Spain and Sweden requires over ten years of legal residence before you can apply for citizenship. That is if you get married to a Spanish lady you need to live in Spain and be fluent in Spanish.
Hi Mark,
I am an Australian citizen with a Spanish grandfather who was born in London, and a Belgian grandmother. Is it possible to apply for dual EU citizenship?
Also, would the best course of action for an Australian be to contact the local branch of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade?
Kind Regards,
Brendan
If you are European back ground it is easier to get citizenship from both those countries. I think Belgium is the easiest as they are pretty liberal. But both counties have the rule of citizenship by decent. It will be according to which paperwork you can produce easiest, that is what documents you have to back this all up, the Spanish or Belgium side. Then you have to apply at the embassy or meet the paperwork at least. You will most likely get a residence card, from which you can start a case for citizenship. However, unless you have very good documentation showing a continuation of citizenship, you will most likely have to live in one of those EU countries.
i send my question many times but i did not get any answere from your side .can you plz stop this where you just wasting the time of other people like me .this form is so discusting i cant believe that
Hi, Mark.
I once was a Belarus citizen. Two years ago I got my U.S. citizenship through marriage. I live in the U.S. and very happy. But the story and the question is about my sister – she is a Belarusian citizen. She had a tourist Schengen visa in July 2008. The visa was for one month only. She spent a month in Malta and then moved to Italy. She stayed in Italy illegally till November 2009. From Italy she came to the USA on a fiancee visa. Appears she is not in love with her American fiancee, now ex-boyfriend and ex-fiancee (too much time passed while waiting for her visa, and their relationship ended). Now my sister wants to go back to Italy to marry her new Italian boyfriend (apparently, the love of her life).
It seems to me that she won’t get Schengen tourist visa after overstaying previous Schengen. Returning to Belarus is the worst nightmare for her. Do you know if Italy would recognize a marriage made in USA between an Italian citizen and a non-US/non-Italian (Belarussian) citizen? And after they get married in USA can she get a visa to Italy from here to be with her Italian husband?
Thank you.
Your English is great, thank you for writing as most of my comments I have grammar and spell check.
And I am happy about your marriage. I am an American and married to a Polish girl. I am very happy, however, I live in the EU – Poland of course.
Anyway, If she married her Italian guy, she is married all over the world. All she would have to do is get the documents officially registered and translated in Italy or at the embassy.
She will be able to get a EU visa no problem in my opinion. She would be married to an EU citizen and Italy has liberal laws in this regard, and could achieve Citizenship.
Anyway, if you are married in the USA in Nevada for example you are married all over the world. In Vegas all you need is your passport. It could take all of 20 minutes if that is what you want.
My question is does anyone know she over stayed her visa? I ask this because I have herd of this a lot and no one knew, but maybe it is different now.
Italy is a nice country as well as being friendly and warm so now she is has found her love, then I wish her the best.
But also Belarus is a European country and has good relations with Poland and other members of the EU. Do not listen to old cranks and nationalists. I live in Poland and am a Polish citizen and Poland’s policy is very positive towards Ukraine and Belarus, not only because of the similar cultures but because at some point they will both be EU and weaken’s Russia’s influence in the region.
In fact, Belarus have special work rules in Poland, further if she has Polish blood, she can get a EU citizenship. I would check this out.
But either way, best of luck. I am a big believer you do not have to marry the girl next door but the one you fall in love with no matter where they are from.
Happy Christmas Mark!!
Thanks you too. I will be going out to the village for a traditional European Christmas.
Im celebrating Christmas in Czestochowa this year
Thanks for the great information. I will ask my mother to apply for a eu citizenship. anychance you can inform me on which website to start with, will keep searching for the paperwork or online forms.
Hello Mark
I am 20 year old Indian citizen . me and my girlfriend who is a dual citizen(Russia and Estonia) are planning to get married this summer.i wanted to know how long will it take for me to attain European Passport and do I have to withdraw My Indian citizenship.
Estonia does not give citizenship based on marriage. However, if you live legally for at least five years there and take a test on the Estonian language to the advanced level you can get citizenship, but it is very hard. This is an EU citizenship, but in my opinion Estonian is one of the hardest languages to master.
I am Indian citizen living in UK for last 2 years and my gf she is from EU (Lithuanian)country living and working in uk.
We have decided to get married can you please advice on EU citizen ship process and how these things work.
How long does it take to get eu citizen ship what are the steps to follow
Can you please explain step by step
Appreciate for your time
Great about being married, I think marriage is a wonderful thing. But the EU citizenship will not happen. Well maybe. Why? Lithuania does not grant citizenship on marriage that I am aware of. You must pass a language test and live in the country for many years, then you can apply for nationalization. If you want to learn Lithuanian to an advanced level and live in this EU country you will get it, but not living in the UK.
I am Nigerian citizen living in UK for last 5 years as a student. I did a Masters course in UK and still have post-study visa remaining till end of 2011 and my gf she is from UK. I am living and working in UK temporarily as my visa stated.
We have decided to get married can you please advice on spouse visa, UK/EU citizenship process and how these things work.
How long does it take to get spouse visa and/or UK/EU citizenship, and what are the steps to follow
Can you please explain step by step
Thank you in advance
Ben
Appreciate for your time
It takes three years to become a citizen if you are married to an English person. If you are married legally to a citizen it will not be that hard, just apply like you did with the student visa.
Hi, I just found another one of your interesting sites from a google search… You’re doing well.. This looks like an interesting article. I have been seriously trying to think of a good way to get EU citizenship without having to marry a woman and risk major problems. As of now, I don’t think its possible. My grandfather was born in England, but sadly, the stupid UK government doesn’t recognize ancestry citizenship from grandparents who lived outside the commonwealth territories, aka former, non-american colonies.. LOL
I am an American citizen. My boyfriend is a French citizen. If we were to marry, how would I go about getting EU citizenship? What are the steps to living and working in France/Europe legally?
After being married and living in France for 2 years I think you can apply. You can get a fiance or marriage visa before hand. If you are not living in France it will take five years.
My name is Ben and I am currently studying Spanish, French and German in my undergraduate career. I have ancestors with Irish and German roots but lack any documentation.
I aspire to become an Interpreter and have been researching universities in Germany to earn a Masters in Conference Interpreting. If everything goes well, once I complete my undergraduate studies and if I were to be accepted to the German graduate program for my Masters, I would be granted a year to search for work in Germany with my degree.
If I were to find a job that met the qualifications of my degree somehow related to interpreting, I would be granted a permanent settlement visa. How long afterwards would I have to wait before gaining German citizenship?
Would I also be able to move around the European Union after obtaining my degree or settlement visa for Germany?
Once you have a permanent visa you can move around the EU at will and it is usually about 3 to 5 citizenship.
Hi, I am a Singapore Citizen but also eligible for Portuguese Citizenship due to ancestry ( my grandparents are Portuguese). I do not want to give up my Singapore Citizenship but would like to live and work in the EU just holding a Portuguese ID. Is this possible or would I be forced to give up my Singapore citizenship? Many Thanks.
Technically you could very well lose your Singapore citizenship. But it is up to you, what is more important a Singapore or EU citizenship. Further I do not know how one nation would find out about the other nation’s citizenship, it is not like they notify each other.
Hi Mark.. I have been losing hope in the fight for EU citizenship. It seems that its quite a challenge unless you have some special skills. And since there is the Schengen agreement, I can only stay in Europe, legally, without hassle, for 3 months. I guess marriage is the only way, but 3 months is not enough time to find a wife. LOL .
I am wondering what suggestions you can give. I was looking into teaching languages and it seems in order for that to make you eliglbe for a residency visa, you need to have a college degree. Of course, I know as you told me, that you can make money doing it, but it won’t allow me to legally stay inthe country.
I am trying to think of the most feasible way to stay in Europe for a year without doing things illegally or strange deals with rogue gov’t officilas. This is a dilemma I am faced with.
E.g. If I want to stay in Italy 3 months then go to Romania, then to Poland, it will be impossible, because I will have used up my 3 month Schengen visa. Of course, I can stay in England, but I have no desire to go there and its also extremely expensive.
I am wondering what advice you can give me now.
Hi Mark
Well the situation is like this, I am a Portuguese citizen and working in UK for the last 4 years .I acquired Portuguese nationality through origins from GOA India. I intend to marry an Indian girl and get her to live with me in UK. I plan to do a civil marriage in UK. How long will she take to get EU citizenship or alternatively a visa for indefinite stay with me in UK
Regards and Thanks
As the wife of an EU citizen, I think it would be only a matter of applying to get a visa. It should be no problem at all. Portuguese citizenship will take about three years, I do not think they have a residency requirement.
I got it! German citizenship, by naturalization. Not easy I worked for years in Germany. However it’s worth it. I’ve some links with the country since as a child I went to a german school. My plan was different, get the citizenship, then marry. I wanted that my future kids don’t have to go through buroecracy but just get the EU citizenship directly.
That is how I got Polish/EU citizenship. Patience and work and I have some connection to the country. Now with this my family can live and work freely in the USA and Europe, which is a very nice option, even for the cultural aspect, we have an interesting life.
I am an Engineering Graduate from India.I want to study my Masters Degree( Engineering ) abroad and I want to settle there with citizenship.So,which countries have easier rules to get citizenship and good employment opportunities after completing Masters in Engineering there.
I can speak English and German.The countries which I am interested to go are Germany,Switzerland,Austria,USA and UK .
or please suggest any other country.
Regards,
Zulu.
I recommend one step at a time. I do not think you can make any claim to citizenship to those countries so I think your best bet is to get a work visa first. If you can do that after several years of living and working legally you might have the ability to apply for a green card. Besides marriage I know, no other way unless you have a connection to the country or are a world class football player.
My mother was born a British citizen, I was born in America before 1983. Ultimately I’d like to get my British citizenship so I can live/work/study in France. Is this possible?
Yes you can get it, but it will cost 450 GBP, a background check, a character check and attend a civil ceremony. I would be easier if your father was the UK citizen of course, but today I think they make allowances for children who mothers were UK citizens, even though the law at the time, which most countries go by, say it is not possible. So yes you are on your way to the EU, if you jump though some hoops first.
Is it possible to obtain EU citizenship based on ancestors? Are you aware of which countries have this possibility? I would like to trace my ancestry to see if there is a country for which this would be possible.
Thank you
Yes is is possible t get an EU citizenship based on ancestors. In fact, that is the basic way EU countries give citizenship, that is by right of blood. However, you have to prove the connection with documents.
Hi there! Thanks for the great advice, I’ve been buried in research on this for weeks. I have a question and would love some help!
My Mother was born and raised in France and was a French citizen and married my Father, an American, and moved to the US before I was born back in the 40’s. I contacted the French consulate in my city, Cleveland, and they were helpful and let me know I could obtain French citizenship fairly easily, however it looks as though my Mother may have given up her French citizenship in order to come to the US with my Father.
When I first started my research I recall coming across this very topic and something about a law or rule that works around this (giving up French citizenship for US citizenship during a certain time). However, I’m having trouble finding the info again so I am really hoping someone can help me! I desperately want to obtain my citizenship so my children can do so and we can keep it going throughout the family to keep the connection to our heritage.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks so much!
Well I was in a similar circumstance and went the long and honest way. But let me ask you a question, why would France know about your mother giving up citizenship? I am not recommending this but some people would just not make an issue out of it. If you go the long way, then I think with time you will get it. Citizenship is a case. That is something you need to build. You need to dump as much paper and passion into it as possible and they will see you they will respond. The main thing is you have French blood. This is what is important not some piece of paper. Believe me blood is what matters when it comes to citizenship.
Hey Mark! I read all your responses and you seem like you are on top of your game with this stuff.
I was wondering if you could possibly help me in my citizenship dilemma. My great grandparents on my grandfather’s side were Austrian citizens, and they came over in the early 1900’s to America. they gave birth to my grandfather who then gave birth to my mother who then gave birth to me. I’ve spoken with the Austrian consulate regarding even a possibility of us repatriating to Austria, and she said it was possible, but documentation was necessary. I am attempting to find documentation and have been somewhat successful, finding WWI and WWII draft cards of my great-grandfather’s, census records, all stating that he was Austrian, as well as my great-grandmother. My great-grandfather left Austria due to religious persecution (before the holocaust), but there is no proof of that other than word of mouth family history. Leaving the country due to religious or political persecution exempts us from loosing eligibility since I am relatively sure he naturalized as a US citizen (not certain), but it just all seems a bit confusing. Our family wants dual citizenship in Austria to maintain the connection with our heritage and for me and my younger cousins when we start working.
Any help you could give me on my situation would be greatly appreciated!
P.S. – do you know anything about what might happen taxation-wise if we get dual citizenship in the US and Austria?
Thanks Mark!
Jacob, it is simple, you need to find the village he was from. You need to get documents from there to prove he was a Austrian citizen. You would be amazed what documents they have. My grandparents were from small villages yet we had no problem getting the documents. Civil and church documents. I think it is more a matter of collecting paper, building a case, that is it is not black or white, but doing your best to document everything. Make an excel spreadsheet with all your family on it. A family tree and start from there. In the boxes next to their names record any important information and documents you might get. It took me a lot of work but it worth it as I am a dual EU and US citizen.
Taxes are simple.
I must report all world wide income to the US government and assets over 10,000 dollars no matter where they are or how I earn this. You get a 90k exclusion on foreign earned income, but you must report your income. The EU is more lax and basically if you earn money in the USA I think no EU country will really care too much, but the USA does care if you earn money in the EU. But that exclusion is pretty high so do not worry too much about double taxation.
Hello Mark 🙂 I am a citizen of Montenegro and would like to become a citizen of Switzerland. Can you tell me the easiest way to obtain a Swiss citizenship. Does Switzerland have maybe so called “economic citizenship program” and if so how does that work? :)))
The only way I know is work and live in Switzerland legally and with a job speaking one of the four languages for many years. Of course you could be of Swiss background or through marriage but I do not think there is an economic refugee basis as you are not a stateless person or real political refuge.
Besides Montenegro is a great place to live, warn and sunny and low tax and easy to start a business. Montenegro will be EU so this will be a mute point about citizenship really as the EU has good relations with Switzerland and you can work there no problem.
Mark Montenegro is really a great place to live I am very glad you’ve noticed that plus its getting better and better every day. I want Montenegro to be fully integrated member of the EU but only when we deserve it. Thank you so much for the information and God Bless Europe :))
Thank you for your reply. Yes Montenegro ( Czarnogóra) is really set to rock. I think there is no way a country like Montenegro will not do well. The people are educated and taxes are low.
Many people fall in love with an EU citizen and get married and live happily ever after in the EU. But I think Montenegro will start to forge agreements with EU countries even before they enter the EU. I think it already has a special nation status in the EU, so even if it is just a future candidate it is on the way.
One of my friends was from Bosnia and had no problem getting work in Europe.
I want to live and work in Europe.
I am an American woman, about to marry and Italian man in NYC. Can I get a work visa for EU if we live in America? If so, how long after we are married am I able to work there? Must he come with me, in order for me to work?
Thank you!
L.
If you are married to a EU citizen it is just a matter of applying for a spousal visa and it should be under six month for both of you to live and work together in Italy. Just go to the Italian Consulate.
Hi Mark, I wonder if you can help me. My father is German, my mother American. I myself was born in Germany but came to the US when I was five & am now a naturalized US citizen with a US passport. Is there anyway for me to establish EU citizenship while retaining my US citizenship? From what I understand Germany is pretty strict about not allowing dual citizenship…
Thanks in advance!
If you were born in the USA and then get German citizenship they allow exceptions. If if the other way around they do not like. That is you are a German citizen at birth then get another citizenship. I am not positive on this but I think it will be OK. You can ask at the embassy.
Hey Mark, great article.
My mom is A Spaniard citizen. I’m currently a 21 year old American citizen studying Air Traffic Control and going through pilot school. I want to either fly for a European company or do air traffic control in a European country. Do you think a work visa or trying to just become a Spaniard citizen would be a better choice. Any website recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
Become a citizen. It is much better. I think all you have to do is go to the Spanish consulate and it should be no problem if you have a few documents. You will be a dual citizen like me the best of both worlds.
Hi! Hopefully you can help me out… I am a Canadian citizen. My grandparents were both born in Poland, but during the war moved to Germany, where my mother was born. They then moved to Canada and eventually became Canadian citizens. Unfortunately, my grandparents have no documemtation EXCEPT for immigration papers, as their villages/churches etc. were completely destroyed. Also, my mother relinquished her German citizenship about 20 years ago to become Canadian. What is the best route(if any) for me to obtain EU citizenship/passport? Thanks!
You need documentation. There is something out there that has records of your grandparents. You have to work hard to find them. But this will not give you citizenship, maybe a visa which if you live in the EU will lead to citizenship. I think you need to do a lot of research like I did. I worked very hard to get all the documents together. It took years, including traveling to small towns etc. The records are often kept in Warsaw.
Hello, I am from Ukrainian origin born in South America but have US Nationality. My grandparents were from Ukraine and my father was actually born there, can I get citizenship and will this help get employment in the UK, trying to move there to be with my fiance and get married. Thank you so much!
I would love to say yes, but Ukraine does not have dual citizenship laws. Maybe if you were from Poland but not Ukraine as Ukraine also is not an EU member, but does get a favorable visa status.
Hi Mark,
I have a question that maybe you can answer since you seem to know everything lol. My grandmother is becoming a Spanish citizen at the moment (she is a US citizen now), she’s doing it because her father (my great grandfather) was born in Spain. Now if I wanted to become a Spanish citizen after she has, how can I go about doing that?
You might as there is a special law that will expire very soon. It is called the law of Spanish historical memory. You must look into this and start this today. I do not have the time to explain every detail of this law, but it gives you have very good opportunity to look into this citizenship. But if you wait even a few weeks it might be too late. So start with this law and contact the Spanish consulate and start asking questions.
Hi,
I was born in Croatia but now I don´t live there. I didn´t take Croatian nationality on time and now I need to live there for 5 years to take it. My parents also didn´t take Croatian nationality. I am interested would it be easier when Croatia became one of the countries in EU?
I think you can apply for citizenship now and it will take time. Even though you might nor get confirmed as you said you can be nationalized if you work at it. The EU will have no affect on that process.
Hello Mark,
We are an American gay couple trying to get to France (ultimately). We want to have the right to permanently reside and work there. We are married in California, as it is one of the few US states that allows gay marriage. My spouse is a romanian citizen, however they do not recognize gay marriage there. I know that they do recognize gay marriage in spain however. Would she be able to use her EU citizenship to move there, and would I be able to join her as a permanent resident and with eventual EU citizenship? could we then both move to France? We both are fluent in Spanish and are learning french. Thank you so much for your help. Would an EU lawyer be able to help us? Christina
I think Sweden, the Netherlands and Spain are really the only countries you have a chance in as Germany has more complex laws and other countries do not recognizes your partnership. So that being said, I think you have a chance in a nice warm sunny country like Spain. However, my first step would be to talk to the Spanish consulate. Your partner for sure has the right to live in Spain. The question is can you. I think yes under a spousal visa. However, a visa is not the same a citizenship. As an EU citizen you can go basically anywhere. A visa is not always the case depending on the type of visa and country. If you want to live in Europe for the long term, I would try for naturalization as a Spanish citizen or one of the other countries mentioned above, perhaps based on the length of time. Sweden I think as the easiest for spouses to get citizenship. I would talk to all three embassies. If you find out let me know, I am curious and it could be of help to others.
Mark, my name is Kyle, I am 15, and I am full Italian/Sicilian, but my great grandparents were the fenerato to make the journy to America, I know I can not use that in order to become an EU citizen, I am wondering if I mary an Italian woman, how many years must i stay in Italy in order to recieve full EU citizenship, including being able to travel freely to any of the 27 countries, thankyou very much, Kyle
Italian women are great. Yes marry one if you find the one for you. You would get EU citizenship and you could work and travel in any EU country, just like a US citizenship for states. I think you have a good case for citizenship based on ancestors. If you, were to put a case together with a lot of documents containing birth records etc, for a young guy interested in Italy with Italian roots, my opinion is they would grant you this.
Hey Mark,
My partner is not a us citizen. He is a Mexican national. He cant get his citizen ship here in the US. I’m unsure what we can do. We both want to move abroad to the EU but Not sure what can be done We are not married and we wish to find a place that we can move to that we can live together with out worry of deportation. Any Advice?
That is a hard situation. But I one of my friends lives in Mexico and loves it. He moved there for love. I think you need to find a country that will accept you maybe on a work visa depending on your skills. You could teach English even, but you need skills. Other than that, there are countries that are poor and have easy visa requirements or lax rules. But with the EU the rules are the same like the USA, strict for immigration.
Hello Mark, my name is Bryan; I am a Canadian born citizen. I have a Ukrainian background, my great grandparents where born in Ukraine moved to Canada before the war. I am interested in gaining a citizenship from Ukraine so I can go to law school in Europe without any problems and work there after school is completed. I am wondering if you think I would be eligible for a Ukrainian citizenship thx for you time.
Regards
Bryan
Byran, not possible as Ukraine does not allow dual citizenship and it is not EU. Better is just apply for a student visa. But here is the thing, maybe you could get a Polish green card your grandparents came from Poland, as Ukraine was not a country until latter.
Hey thank’s your information was totally correct about the family being from Poland ( Galicia/ Jaroslaw) And family also family origins in Austria. From your experience what country would you think would be the easiest for me to gain citizenship and or green card from. Another question what type of documentation do I need to prove this for citizenship or green card I have the original marriage documents from those countries if that is a start let me know… Thx for you time
Regards
Bryan
Basically you need birth and marriage documents. Those are the most important. Things like your passport etc are secondary. The embassy will guide you on the forms, however, I recommend you create a family tree in excel. In this tree you put dates and facts as well as a list of supporting documents you have. They really liked when I had this and it made the paper chase for me a lot easier.
Here’s my situation: My grandfather and grandmother immigrated from Germany before World War II around 1924 to the United States. My father’s nationality is 100% German, however, he does not possess any sort of European or EU citizenship (that I’m aware of). How is it possible for me to obtain an EU citizenship? My dream would be to live in Spain becoming fluent in Spanish and be able to earn an income. I’ve also looked at teaching English abroad programs such as TELF, but don’t know if that is the right move. Any advice on how to live and be able to work in Europe would be helpful. Thanks!
I think the Germans will give you a visa if you provide full documentation and make a family history. I think the time of citizenship is over as in the late 40s you would have had to claim German citizenship, but the Germans do care about the right of blood. So go to the German embassy and start the visa process based on the right of blood. Then this will lead to citizenship after naturalization.
Hi Mark, how do I get an EU passport if I was born in Rhodesia and my great grandparents were Italian. can I do it and how do i go about it?
Read though my post and comments, the idea is the same. You might have a chance if you do a lot of paper work. But that many generations back is a stretch. If you are willing to work, than maybe.
Hi, I am a Sri Lankan citizen and a doctor by profession. My plan is to get a EU citizenship and continue my post graduate education. I have been to sweden and I want to continue my education there. If I have EU citizenship It would be easier for me to continue my education for free. please help me
Hi, I am an American citizen who was born in Germany in 1953 to American parents. I don’t know if I am eligible for German citizenship without giving up my American one, and without a long residency requirement.
My maternal grandfather was a native of Austria-Hungary (today’s Krakow, Poland area). He was forced out as a boy, and immigrated to the USA. I wrote Austria’s Consulate and asked if I was eligible for Austrian citizenship through my grandfather, and they referred me to the Hungarians. I haven’t checked with them yet.
I teach in the EU quite often, yearly, so citizenship through any of these channels would be helpful to my work. Thanks for any help.
It all depends on your nationality, that is bloodline. What are you actually. This Jus sanguinis is important to the Europeans in determining citizenship, not place of birth.
Dear Mark Biernat,
I am amazed how you answered Bryan towards the start of this thread to pursue Polish citizenship… “as Ukraine was not a country at the time”.
Incredibly enough Bryan stated what you were right according to the region his family was from..which could very well be true if you were from certain parts of Western Ukraine (but how did you have known that about his grandfather?) But isn’t it true that the more east in Ukraine you go…there is a chance that it could have been Russia?
OK my question is complicated. My hubby and I want to move to Italy. He is Italian ancestry and 1/4 German. Three of his grandparents were Italian immigrants. His German heritage grandmother is American. His father has passed away and the German American grandmother lives with his stepmother he is estranged from.
His both parents are gone..but there are distant cousins still in those regions of italy…but a lot of that info is gone by now.
My Maternal Grandfather was born in Kyiv..and my Maternal grandmother was born in Belarus (although her mother was from from Ukraine’s Bessarabia / Odessa region (which ran east & west) and part of that region is now considered Moldova the more Eastern part of that area is now just Ukraine.
My Paternal Grandfather was from Bilgoraj Poland (wiki says: The area of Bilgoraj District was a borderland over which there were wars between Poland and Kiev Russia and Halicz-Wlodzimierz Russia.” Yet Poland is now EU and Russian and Ukraine are not.
My Paternal grandmother was American born (or maybe came as an infant we are not sure) of what we believe was Austro Hungarian parents.
Although my folks have been divorced a long time I have always embraced my Ukraine roots on my mom’s side and my Polish roots on my Dad’s side. And yet when I tried to search my great grandfather’s info on I believe the Elis Island site it said country of origin Russia. That was the first I ever heard that from any of his sons…it was always “Grandpa was from Poland” But it said great grandcorpulentther came in from Russia. Now… I do not know if that is what port he exited from (and why NOT Poland?) or where he started out in life from…but it puts a wrench in the works of the geneology search
It is so horribly confusing being from Eastern European roots as borders have changed …countries acquired different territories…some countries are Europe and some not!
No one knows where any of these Grandparents passports or documents are. On either side.
My husband still has family in Italy (we are not in touch and never were…but some distant cousins here are in touch and we are hoping in the near future they can possibly supply some more info.)
Do you feel my husband should pursue his Italian roots (neither of his parent can claim heritage first they are both gone) or should I pursue Polish roots (my mom will not help here as she sees herself as American only and I embrace the lineage much more than she does!
Also there is a chance (we are waiting and waiting to get orders) that my hubby may be ofered a position for the US Gov’t abroad, either in Germany or Italy but if he is there under those conditions…I am not sure if he can/should pursue the heritage angle at that time…if the gov’t frowns upon that?
But if the job ends we go back to the states and from what I know if you live in some of these countries 5-10 years you can pursue citizenship that way, but I don’t know if that 5-10 year tenure works in that way IF you are there working for the US Gov’t.
if that job offer does not pan out..he would like to pursue work on his own there…that’s why the EU citizenship.!
Please Mark can you help us?
I think you all have a great plan, I highly recommend Europe. But one thing I tell people is I had to earn my Polish citizenship. I worked very hard to collect original documents moved here and learned the language. You just can not meet citizenship unless your parents are born there. You have to work very hard to get a visa then maybe a citizenship after many years. It is all possible, as I did it and boy was it worth it. I can live and travel anywhere in the USA and Europe and work also. Start at the embassy website and read the requirements, I also list them here on my site. If you have a lot of cash you can pay someone like a lawyer to help you put it all together or a company that does this, but they will give you no advantage, only do some of your leg work. I would rather do it myself as I am kind of cheap.
I think the first step to get an EU citizenship is in Excel make a detailed family tree. Include dates and all important information.
Next come up with a list of documents needed with guidance from your country of of desired citizenship embassy.
This is what I did. I really think it is worth it. Start with a simple spreadsheet to give yourself some structure.
PS I thought I might mention…I speak some Russian…and we adopted a child from Ukraine (although in my opinion his original last name sounded Polish) he of course is a Ukrainian (and American citizen as soon as his feet hit american soil thanks to Clinton) and he has that privilige until 18 when he can chose.
Should I pursue poland heritage and learn some polish as well???
Thank you!
I am moving to Germany to do my PhD study. I am an Indian National. Is there any possible chances for me to get a Germany Permanent Residence or Citizenship.
If you live in Germany for over 8 years legally and speak the language you can apply for a citizenship.
My partner has EU passport through descent of grandparents in Ireland. We have been in a relationship (same-friendship) for 13 year, and would like to move to Europe. However, I do not have working papers or visa. Can I obtain these through him? If so, how? I speak French and Spanish fluently, and am currently a high school teacher here in the United States.
Interesting question which I get a lot. If you are not married, then no. I think if they recognizes marriage then it is OK, but you need legal paperwork etc. The thing is I do not think Ireland recognizes this. Sorry, the reason is the entire world could say they have a partner in the EU and move to Europe. Therefore, you need legal documents binding you and a country that recognizes this, then the visa process might be open.
Why not, try for a work visa and teach English in Europe?