Citizenship by residence pathways

Switzerland

Swiss Citizenship After Residence

This citizenship pathway is for long-term residents of Switzerland. It generally requires enough lawful residence, good character, and any language,…

citizenship Norway

Norwegian Citizenship After Residence

Adults living in Norway on residence permits can apply for citizenship after sufficient qualifying residence. Identity, continued residence,…

citizenship Iceland

Icelandic Citizenship After Residence

Icelandic naturalization is usually for people already legally settled in Iceland. The standard residence period is seven years, with shorter periods for…

citizenship Sweden

Swedish Citizenship After Residence

Swedish citizenship by application is for adults who live in Sweden and have accumulated the required habitual residence. Applicants generally need a…

citizenship Germany

German Citizenship After Residence

German citizenship by naturalization is for people who have lived legally in Germany for more than five years and meet the residence-status, self-support,…

citizenship Ireland

Irish Citizenship After Residence

Irish citizenship through qualifying residence, good character, and an intention to keep living in the required territory. The usual period is five years;…

citizenship Singapore

Singapore Citizenship by Residence or Family

Singapore accepts citizenship applications from several defined groups, including adult permanent residents, qualifying spouses and children of citizens,…

citizenship Australia

Australian Citizenship by Conferral

This citizenship pathway is for long-term residents of Australia. It generally requires enough lawful residence, good character, and any language,…

citizenship Netherlands

Dutch Citizenship After Residence

The Netherlands offers ordinary naturalization after a qualifying period of lawful Dutch residence, usually 5 years, along with civic integration,…

citizenship Finland

Finnish Citizenship After Residence

Finnish citizenship by application is for adults who live in Finland and have built enough legal residence there. Applicants generally need reliable…

citizenship Belgium

Belgian Citizenship After 10 Years

Adults with ten years of legal residence can seek Belgian citizenship by declaration. They need unlimited stay at filing, knowledge of a national language,…

citizenship Belgium

Belgian Citizenship After 5 Years

Adults with five years of legal residence can seek Belgian citizenship by declaration. They need unlimited stay at filing, knowledge of a national…

citizenship Belgium

Belgian Citizenship for Exceptional Merit

Belgium can grant citizenship to people with exceptional scientific, sporting, or sociocultural merit. Applicants need unlimited lawful residence and must…

citizenship Belgium

Belgian Citizenship for Parents of Citizens

Belgium has a nationality declaration route for certain parents of Belgian children under 18. It generally requires five years of legal residence in…

citizenship Belgium

Belgian Citizenship: Disability or Retirement

Belgium has a nationality declaration route for some residents who have legally lived in Belgium for five years and can show they are unable to work…

citizenship United Kingdom

UK Citizenship After Living There

This citizenship pathway is for long-term residents of the United Kingdom. It generally requires enough lawful residence, good character, and any language,…

citizenship New Zealand

New Zealand Citizenship by Grant

New Zealand citizenship usually requires five years of qualifying residence, including at least 1,350 days in the country and 240 days in each year. You…

citizenship United Arab Emirates

UAE Citizenship by Government Nomination

Specified investors and people with exceptional expertise or talent may receive UAE citizenship through official nomination and approval. Residence,…

citizenship Canada

Canadian Citizenship After Residence

This citizenship pathway is for long-term residents of Canada. It generally requires enough lawful residence, good character, and any language,…

citizenship South Korea

South Korean Citizenship After Residence

South Korean naturalization is an application-based route with distinct general, facilitated, marriage, and special categories. General naturalization…

citizenship Luxembourg

Luxembourg Citizenship After Residence

Luxembourg naturalization is for adults who have already built lawful residence in Luxembourg. It generally requires five years of legal residence,…

citizenship United States

U.S. Citizenship After Residence

U.S. naturalization is the ordinary citizenship route for lawful permanent residents who have enough residence, physical presence, good moral character,…

citizenship United States

U.S. Citizenship Through Military Service

Some current and former members of the U.S. armed forces can qualify for special naturalization rules based on military service.

citizenship Austria

Austrian Citizenship After Residence

Austrian citizenship by award is for people who have built a long-term legal life in Austria and can meet its residence, resources, German-language,…

citizenship Japan

Japanese Citizenship After Residence

Japanese naturalization is for people domiciled in Japan who meet the Nationality Act's residence, age and capacity, conduct, livelihood, nationality, and…

citizenship Israel

Israeli Citizenship After Residence

Section 5 naturalization is a discretionary citizenship route for a person who already holds valid Israeli permanent residence, is living in Israel, and…

citizenship Spain

Spanish Citizenship After Residence

Spain's ordinary naturalization route is the default citizenship route for long-term legal residents who do not fit a reduced Article 22 period. The…

citizenship Spain

Spanish Citizenship After Shorter Residence

Spain's Article 22 route reduces the usual ten-year residence period to five, two, or one year for defined refugee, nationality-of-origin, Sephardic,…

citizenship France

French Citizenship After Residence

French naturalization is for people who have made France their main home and can show enough residence, integration, B2 French, a passing nationality civic…

citizenship Italy

Italian Citizenship After Residence

Italian naturalization is for people who have built a qualifying period of legal residence in Italy or fit a special residence category. It generally…

citizenship Czechia (Czech Republic)

Czech Citizenship After Residence

Czech naturalization is for people who have built a long-term legal life in Czechia. It generally requires permanent residence, enough actual presence,…

citizenship Andorra

Andorran Citizenship After Residence

Andorran naturalization is mainly for people whose principal home has been in Andorra for many years. The ordinary route combines 20 years of principal and…

citizenship Poland

Polish Citizenship by Presidential Grant

Polish citizenship can be granted by the President of Poland, but this is a highly discretionary route rather than a normal eligibility checklist. Citizeo…

citizenship Poland

Polish Citizenship by Recognition

Polish citizenship by recognition is for people who already have a qualifying Polish residence basis and can meet one exact statutory category. It commonly…

citizenship Portugal

Portuguese Citizenship After Residence

Portugal's ordinary naturalization route is for long-term legal residents. Under the current 2026 law, most applicants need 10 years of legal residence; EU…

citizenship Portugal

Portuguese Citizenship for Former-Colony Ties

Portugal lists special nationality categories for some people born in former Portuguese colonies, or descendants of such people, who have remained in…

citizenship Portugal

Portuguese Citizenship for Relevant Services

Portugal has a narrow discretionary nationality route for people who have rendered relevant services to the Portuguese State. It is an exceptional route,…

citizenship Portugal

Portuguese Citizenship for Stateless People

Portugal has a specific naturalization rule for stateless people who have legally lived in Portugal for at least four years and meet the language, civic,…

citizenship Chile

Chilean Citizenship After Residence

Chile offers ordinary naturalization after five years to qualifying permanent residents, a two-year route for permanent residents with specified Chilean…

citizenship Türkiye (Turkey)

Turkish Citizenship After Residence

Türkiye's ordinary naturalization route is for adult long-term residents who have five years of qualifying, uninterrupted residence and can show…

citizenship Hungary

Hungarian Citizenship by Ancestry

Hungary's simplified naturalization route is for a non-citizen who can prove a Hungarian-citizen ancestor or likely Hungarian origin and can handle the…

citizenship Argentina

Argentine Citizenship After Residence

Standard Argentine naturalization is for adults who complete two years of continuous, legal residence in Argentina immediately before applying. Under the…

citizenship Uruguay

Uruguayan Citizenship After Residence

Adult permanent residents who genuinely live in Uruguay may apply for legal citizenship after three years if qualifying close family live there in their…

citizenship Romania

Romanian Citizenship After Residence

This route is for adults who already hold Romanian long-term or permanent residence and meet the usual 8-year rule, the 5-year spouse rule, or a limited…

citizenship Bahamas

Bahamian Citizenship After Residence

Bahamian naturalization is a discretionary route for long-term lawful residents who meet the permanent-residence, actual-residence, character, language,…

citizenship Panama

Panamanian Citizenship After Residence

Panama normally allows a citizenship application after five consecutive years of residence, or three years for qualifying spouses and parents of Panamanian…

citizenship Georgia

Georgian Citizenship After Residence

Georgian citizenship by naturalization is mainly for adults with 10 consecutive years of lawful residence, or 5 years for a spouse of a Georgian citizen or…

citizenship Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago Citizenship by Residence

T&T naturalization is for alien adults who meet the Act's character, English, residence or government-service, legal-entry, and oath requirements.

citizenship Malaysia

Malaysian Citizenship After Residence

Malaysia's Article 19 naturalization route is for permanent residents age 21 or older who meet the residence, good-character, Malay-language,…

citizenship Costa Rica

Costa Rican Citizenship After Residence

Costa Rica has separate naturalization routes for ordinary residents, qualifying spouses, and people who missed a birth-citizenship option before age 25.…

citizenship Saint Kitts and Nevis

St. Kitts Citizenship After Residence

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says citizenship by residence requires 14 years of legal residence in Saint Kitts and Nevis. The legal mechanism differs…

citizenship Thailand

Thai Citizenship After Residence

Ordinary Thai naturalization is a discretionary citizenship route for adults who have established a long-term legal home in Thailand. The standard route…

citizenship Barbados

Barbados Citizenship After Residence

Adults who have made Barbados their long-term lawful home may be able to apply for citizenship by naturalization. Usually, you must have lived legally in…

citizenship Grenada

Grenada Citizenship by Residence or Marriage

Grenada has separate citizenship procedures for long-term residents, Commonwealth or Irish citizens, and qualifying spouses. The ordinary residence test is…

citizenship Antigua and Barbuda

Antigua Citizenship by Residence or Marriage

Antigua and Barbuda uses different citizenship procedures for a non-Commonwealth applicant seeking naturalization, a Commonwealth citizen seeking…

citizenship Albania

Albania Citizenship After Residence

Adults may apply for Albanian citizenship after at least seven years of legal, continuous residence and while holding a valid permanent-residence permit.…

citizenship Armenia

Armenian Citizenship After Residence

Armenian citizenship by ordinary naturalization is for adults who have already built lawful residence in Armenia. It generally requires at least three…

citizenship Mexico

Mexican Citizenship After Residence

Mexico's ordinary naturalization route is for adult Temporary or Permanent Residents who have completed the required residence period, can demonstrate…

citizenship Dominican Republic

Dominican Citizenship After Residence

This pathway is the ordinary naturalization process for an adult who lives in the Dominican Republic and can document more than two years of permanent…

citizenship Saint Lucia

St. Lucia Citizenship After Residence

This discretionary citizenship pathway is for full-age, capable long-term residents of Saint Lucia who can meet the Act's residence pattern, character,…

citizenship Ecuador

Ecuadorian Citizenship After Residence

Ecuador has distinct naturalization routes for ordinary permanent residents, qualifying spouses or registered partners of Ecuadorians, and some recognized…

citizenship North Macedonia

North Macedonian Citizenship After Residence

This citizenship pathway is for long-term residents of North Macedonia. It generally requires enough lawful residence, good character, and any language,…

citizenship Peru

Peruvian Citizenship After Residence

Peru's currently available naturalization route is for adults who have lived there legally for at least two consecutive years and can meet its conduct,…

citizenship Brazil

Brazilian Citizenship After Residence

Brazilian ordinary naturalization generally requires residence registered for an indeterminate period, four years of qualifying residence, ability to…

citizenship Colombia

Colombian Citizenship After Residence

This route is for an adult who holds a current Colombian Resident visa and has completed the required period of continuous domicile. Most applicants need…

citizenship Jamaica

Jamaican Citizenship by Registration

Adult Commonwealth and Irish citizens can seek Jamaican citizenship by registration after the ordinary five-year residence period. The applicant must…

citizenship Jamaica

Jamaican Citizenship through Residence

Adults outside the Commonwealth and Irish registration route can seek Jamaican citizenship through qualifying residence. The ordinary test combines the…

citizenship Dominica

Dominica Citizenship by Residence or Marriage

Dominica offers ordinary naturalization after seven years of residence or qualifying government service, including residence throughout the final year.…

citizenship Paraguay

Paraguayan Citizenship After Residence

An adult permanent resident can ask Paraguay's Supreme Court for naturalization after at least three years of permanent admission, continuous real…

citizenship Vietnam

Vietnamese Citizenship After Residence

Vietnam has a standard naturalization route for people who currently hold permanent residence and have at least five years counted from issuance of a…

citizenship South Africa

South African Citizenship After Residence

South African naturalization is the citizenship route for permanent residents who meet the Act's residence, character, language, civic-knowledge, and…

citizenship Philippines

Philippine Citizenship After Residence

The usual court route to Philippine citizenship requires ten years of continuous residence, reduced to five for specific groups. A separate administrative…

citizenship Belize

Belizean Citizenship After Residence

Belize's citizenship-by-registration route covers a permanent resident who has held that status for at least five years with the required continuous…

citizenship El Salvador

Salvadoran Citizenship After Residence

Naturalization is generally for a definitive resident who meets the applicable one-year, two-year, or five-year residence rule, or a recognized refugee or…

citizenship Guatemala

Guatemalan Citizenship through Residence

Adults with the required Guatemalan domicile history can seek citizenship by naturalization. The ordinary route requires five years of qualifying domicile,…

citizenship Honduras

Honduran Citizenship through Residence

Honduras allows naturalization through qualifying legal residence or marriage to a Honduran citizen by birth. The residence period varies by nationality of…

citizenship Vanuatu

Vanuatu Citizenship After Residence

Vanuatu's ordinary naturalization route is for a person who has been ordinarily, lawfully, and continuously resident in Vanuatu for the 10 years…

citizenship Nigeria

Nigerian Citizenship After Residence

Nigerian naturalization is for long-term residents who meet Section 27 of the Constitution. The residence requirement is normally 15 years, either…

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