EU Permanent Residence After Five Years

you can apply for a permanent residence document , which confirms your right to live in the country permanently without any conditions.

This means that you can stay in the country as long as you want, you are entitled to be treated as a national of that country and you enjoy more protection against deportation.

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.

In some specific cases, you may apply for permanent residence before 5 years .

If you have lived legally, meeting the conditions to stay in another EU country for a continuous period of 5 years

the registration certificate you received when you arrived in the country evidence that you've been living there, such as utility bills and rental contracts other evidence such as payslips, bank statements, tax returns that prove you've been working, studying, self-employed, self-sufficient or looking for work.

Your continuity of residence is not affected by : temporary absences (less than 6 months per year) longer absences for compulsory military service one absence of 12 consecutive months, for important reasons such as pregnancy and childbirth, serious illness, work, vocational training or a posting to another country.

The permanent residence document is not compulsory. It is not the same as the registration certificate , which is compulsory in many countries.

To get a document certifying your right of permanent residence, you must submit proof that you have been living legally in the country for 5 years.

The authorities must issue the permanent residence document as soon as possible and they cannot charge you more than nationals pay for their identity cards.

The document is automatically renewable without any conditions, though its length of validity may differ depending on the country.

You can lose your right to permanent residence if you live outside the country for more than 2 consecutive years.