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As an EU citizen, you have the right to move to any EU country to live, work, study, look for a job or retire.
Fact sheet
- Program type
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Employment
Residency via employment programs requires that you find and maintain a job (sometimes with a minimum income threshold and/or special skill sets) in order to get the residency.
- Residency type
- Permanent residency
- Citizenship required
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Applicant must hold citizenship from one of the following 27 countries:
Requirements
You must be a citizen of a country of the European Union.
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.
As an employed person in your host country, you should register your residence with the relevant authority (often the town hall or local police station) after the first 3 months. When you register, you will get a registration certificate. This certificate confirms your right to live in your host country.
You will need:
- a valid identity card or passport
- certificate of employment or confirmation of recruitment from your employer
- if self-employed: proof of your status as self-employed
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
If you lose your job while living in another country, you can still stay there if you are:
- unable to work temporarily because of illness or accident
- registered with the relevant authority as being involuntarily unemployed. If you have been employed for less than 1 year before that, you retain the right to equal treatment with nationals for a limited period of at least 6 months.
- following vocational training. If you are not involuntarily unemployed, the training must be related to your previous job.
You can lose your right to permanent residence if you were a permanent resident but lived outside the country for more than 2 consecutive years.