Residency In Europe

Because so many Latin American (and even a few Asian) countries make residency easy to obtain—even going so far as to offer incentives to bring in foreign residents—people often think that it’s too difficult to seek residency in Europe.

The truth is that residency can be easier to obtain in some European countries than it is in some Latin American countries.

Portugal, our long-standing number-one overall choice for where to live or retire overseas, is also the number-one destination in Europe for ease of residency (and, incidentally, for minimization of taxes).

As a nonresident, you can spend up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period in any country in the Schengen zone, including Portugal.

That could be 90 days straight in a Schengen country followed by 90 days outside the Schengen zone… or you could spend 30 days in and 30 days out on an ongoing basis.

If you’d like to be able to stick around in Portugal indefinitely, all you have to do is to show income of at least 1,200 euros (US$1,420) per month per person. Do that, and you’ll likely be approved to become a Portuguese resident.

Following this residency path, you’ll be required to spend at least 183 days in Portugal. Then, thanks to your residency status in Portugal, you’d be able to spend the rest of the year in any Schengen country(ies) of your choosing. As a legal resident of one EU country, you can spend as much as 90 days at a time in any other EU/Schengen country.

In addition, Portugal offers a Golden Visa program whereby you can obtain residency by making an investment in real estate. Going this route, you’d be required to spend but a week a year on average in the country (rather than the 183 days per year required under the proof-of-income option).

The invest-for-residency option suits someone looking for a path to EU citizenship but not wanting or able to spend the majority of his time actually living in an EU country.

Regardless which path you pursue to establish residency in Portugal, you can apply for citizenship after 5 years of legal residency… and after 10 years of illegal residency.

Yes, you read that right. Portugal allows you to apply for citizenship if you can show you’ve been residing in the country illegally for 10 years or more.

Portugal isn’t the only European country where you can gain residency simply by showing you can support yourself. France, Spain, Italy, and Ireland all also offer residency options based simply on how much income you can prove.

Ireland’s program is the most onerous. The minimum-income requirement to qualify is 50,000 euros (US$59,100) per year per person. The biggest possible monthly U.S. Social Security check adds up to less than 30,000 euros (US$35,450) a year… meaning no American with only Social Security income to show for himself is going to pass the test.

Ireland put these minimum-income requirements in place several years ago, and no one we’ve spoken with in the country really understands why. You don’t need 50,000 euros per year to live comfortably in Ireland.

Also note that the residency permit you are issued under Ireland’s income program doesn’t come with a path to Irish citizenship. Ireland doesn’t seem to want more foreign residents or dual nationals.

Required minimum-income figures for France, Spain, and Italy are in line with those for Portugal.

Many European countries have no set income requirements. The amount you’ll be required to show to establish residency will depend on the immigration officer you’re assigned and the region of the country where you submit your application.

This is one reason we recommend using an immigration attorney to help you with the process (more on this later). A good immigration attorney can help guide you through these subtleties.

The administrative process associated with a residency application differs country to country. In some cases, you must begin the process at the nearest consulate before traveling to the country; in others, you apply after you’ve arrived.