Citizenship of the European Union gives many advantages to foreigners, which attracts people. The procedure for obtaining is not the easiest, but it is worth it. And before you understand the intricacies of design, you need to understand what advantages an EU citizen will have.
Citizenship Pros
EU citizenship is valued because of the large number of benefits it provides. However, before you apply for it, you need to remember that not all countries within the EU allow dual citizenship. Some states accept new nationals only after they renounce the citizenship of their country. What are the advantages of indigenate?
- High standard of living in any country of the European Union. For EU citizens, incomes can not only cover basic needs, but also travel, develop spiritually. A nice bonus is the medical and social benefits.
- EU citizenship allows you to freely visit other partner countries. Foreigners are also attracted by the opportunity to get a job in any EU country without hindrance. Of course, the simplified procedure for obtaining an Australian or American visa plays an important role, as well as traveling around Europe without problems.
- Citizenship of the European Union allows the descendants of the subjects of a state to get an education in any European university. This advantage plays an important role in obtaining citizenship, because most of the most prestigious universities are concentrated in Europe. By the way, for some specialties citizens have the opportunity to unlearn for free.
- Obtaining EU citizenship is at least because the right to use the services of the best European doctors will appear, and not only in the country whose citizenship is obtained. This is the guarantee of qualified treatment for reasonable money.
Who is an EU citizen?
Obtaining EU citizenship or an EU passport is not possible. This is because it does not exist as such when they utter this phrase, they mean the citizens of those countries that are part of the EU.
Simply put, if a person has the citizenship of Germany or another state (there are 28 in total), then it can be said about him that he has the citizenship of the European Union.
How to get citizenship?
To obtain EU citizenship for Russians and other foreigners, you do not need to meet any special requirements. It is quite enough not to have a criminal record and problems with the law, credit and tax debts.
It seems that the conditions for receipt are quite simple, but some foreigners can count on an even more simplified procedure for receiving. Who are these people?
Native citizenship
First of all, people who were born on the territory of the European Union will receive citizenship. There are two principles for obtaining citizenship:
- By law of the territory.
- By blood.
The first principle implies the birth of a child in the territory of the European Union. But he will become a citizen only if one of his parents is already a subject of one of the European states.
The second principle involves obtaining citizenship to people who have relatives or ancestors who are citizens of Europe. Most often, states use it precisely, and it is much faster and easier to obtain citizenship of EU countries.
Inheritance of citizenship
In the second turn, obtaining EU citizenship is provided by inheritance. What does it mean? We have already said that a child born in one of the EU member states has the right to citizenship if one of his parents is already a citizen of a European state. But by inheritance, citizenship is transferred in a slightly different way.
A child can be recognized as a national, even if the parents do not have European citizenship. In this case, both the father and mother are obliged to permanently live in the state. In addition, they must have the prerequisites for obtaining citizenship.
This situation causes a lot of controversy, because not every European state is ready to implicitly provide citizenship to a child. But if the baby still became an EU citizen, then for life. You can enter into citizenship after reaching the age of majority or a written statement from the parents. Even if a person decides to exercise his right in adulthood, they will unquestioningly meet him.
Childbirth in Europe and citizenship
People have always tried to give the best to their children. Now it has become fashionable to give birth abroad, because many believe that a child automatically becomes a citizen of Europe. The opinion is not entirely true, if only because not every country is ready to provide citizenship under such conditions. And those states that do not mind replenishing the population put forward a number of conditions. The main thing is compulsory residence in the country for a certain time. So how to get EU citizenship for Russians born in Europe? Observe time conditions:
- For Germany - 8 years of continuous residence.
- For France - 5 years.
- In Denmark you need to live permanently for 9 years and only then you can become a citizen.
- Living in Belgium is necessary for 12 years, while continuously only 10.
If the mother and father already received citizenship during their stay, the child receives it at the same time.
Repatriation
How to obtain EU citizenship to a citizen of the Russian Federation? By repatriation. What does it mean? The program allows in a simplified manner to become a subject of the European state, but for this you need to have relatives, subjects no further than the third knee. Returning to one’s homeland allows one to become a citizen of a country in a much shorter time than through immigration.
It is important to understand that the conditions of the program in each EU member state are different. For example, to return to their homeland in the Baltic countries, you need to have relatives who lived in the country during the independence of the republics. This means that it will not be possible to obtain citizenship for those people whose relatives lived in the country only in the Soviet period.
In Poland, knowledge of culture and language will still have to be confirmed. Even if a person cannot boast of a depth of knowledge, he must be aware of at least general points.
By the way, not only ethnic Germans, but also Jews can return to Germany.
Refugees
This category of people often has to change their place of residence. The reason may be a constant war or persecution due to involvement in certain legitimate minorities or groups. First, a person will have to confirm refugee status, and for this it will be necessary to prove that the danger really exists. An important condition is the refusal of the state, of which the person is a citizen, to solve the problem or the impossibility of its solution. As a rule, the European Union confirms the status of no more than a quarter of refugees. This is due to the fact that it is very difficult and not always possible to prove the danger.
It is important to understand that obtaining refugee status does not mean obtaining citizenship. A person can only transport his family to the country, receive benefits and live in the country. And only after some time the refugee has the right to apply for citizenship.
Naturalization
You can apply for EU citizenship if a person has business or personal interests within the country or when the candidate has been living in the country for a long time.
What are these reasons? Usually they include:
- Marriage to a citizen of the European Union.
- Relocation to relatives.
- Training and work in the future on the territory of partner countries.
- Investment fee.
- A person has a job in the EU for which he was hired.
- Registration of business activities.
- Buying a property.
Only the first reason does not oblige you to confirm financial viability, in other cases you will have to prove that you are able to provide not only yourself, but also your family.
In order to obtain citizenship, it is usually necessary to confirm that the income is not less than the monthly average for the country. Obtaining EU citizenship quickly by naturalization will not work, because first you need to live in the country for at least ten years, and then, the countdown only occurs after the first residence permit is obtained. The term may be reduced if a person has made major investments in the country's economy or has married a citizen.
In addition to confirming financial viability, you will have to pass a language test and an exam on the basics of law.
It is important to understand that it is not always possible to become a citizen simply by buying real estate. There are many countries in the European Union that put forward very stringent requirements for candidates, but we will consider those where new citizens are always welcome.
Where is it easier to become a subject?
So which EU citizenship is easier to obtain? Those countries where there are special programs that are aimed at supporting the economy. You can get EU citizenship quickly in Cyprus, for this you just need to buy real estate in the country. It seems to sound easy, but the main obstacle will be the high cost of housing, even an economy class. But if you have the necessary funds, then you will receive citizenship almost immediately after the purchase.
Citizenship can be obtained in a simplified manner in Malta, in Greece, Bulgaria, Spain, Latvia and Portugal. To do this, you will either need to open a business in the country, or buy real estate. The principle is quite simple - a person pours his money into the economy, and the state issues a passport in gratitude. In these countries, obtaining citizenship takes more time, but the procedure takes place in a simplified manner.
Before choosing a country, find out if citizenship in it has restrictions on movement and training. Countries such as Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Hungary, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia limit the ability of citizens to work and study outside the state, as well as freely cross the border.
Latvia
In which EU country is it easier to obtain citizenship? Of course, in Latvia. Despite the restrictions, in the country Russians are easiest to adapt due to the language. Even if you do not know Latvian at all, then you can speak Russian, and most importantly, they will understand you. To obtain citizenship, it is enough to buy real estate for one and a half million rubles or put them on deposit. In this case, a residence permit is issued within a month, and then it is already possible to apply for permanent residence (permanent residence).
Bulgaria
To become a citizen of Bulgaria, it is enough to invest in real estate. There is an absolute plus - for a certain amount you can buy several premises, both residential and business.
Benefits in obtaining citizenship are also provided for businessmen. In order to use them, it is enough to open a branch of a Russian company or a new business with ten jobs for citizens of the country. If the condition is met, then a residence permit is obtained not only by an entrepreneur with a family, but also by co-founders and business partners.
Bulgaria is ready to accept wealthy pensioners. It is enough to confirm the receipt of regular payments in your country, the availability of real estate in Bulgaria and a bank statement, from which it is clear that a person has enough money to live.
Hungary
Hungary does not give a residence permit if a person buys real estate in the country. But you can buy bonds for a certain amount for a period of five years. During this time, the state uses the funds, and then returns them to the person back in the same amount. At a time when money is used by the country, a person has the right to apply for a residence permit, which after a certain time is transformed into permanent residence.
In order not to work in the country, you need to confirm your financial viability and the availability of real estate.
Spain
As for Spain, the conditions for obtaining citizenship here are not the most favorable. This is because after applying for a residence permit (residence permit) you will have to pay taxes not only for Spanish property, but also for property left in another country. But there is a way. To do this, it is enough to buy real estate in the country and provide a bank statement stating that there are enough funds on the account for living.
A residence permit is also issued to entrepreneurs who have given work to at least two local residents. If a person is an investor, then he is also granted a residence permit, but for this it will be necessary to invest at least two million euros in the state economy.
Greece
To have a residence permit on hand, it is enough to buy real estate. You can relax or work with the document. In order to spend time for pleasure, it is enough to submit a bank statement. According to it, a person must have at least 250 thousand euros in his account, and a monthly income of at least two thousand is also required.
These documents are enough to relax or live in the country. In order for the local authorities to issue a residence permit, you will have to do something.
Experts do not recommend choosing Greece as a country for citizenship, if only because its economy is unstable. High property taxes are also doing their job, despite the fact that the Greeks began to amend the law.
Conclusion
Not every Russian thinks about obtaining a second citizenship, however, in our realities this is almost a necessity. In Europe, there are much more opportunities for both the adult population and the younger generation.
Of course, compared with Russia, the income of European citizens is several times higher, which is another obstacle to obtaining the coveted citizenship. The European Union prefers wealthy citizens, which, unfortunately, is unattainable for most Russians.
Nevertheless, if you seriously want to join the ranks of Europeans, you will find opportunities and solutions to the problem. It is only important to remember that when you come to live in another country, you must necessarily adapt to the local society. If you do not adapt to people, culture, then it will be very difficult for you to live. It is also obvious that you need to respect the laws of the country of residence and not try to violate them. Nobody will give the second attempt, therefore, if you do not use the first, then you will not be able to fulfill your dream.
And remember that nothing is impossible, the main thing is to really want and set the right goals, and then everything will work out.