Buying a property in Europe to get an European passport

[Tamary97]

I feel sad that my children and us don't have the opportunity to move or work in Europe anymore due to Brexit. I know some countries have some schemes in which if you invest in their country you get residence and later on can apply for citizenship.

Has anyone done this? how easy/complicated it is? what is the process exactly?.

We may retire to a country in the European Union and would like the the children to have the opportunity to work anywhere in the European Union if they would like to when they grow up.

DH has an EU passport and we have looked into the easiest way for me to get one. We already own a property in Spain and believe me it’s not easy to get a passport.
We think the easiest way is going to be living for longer than 6 months of the year in the EU country DHs passport is from for 3 years

Slightly o/t but how does it work for spouses?

I have dual irish/british citizenship, so do my kids. Dh doesn’t.

Say we wanted to retire to Spain, or work in France for a year. Obviously no issue for me, but would Dh be allowed to accompany me as spouse, or will he need his own EU citizenship?

Malta has this rule or had this at least in the past. I believe Cyprus has or had it too.
At least Malta is very corrupt and under scrutiny for abusing their EU membership to basically sell passports to rich Russians and other non EU citizens to obtain the right to live in Europe visa free.

I wouldn’t bet on these kind of regulations, smartest move IMO would be to find a job in an EU country, live there for a few years and then apply for citizenship. Keep in mind that Brexit might not be the only event of a country leaving the EU so at least choose a country that you can see yourself living happily even if it doesn’t guarantee you automatic access to EU countries.

Basically there is a huge difference between residency and citizenship as other posters have pointed out. Getting residency in let's say Portugal due to an investment will not entitle you to citizenship a few years down the line. For actual citizenship/access to passport you need to live in the country for a number of years full time and you often need to demonstrate that you have a good understanding of the culture/language etc.
Also children/spouses etc do not automatically get the citizenship as well. They can be included in applications if they are under 18 by the time you go through the process, otherwise they have to do it in their own right. Establish residency, live there for X years etc. Besides that it the naturalisation process is very expensive.
So if you are doing this with a view of getting an EU passport for your children, then you need to properly move there while they are quite young and properly live there full time to even consider it

@FuckPilledLatteplus

You do know British people haven’t been instantly banned from living and working in the EU? The only thing stopping anyone from applying would be their own laziness.

The only thing stopping British people from getting a job in the EU is that they'll need a work permit. The employer will have to apply for one, and prove that they cannot get a citizen of an EU / EEA country (who will have freedom of movement to work) to do this particular job. Given that the EEA has a population of 515 million, what are the chances that they need to employ a UK citizen?

@Nomoreusernames1244

*DH has an EU passport and we have looked into the easiest way for me to get one. We already own a property in Spain and believe me it’s not easy to get a passport. We think the easiest way is going to be living for longer than 6 months of the year in the EU country DHs passport is from for 3 years*

Slightly o/t but how does it work for spouses?

I have dual irish/british citizenship, so do my kids. Dh doesn’t.

Say we wanted to retire to Spain, or work in France for a year. Obviously no issue for me, but would Dh be allowed to accompany me as spouse, or will he need his own EU citizenship?

I’m not completely sure but DH has Uk/German nationality so by living in Germany for 3 years I can get Germany citizenship (although I may have to give up my UK citizenship) and then as an EU citizen I can live in Spain. If only there had been a way to avoid all this (apart from just not being lazy apparently)

@FuckPilledLatteplus

You do know British people haven’t been instantly banned from living and working in the EU? The only thing stopping anyone from applying would be their own laziness.

So imagine we both had children and our children both applied for a job that might involve relocating to an EU country and/or travelling extensively in The EU If both candidates are equally as strong do you think the employer will chose - your child with only a UK passport and the right to travel etc that gives or do you think they will choose MY child who can live, travel and work freely throughout the EU due to having a German passport?

This is the most middle class MN OP I’ve seen this year
First world problems eh

I don’t agree it’s a first world problem.

One of my DC has an entry level job in artistic/theatrical installations. It is an advantage to them to have an EU passport so they can work there unhindered. My other DC is a vet and might consider working in the EU or Ireland. DH is Irish so they will both get Irish passports when theirs expire.

I am thinking of applying for citizenship through my Mum who comes from an EU country. Due to a legal loophole I can keep British citizenship as well. There is no financial agenda, I just want to keep the connection.

@Nuuktown

This is the most middle class MN OP I’ve seen this year First world problems eh

You forgot to mention Afghanistan

Thank you, many useful comments. I understand now regarding residence vs citizenship, so it is not as straight forward as I thought.

I think it is definitely a problem and reduces the opportunities for our children in the future, more so with he British economy going downhill due to Covid and Brexit. Many Companies have already moved operations/offices overseas as it is more convenient and tax efficient than staying in the UK.

@Nuuktown

This is the most middle class MN OP I’ve seen this year First world problems eh

It's absolutely not a "middle class" or "first world" problem.

It is a very real consequence of Brexit and has all sorts of implications for anyone who wants to live/work/study in mainland Europe.

Many people had no concept of the implications and are only finding out now that their plan to spend half of the year in their holiday homes abroad are not realistically possible.

Obtaining residency can be a complicated process - much more so if you have never bothered to register with the tax/health system or ensure that your vehicle/driving license complies with the law where you live.

I don't think many of the shocked, hand-wringing, sad faces in the DM when some of the above finally dawned on them (after they had proudly voted to leave) were particularly middle-class.

@Nomoreusernames1244

*DH has an EU passport and we have looked into the easiest way for me to get one. We already own a property in Spain and believe me it’s not easy to get a passport. We think the easiest way is going to be living for longer than 6 months of the year in the EU country DHs passport is from for 3 years*

Slightly o/t but how does it work for spouses?

I have dual irish/british citizenship, so do my kids. Dh doesn’t.

Say we wanted to retire to Spain, or work in France for a year. Obviously no issue for me, but would Dh be allowed to accompany me as spouse, or will he need his own EU citizenship?

Might depend on the country, but my understanding is that the non-EU spouse is allowed to come with their EU spouse, but doesn't have automatic residence rights of their own - basically, the EU spouse has a right to have their family with them, wherever they're from. So it should be fine as long as you don't split up!

Thanks @MumInBrussels. I thought as much but this thread made me question it!

Exactly this! For those of us with dual passports who work internationally throughout the EU, Brexit has been very good, as there's less competition from native English speakers. For British people and their children, less good news. However a
(slight) majority wanted this, and they knew what they were voting for, so...

@Nomoreusernames1244

Thanks *@MumInBrussels*. I thought as much but this thread made me question it!

MuminBrussels is correct, but do note that the EU partner will need to prove their right of residence in that country (and no, just being an EU citizen is not enough). The EU will partner will need to work, study or meet the self-suffiency requirements of the country they're going to.

Brexit is shit in many ways. I am lucky, I have an EU passport.. and my kids will find a way round the new now if they want to but it is so much more difficult than hopping on ferry in the 1990's and pitching up wherever you wanted.

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