This one does not seem to correlate with anything in particular.
As always, Portugal is Eastern Europe.
In Austria it depends on the state/province (national subunit) you live in.
Yes, it’s bonkers, given you receive federal citizenship, but it’s how it is… Yay, Austrian federalism!
Can confirm Latvia. It is stupid long and the yearly process of renewal is a huge pain in the ass. Source: live in country and into my 3rd year with dual citizen wife and dual citizen kids.
Hungary is wildly inaccurate. You could become a citizen instantly(plus admin time), or it might take up to 10 years of continuous life in the country to become eligible. There is no case where it would take either 6 or 9 years. There are 0/3/5/10 year cases.
Edit: Possible correction: maybe theres an 8 year too. I cant remember and I’m too lazy to check right now.
i wish it was like 10 years at least, 5 years is nothing to integrate into a culture, and even i wish it would depend on the country you’re from like if you’re western european it’s shorter and the farther you go from similar culture the longer it takes, or at least something that like a test but like very hard
Spain is actually 2 to 5 years for Latin American countries + Portugal.
I imagine several of the other countries in red must also have some large caveats.
this does not tell you about all the crazy shit you have to go through in Denmark though..
Vatican is appointed-only
Germany is as low as 3 years if married to a German citizen for at least 2 years
This could be misleading for Spain. You can request naturalization if you are Latin American after your 2nd year, which is the most important immigrant group, if I remember correctly. Also works for Portugal, Andorra and Sefardí Jews.
5 years for refugees, which could include many nationalities.
Although the burocracy could take 2 years more.
In Poland this 10 years requirement is just basically a catch-all case. I mean, it is a last resort if any other option do not apply, and there are multiple other much quicker scenarios (#1) including refugees getting citizenship after 2 years and people of Polish descend with “karta Polaka” getting it after just 1 year. I doubt there are people who actually wait 10 years, especially that you can literally petition to the president and be granted citizenship just like that. And for those who doubt, this is actually happening, see #2 below. And by the way, this map is based on wikipedia article, which in turn for Poland quotes some private immigration lawyers’ website. They may have a business in presenting this kind of rules in a way that scares you so you feel overwhelmed and use their services. Proper government sites should be used as a reference.
The countries in red are also lead by fascists! Coincidence??? /s
Germany used to be 16years but was reduced to 8 years a few years ago
Also for Switzerland the time spent is no guarantee for naturalization, your neighbours actually have to vote whether you should get citizenship, and they don’t always vote yes, I’ve also heard from Americans who lived there for 16 years still get voted no
> you have lived in Estonia, prior submitting an application, for at least eight years on the ground of a residence permit or by right of residence, of which at least the last five years on a permanent basis
This information is from Estonian State Portal. Can somebody explain, why is it counted as 5 years and less, when it’s clearly stated that you have to live at least 8 years before applying for citizenship?
In Spain it’s 2 years for citizens of former Spanish overseas territories.
In Italy it can be 7 years.
69 years!?
I see what you did with the colors.
The main obstacle concerning naturalisation in Ireland is actually the cost – applicants first have to pay €175 merely for filling out the first application form, followed by a further €950 when naturalisation is approved. As with many European countries, if your grandparents were Irish, you can claim Irish citizenship by registering on the Foreign Births Register, which came to prominence in the immediate aftermath of Brexit. As for cultural perceptions of Irishness, the general attitude is that if a person makes the individual effort to settle into the community, and embraced Irish culture, then they will be accepted, although it would probably be their next generation who would be considered fully Irish. That said, the [2004 citizenship referendum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty-seventh_Amendment_of_the_Constitution_of_Ireland) demonstrates some reservations.
What’s naturalisation?
The UK is really 6 though. You can get indefinite leave to remain after 5 years, but can’t naturalize until you had IDL for 1 year
Are there actually any tangible benefits to naturalisation for an EU citizen living in a country that isn’t their home country?
I’m always boggled by how easy Swedish naturalisation is. You don’t even need to speak Swedish to become a citizen!
I think these figures are useless cause this takes time from permanent residency to citizenship. Most of the time it takes longer to get there.
My ex coworker in Slovenia, originaly from Bosnia will get her citizenship after only around 1.5 years. She speaks fluently slovene which is a huge plus.
Spain has massive bypass laws though.
Spain:
General rule: 10 years.
Hispanic-American and other ex-colonies: 2 years.
Descendant of a single Jew expelled 500 years ago with no idea of Spanish or its culture: immediate nationality.
Descendant of an important Muslim family expelled 500 years ago, knowing Spanish and the culture: f*** off.
​
Courtesy of a so-called Socialist party.
In Italy you can just say “my Brazilian grandpa once ate a pizza”, and bam, they give you Italian citizenship. These “Italians” are all over Europe.
Based Reds
Why is the Vatican red?
Why would more time be Read? I think that is good, it keeps the Culture alive and more Foresigners with a different mindset out.
As an Italian I can confirm it usually takes foreigners 10 years to learn how to use a bidet, thus getting hooked and becoming Italians themselves.
Portugal used to be six years of residency, but recently changed it to five years (the same time it takes to get permeant residency funny enough). Although while the new changes were signed into law, most Portuguese government websites still don’t reflect on the change yet.
37 comments
Source: [Naturalization](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naturalization#Summary_by_country)
This one does not seem to correlate with anything in particular.
As always, Portugal is Eastern Europe.
In Austria it depends on the state/province (national subunit) you live in.
Yes, it’s bonkers, given you receive federal citizenship, but it’s how it is… Yay, Austrian federalism!
Can confirm Latvia. It is stupid long and the yearly process of renewal is a huge pain in the ass. Source: live in country and into my 3rd year with dual citizen wife and dual citizen kids.
Hungary is wildly inaccurate. You could become a citizen instantly(plus admin time), or it might take up to 10 years of continuous life in the country to become eligible. There is no case where it would take either 6 or 9 years. There are 0/3/5/10 year cases.
Edit: Possible correction: maybe theres an 8 year too. I cant remember and I’m too lazy to check right now.
i wish it was like 10 years at least, 5 years is nothing to integrate into a culture, and even i wish it would depend on the country you’re from like if you’re western european it’s shorter and the farther you go from similar culture the longer it takes, or at least something that like a test but like very hard
Spain is actually 2 to 5 years for Latin American countries + Portugal.
I imagine several of the other countries in red must also have some large caveats.
this does not tell you about all the crazy shit you have to go through in Denmark though..
Vatican is appointed-only
Germany is as low as 3 years if married to a German citizen for at least 2 years
This could be misleading for Spain. You can request naturalization if you are Latin American after your 2nd year, which is the most important immigrant group, if I remember correctly. Also works for Portugal, Andorra and Sefardí Jews.
5 years for refugees, which could include many nationalities.
Although the burocracy could take 2 years more.
In Poland this 10 years requirement is just basically a catch-all case. I mean, it is a last resort if any other option do not apply, and there are multiple other much quicker scenarios (#1) including refugees getting citizenship after 2 years and people of Polish descend with “karta Polaka” getting it after just 1 year. I doubt there are people who actually wait 10 years, especially that you can literally petition to the president and be granted citizenship just like that. And for those who doubt, this is actually happening, see #2 below. And by the way, this map is based on wikipedia article, which in turn for Poland quotes some private immigration lawyers’ website. They may have a business in presenting this kind of rules in a way that scares you so you feel overwhelmed and use their services. Proper government sites should be used as a reference.
1. [https://powroty.gov.pl/nabycie-obywatelstwa-polskiego-10000](https://powroty.gov.pl/nabycie-obywatelstwa-polskiego-10000)
2. [https://dane.gov.pl/pl/dataset/814,liczba-postanowien-prezydenta-rp-o-nadanie-obywatelstwa-polskiego](https://dane.gov.pl/pl/dataset/814,liczba-postanowien-prezydenta-rp-o-nadanie-obywatelstwa-polskiego)
Macedonia is 6-9 years? I thought it was 3-5?
Saudi Arabia should be more like: never
The countries in red are also lead by fascists! Coincidence??? /s
Germany used to be 16years but was reduced to 8 years a few years ago
Also for Switzerland the time spent is no guarantee for naturalization, your neighbours actually have to vote whether you should get citizenship, and they don’t always vote yes, I’ve also heard from Americans who lived there for 16 years still get voted no
> you have lived in Estonia, prior submitting an application, for at least eight years on the ground of a residence permit or by right of residence, of which at least the last five years on a permanent basis
This information is from Estonian State Portal. Can somebody explain, why is it counted as 5 years and less, when it’s clearly stated that you have to live at least 8 years before applying for citizenship?
In Spain it’s 2 years for citizens of former Spanish overseas territories.
In Italy it can be 7 years.
69 years!?
I see what you did with the colors.
The main obstacle concerning naturalisation in Ireland is actually the cost – applicants first have to pay €175 merely for filling out the first application form, followed by a further €950 when naturalisation is approved. As with many European countries, if your grandparents were Irish, you can claim Irish citizenship by registering on the Foreign Births Register, which came to prominence in the immediate aftermath of Brexit. As for cultural perceptions of Irishness, the general attitude is that if a person makes the individual effort to settle into the community, and embraced Irish culture, then they will be accepted, although it would probably be their next generation who would be considered fully Irish. That said, the [2004 citizenship referendum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty-seventh_Amendment_of_the_Constitution_of_Ireland) demonstrates some reservations.
What’s naturalisation?
The UK is really 6 though. You can get indefinite leave to remain after 5 years, but can’t naturalize until you had IDL for 1 year
Are there actually any tangible benefits to naturalisation for an EU citizen living in a country that isn’t their home country?
I’m always boggled by how easy Swedish naturalisation is. You don’t even need to speak Swedish to become a citizen!
I think these figures are useless cause this takes time from permanent residency to citizenship. Most of the time it takes longer to get there.
My ex coworker in Slovenia, originaly from Bosnia will get her citizenship after only around 1.5 years. She speaks fluently slovene which is a huge plus.
Spain has massive bypass laws though.
Spain:
General rule: 10 years.
Hispanic-American and other ex-colonies: 2 years.
Descendant of a single Jew expelled 500 years ago with no idea of Spanish or its culture: immediate nationality.
Descendant of an important Muslim family expelled 500 years ago, knowing Spanish and the culture: f*** off.
​
Courtesy of a so-called Socialist party.
In Italy you can just say “my Brazilian grandpa once ate a pizza”, and bam, they give you Italian citizenship. These “Italians” are all over Europe.
Based Reds
Why is the Vatican red?
Why would more time be Read? I think that is good, it keeps the Culture alive and more Foresigners with a different mindset out.
As an Italian I can confirm it usually takes foreigners 10 years to learn how to use a bidet, thus getting hooked and becoming Italians themselves.
Portugal used to be six years of residency, but recently changed it to five years (the same time it takes to get permeant residency funny enough). Although while the new changes were signed into law, most Portuguese government websites still don’t reflect on the change yet.