How to Obtain the European Passport – 2024 Guide

Europe is one of the world’s strongest unions, and its passport is one of the most powerful in the world.

What is a European passport?

A European passport is basically a document that gives you the leeway to work, study and live in any country in Switzerland and the European Economic Area (EEA).

Obtaining a European passport comes with many perks. Some of these include:

• You become an EU citizen.

A European passport allows you to move around freely around all the twenty-eight countries of the European Union. That means that you will be able to live, work, explore, and move around with zero limitations.

• Access several countries

Since Portugal is ranked position 9 in the Individual Passport Power Rank 2024, it means that you can access various countries without having to seek a visa in advance. You do not have to experience limitations when it comes to traveling to certain countries.

• Healthcare benefits

A majority of European countries have a form of universal healthcare. With a European passport, you benefit from a quality healthcare system with well-trained nurses and doctors who deliver world-class services.

• Subsided scholarships and tertiary

By obtaining a European passport, you get access to reputable universities. And better opportunities for not only international networking but career advancement. Europe is highly diverse, and some of the most popular degrees you can obtain include Journalism, Social Sciences, IT, Law, and Business Administration. A lot of people have taken advantage of this.

• Fast-tracking through customs

Having a European passport helps you to navigate through the customs fast. If you’ve encountered having to stand in a long queue before you move out of the airport since you are a non-European citizen, you will not have to experience this by virtue of having a passport.

• Working rights

For those without European citizenship, it is tough to acquire a work visa. And the process of obtaining the same could be costly and costly. Even with all your experience and technical experience, the process of acquiring a work permit is daunting.

However, with a European passport, you can benefit from working in any European member state. You do not have to depend on an employment visa that can be stressful to attain. In fact, you will be ahead of most job seekers since many employers do not like going through the hustle of handling complicated processes of handling work permits.

With a European passport, you can enjoy a work-life balance in most European states.

How to get a European Citizenship

As a non-European citizen, there are several ways you can acquire a passport for citizenship. These include:

• Through the place of birth
• Through ancestry descent
• Through citizenship by investment
• And through naturalization

1. Through the place of birth (Right of the ground)

In most countries, such as the United States of America, being born within its boundaries gives you sufficient rights to acquire citizenship. That is different from European countries since automatic or unconditional citizenship is not granted to children born within their territories to foreign citizens.

A child can obtain citizenship if their parents have resided in a European country for a considerable time before they were born.

2. Through descent and ancestry (Right of blood)

Another way to obtain European citizenship is if your great grandparents, grandparents, and parents were of European descent. Your individual circumstances will have to get assessed first. Examples of European countries that offer a considerable route for this include Germany, Poland, Italy, Lithuania, Ireland, and Latvia. Each European country has its specific rules, and the application process will require proper documentation.

3. Naturalization (Through residence)

If you legally reside in a European country for a considerable amount of time, you get the rights. Some of the reasons that could result from this long stay could be retirement or even employment. During this time, your stay may get considered due to a temporary residence permit. After some time, you can convert the permit to a permanent residence one.

Some conditions to obtain European citizenship through naturalization vary across different countries. Some of them give you leeway to apply for citizenship after acquiring permanent residence. With naturalization, you also have to show your proficiency in the local language.

4. Citizenship by investment

Acquiring citizenship by investment is one of the surest and fastest ways of obtaining citizenship. Your family and yourself can benefit from a European passport in less than six months in exchange for qualifying investment in the nation.

What documentation do I require to obtain European citizenship?

To begin the process of obtaining a European passport, you need to acquire citizenship. Some of the documents to consider in this link include:

• A full copy of your Passport
• Proof of residence
• Your apostilled birth certificates
• Your apostilled criminal record check issued in your place of origin and residence.
• Power of attorney granted.

After the submission of these documents, you have to confirm that you have been granted nationality. Approaching reputable lawyers can make the process of obtaining citizenship and a passport easier. The lawyers will help in:

• Verifying your documents before your submission
• Obtain the relevant certificates that will help you with the entire procedure
• Submitting and shipping your documents to the intended location
• Monitoring the entire process to ensure that everything runs smoothly and efficiently
• Availing any assistance, you might require

How long does the process take?

Once all the required documents are submitted, you will have to wait a year and a half, or even more. The specific duration cannot be established.

Can my application be rejected?

Yes. Your citizenship may get rejected. The entire decision to grant with the same is dependent on the ministry of Justice. However, with services from a reputable and experienced lawyer, they can offer you professional assistance and guide you throughout the process.

They also take care of all the legal formalities to minimize your chances of rejection. The key thing is working with an experienced and qualified lawyer.

What to do once you acquire citizenship

Once you obtain citizenship, you can now apply for a passport. As discussed above, acquiring a European passport will offer you so many perks.

Author: Umesh Kumar Keshri

Umesh is a Director of the strategy, PR consultant and Founder of B2B TIMES and B2B TRIBUNE. He has over 6 years’ experience in marketing at companies ranging in size from start-ups to a Fortune 50 company. He really enjoys writing about himself in the third person.