Permanent residence is the quiet milestone that changes everything. Instead of renewing a permit every year and tying your stay to a single job, you can settle, work freely and stay indefinitely. For many people it matters more than citizenship, and it usually comes years sooner. This guide ranks all 27 EU countries by how quickly you can reach a settled status.
What permanent residence gives you
- The right to live in the country long term without a job-specific permit.
- Freedom to change employer, or stop working, without losing your status.
- Access to most public services on similar terms to citizens.
- A stepping stone toward citizenship, and toward EU long-term resident status, which can ease moving on to another member state.
All 27 EU countries by time to permanent residence
Here is the rough number of years of legal residence each EU country typically expects before permanent residence, shortest first, with the time to citizenship for context:
| Country | Years to PR* | Years to citizenship* |
|---|---|---|
| Sweden | 4 | 8 |
| Austria | 5 | 10 |
| Belgium | 5 | 5 |
| Bulgaria | 5 | 10 |
| Croatia | 5 | 8 |
| Cyprus | 5 | 8 |
| Czechia | 5 | 10 |
| Estonia | 5 | 8 |
| France | 5 | 5 |
| Germany | 5 | 5 |
| Greece | 5 | 7 |
| Hungary | 5 | 8 |
| Ireland | 5 | 5 |
| Italy | 5 | 10 |
| Latvia | 5 | 10 |
| Lithuania | 5 | 10 |
| Luxembourg | 5 | 5 |
| Malta | 5 | 5 |
| Netherlands | 5 | 5 |
| Poland | 5 | 8 |
| Portugal | 5 | 10 |
| Romania | 5 | 8 |
| Slovakia | 5 | 10 |
| Slovenia | 5 | 10 |
| Spain | 5 | 10 |
| Finland | 6 | 8 |
| Denmark | 8 | 9 |
This ranking is for an average person. Rank all 27 for your passport, budget and family.
Rank them for meWhat changed in 2026
- Finland raised the standard wait for permanent residence from 4 to 6 years on 8 January 2026, and now also asks for a work history and Finnish or Swedish. A 4-year route remains for people earning more than EUR 40,000 a year, and for some graduates and fluent speakers with Finnish work experience.
- Sweden stopped granting permanent permits to people with protection status and to long-term residents on 12 July 2026, who now get time-limited permits instead. Work-permit holders can still qualify for permanent residence.
- Citizenship got slower in Sweden, which now asks for 8 years (since 6 June 2026), and in Portugal, which asks for 10 years for most non-EU nationals (since 19 May 2026, or 7 for EU and Portuguese-speaking countries). Finland made the same move to 8 years earlier, on 1 October 2024.
What the numbers do not show
Years on the clock are only part of the story. The route you arrive on, gaps in your residence, income and integration requirements, and language tests all shape whether and when you qualify. Two people in the same country can be on very different timelines, which is why the figures above are a starting point rather than a promise.
Match it to your plan
If your goal is to put down roots, the path to a settled status should weigh heavily in where you go. The MoveMap check folds your documents, time horizon and long-term goals into a ranking across all 27 EU countries, so you can see where the road is shortest for you.