Residence rights

As an EU citizen, you have the right to live in another EU country, whether as a worker, a student, a pensioner, or a jobseeker. Find out below about the administrative procedures you have to follow.

Choose a situation

• I am an EU citizen
• I am a non-EU citizen

• I don't have any relatives who are EU citizens
• I have relatives who are EU citizens

As an EU citizen, you have the right to move to any EU country to live, work, study, look for a job or retire.

You can stay in another EU country for up to 3 months without registering as a resident, but some EU countries might require you to report your presence in the country. If you want to stay longer than 3 months, you might need to register your residence.

You must hold a valid national identity card or passport. In many EU countries, you need to carry an identity document with you at all times. In these countries, you could be fined or temporarily detained if you leave your identity documents at home. However, you cannot be forced to return to your home country for this reason alone.

Check if you have to carry an ID or passport at all times in your host country:

Permanent residence

If you have lived legally in another EU country for a continuous period of 5 years, you automatically acquire the right of permanent residence there. Check your rights depending on your situation below.

I want to

• work
• study
• look for a job
• retire
• join my family
• do something else

work

study

retire

looking for a job

join my family

do something else

If you are a non-EU citizen and you want to move to the EU to work or study, you can find all practical information on the EU immigration portal.

EU relatives

Naturalisation

If you have questions about becoming a naturalised citizen (the process of gaining citizenship in your host country), you can find more information on our naturalisation page.