Permanent Residency in EU?

In order to keep your residence permit granted by Portugal, you have to fulfil the minimum stay requirements in Portugal.

For holders of temporary residence permits, it is crucial to note that absence from national territory should not exceed six consecutive months or eight interpolated months during the total validity period of the authorization. In the case of permanent authorization, the allowed absence extends to 24 consecutive months or 30 interpolated months within a three-year interval.

You can travel to other EU countries whenever you want, but if you want to live in one of those countries, you have to apply for residency there. It's obvious, isn't it?...

@JohnnyPT

Thank you Johnny!!!

@JohnnyPT Great explanation. I think this also explains why so many people come to Portugal first for a permanent residency and then apply for citizenship. The latter is fast and easy, much easier - I hear - than in other EU countries. I know a number of Americans that did it this way and moved on to their "final" destination in Europe (e.g. France).

Once you have the citizenship it is easy to move to other EU countries.

@TGCampo,

I don't think is really true what you wrote regarding France.

The acquisition of nationality by naturalisation is very similar in Portugal and France. In the case of expats living in these two countries, they have to have lived in the country for at least 5 years and have a French or Portuguese language certificate. I don't see much benefit in the procedure you mention above.

https://www.service-public.fr/particuli … 17?lang=en

Select:

- You have been a foreign national since birth

    - You live in France

@JohnnyPT Being an EU citizen I don't have any practical experience with this. I only wrote what I heard. Getting a Portuguese language certificate is pretty easy I am told (!). I only used France as an example. I could have used Austria instead. It is quite hard to obtain an Austrian citizenship.

In the case of Austria, instead of 5 years' residence, it requires 6 years. And the language test required is B2 (German) instead of A2 (Portuguese).

https://www.ris.bka.gv.at/GeltendeFassu … r=10005579

I agree that it's a little more difficult. I think this procedure should be more regulated and standardised at EU level.

In the case of Portugal, the non-EU citizens who apply for nationality are +90% citizens of Portuguese-speaking countries, so the language test isn't even the most complicated to achieve...

When gaining citizenship, do you have the same rights as a citizen born in Portugal?

In particular, would you be able to have indefinite trips away from Portugal, or would you still be limited to the periods away that a permanent resident would have?

@ValFev17,

If I get UK citizenship, I'll have the same rights as a native citizen, like you, right? In Portugal, it's the same thing... so that answers your question...

If I get UK citizenship, I'll have the same rights as a native citizen, like you, right?

Is the above strictly true?

In the 90's I worked with a Hong Kong born citizen. Though he had a British passport, he needed a visa to go to Switzerland, which I know I didn't need.

Going to other European countries was not a problem for him.

How would the Swiss border patrol know he was from Hong Kong?

Did the UK have a different passport for those people from Hong Kong?