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As an EU citizen, you have the right to move to any of the EU countries to live, work, study, look for a job or retire.
Fact sheet
- Program type
-
Retirement
Residency via retirement programs are aimed at retired pensioners, usually over a minimum age, that have a pension satisfying a minimum income threshold.
- Residency type
- Permanent residency
- Citizenship required
- Applicant must hold citizenship from one of the following 27 countries:
Requirements
You must be a citizen of a country of the European Union.
As an EU national, you can live in any EU country if you have:
- comprehensive health insurance cover in your host country
- sufficient income to live there without needing income support. Income could come from a pension if you are a pensioner or any other source of revenue.
You can stay in another EU country for up to 3 months without registering there but you may need to report your presence. The only requirement is to hold a valid national identity card or passport.
For stays longer than 3 months, some EU countries require you to report your presence to the relevant authorities within a reasonable time after arrival. They may impose a penalty, such as a fine if you fail to do so.
Benefits
You have the right to live, work, study, look for a job or retire.
If you have lived legally, meeting the conditions to stay in another EU country, for a continuous period of 5 years you automatically acquire the right of permanent residence there. This means that you can stay in the country as long as you want.
Your continuity of residence is not affected by:
- temporary absences (less than 6 months per year)
- longer absences for compulsory military service
- one absence of 12 consecutive months, for important reasons such as pregnancy and childbirth, serious illness, work, vocational training or a posting to another country
Restrictions
You may live in the other EU country as long as you continue to meet the conditions for residence. If you no longer do so, the national authorities may require you to leave.
In exceptional cases, your host country can deport you on grounds of public policy or public security - but only if it can prove you represent a serious threat.
The deportation decision or the request to leave must be given to you in writing. It must state all the reasons for your deportation and specify how you can appeal and by when.