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Dual citizenship allows you to have two passports and citizenship certificates from two countries. With dual EU citizenship, you basically have two homes, you are provided with countless opportunities, and have freedom of movement in 27 countries of the EU.
Most countries in the EU allow dual citizenship, some of which allow it only if you meet certain requirements, and a small number of countries don’t allow dual citizenship at all.
EU Countries That Allow Dual Citizenship
Below are listed all the EU countries that allow dual citizenship:
- Austria*
- Denmark
- Hungary
- Malta
- Slovenia
- Belgium
- Estonia
- Ireland
- Netherlands*
- Spain
- Bulgaria*
- Finland
- Italy
- Poland
- Sweden
- Croatia
- France
- Latvia
- Portugal
- Cyprus
- Germany*
- Lithuania*
- Romania
- Czechia
- Greece
- Luxembourg
- Slovakia
*These countries allow dual citizenship only in certain cases, such as the impossibility of giving up your previous nationality (e.g. if giving up your previous nationality would result in major financial loss or if that country does not allow the renouncement of citizenship).
Being a member of a non-Schengen EU country doesn’t prevent you from obtaining EU dual citizenship, as long as you are eligible and meet all the requirements.
>> How to Become an EU Citizen?
Benefits of EU Dual Nationality
The benefits of obtaining dual citizenship with an EU country are:
You Can Work and Travel in Europe Without a Visa
EU dual citizenship gives you the chance to travel between the 27 EU countries without any type of visa. You can live, work, and even retire in any of these countries with no restrictions. You can do the same in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland, which aren’t part of the EU.
Right to Vote and Run for Office
Dual citizenship allows you to both vote and run for office, just like a citizen of the country where you choose to live. Moreover, as an EU citizen, you can work in a public service position.
Right to Education with No Additional Fees
Through dual EU citizenship, you can access some of the best universities in the world, with excellent quality and no extra tuition or reduced tuition. As an EU citizen, you don’t need a student visa to earn subsidized degrees in business administration, social sciences, IT, journalism, and law.
Right to Purchase Property
If you want to buy a property in any EU country, you can do this without a permit from the moment that you obtain an EU dual citizenship. You are free to choose any EU member state and begin living there.
Access to Healthcare
Eu dual citizenship gives you the right to have healthcare access in any EU country. If you need medical coverage when you’re living, studying, and travelling between EU states. Although EU countries have different healthcare systems, the European health insurance card covers you in the whole area.
Right to Start Your Business
As an EU citizen, you can start your own business and access different EU funds. Starting a new company can be easy because you can apply for financial aid from investment platforms that are ready to support new businesses.
Access to Consular Protection by EU countries
EU citizens in a non-EU country can get protection from any EU consulate. If you are experiencing any emergency, you will receive help, whether your passport has been stolen, you have been in an accident, or you need to be immediately evacuated.
Privacy of Your Personal Data
The EU has established protection for individuals so they can control their private data. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has placed restrictions on data collection, storage, and usage. So, as an EU citizen, you can easily move your personal data from one service to another.
Connecting with Your Heritage and Family History
If you have ancestors who are from an EU country, by living in the country where they lived once, you will be able to reconnect with your family roots and understand their culture. Speaking the language of your ancestors, eating the cuisine they ate, and visiting the places where they lived are only some of the ways in which you can connect with your heritage and family history.
How to Get European Dual Citizenship?
The four ways to get European dual citizenship are through naturalization, descent, investment (golden visa), and right of ground.
Dual Citizenship via Naturalization
You can obtain citizenship via naturalization if:
- You have a work visa, usually a Blue Card, and have worked for at least five years in an EU country.
- You have been married to an EU citizen for at least three years.
Dual Citizenship via Descent
Obtaining EU citizenship via descent means that you have a parent or grandparent who is an EU citizen and have passed the citizenship rights to you (even if you have never lived in that EU country).
Each EU country has its own rules for citizenship by descent. However, in most cases, your ancestor (parent or grandparent) must still have rights to EU citizenship even if they don’t live there anymore.
EU Dual Citizenship via Investment (Golden Visas)
A Golden Visa allows you to get dual EU citizenship if you invest in a specific country. The golden visa is temporary but can be renewed as long as you keep your investment. You have to live in that country to obtain citizenship, but a few countries do not have such a requirement. You can get citizenship in the country you are investing in only after you have lived for a minimum of five to ten years, depending on the rules of each country.
EU Countries that offer Golden Visas are:
- Spain
- Portugal
- Greece
- Italy
- Malta
- Switzerland
- Austria
- Belgium
- Germany
- Bulgaria
- Ireland
Right of Ground
The Right of Ground, or Jus soli, grants you the right to citizenship in the country you were born in. However, you are not guaranteed citizenship if your parents have not lived in that country for 3 to 10 years, depending on the country. Countries that don’t have such restrictions are France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain. If you were born in any of these countries, you can get citizenship if one of your parents was born in that country. This kind of right of ground is also known as an automatic double Jus soli.
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