After you’ve put down roots in a country, you may be thinking about making it more long-term by applying for a permanent residency permit.They often come with more benefits than other kinds of visas and - if you’ve lived there for a few years - might be necessary if you are hoping to drive those roots a bit deeper.
Some offer shortcuts to long-term residency via so-called ‘golden visas’ through investing but many of these routes are now being closed.Though you can get long-term resident status in the EU if you’ve lived there legally for at least five years, most states tend to issue a national permit rather than an EU-wide one.
And applying for that can mean extra checks.From language tests to integration requirements, here’s what applying for a permanent residency permit looks like across five different members of the bloc.To apply for a permanent residence permit in France, you’ll need to have lived there for five years - three years if you are the spouse or family member of a French national.
This can be on a temporary French visa or as an EU/European Free Trade Association (EFTA) citizen.You’ll also need to have integrated into French culture and have a sufficient knowledge of the French language (A2 level at minimum) - though this doesn’t apply if you are over 65.