How to Get EU Citizenship for Free: 5 Non-Investment Routes Without a “Pay-to-Get” Passport

“Golden visas” and citizenship by investment (CBI) are usually linked to sums running into hundreds of thousands of euros. But the EU also has other pathways. In some cases, you can obtain a passport without investing—if you can prove a legitimate connection to an EU member state.

After Malta wrapped up its program in 2025, the number of straightforward “paid” routes to citizenship has dropped. In practice, Europe is more often reached via a residence permit: it still costs money, but it doesn’t require an upfront payment specifically to “buy” the passport.

Below are five options that do not hinge on proving you have capital—by ancestry, by restoring a lost family status, via marriage, through legal residence (naturalization), or by place of birth (where the right already exists). In every scenario, the core question is the same: do you meet the eligibility rules?

1. Apply for EU citizenship through ancestry (via your forebears)

If you have a European parent—or at least a grandparent—then the most “budget-friendly” route in principle is citizenship by bloodline (jus sanguinis). In other words, citizenship can pass down the family line regardless of where you were born.

In practice, countries vary on how far back they look and what documents they require.

Ireland is often one of the clearest examples: if you have a grandparent born in Ireland, you may be eligible to apply through registration in the Foreign Births Register. Typically, you’re not required to show long-term residence or pass a language test.

Hungary has allowed people of Hungarian descent to pursue naturalization since 2010 without living in the country. According to local authorities, approvals of such applications have exceeded one million.

Portugal recognizes lines such as “child/grandchild” of Portuguese citizens. A claim based on a grandparent usually requires proof of Portuguese language ability (around A2), but the ancestry-based logic remains.

Poland, Bulgaria, and Latvia are known for allowing broader ancestry scenarios—without a rigid “generation limit.” That said, evidence requirements and how origin is verified differ from country to country.

Lithuania often involves researching the family line back as far as great-great-grandparents, depending on the case and documents.

Czechia and Slovakia also have specific mechanisms for descendants of former Czechoslovak citizens. In some cases, a language exam may not be required, though residence can be needed as a procedural step.

Important: Italy tightened its rules. What used to be relatively broad under ancestry-based citizenship became more restrictive from 2025 onward. The limitation depends on how the Italian citizenship was held by your parent/grandparent and under what circumstances it was preserved. In 2026, the Constitutional Court confirmed the limiting principle—while applications filed before a certain date may still be assessed under the older framework.

The main drawback of ancestry routes is usually documentation. You must reconstruct the family chain (birth/marriage/death certificates), often with certified translations and formalizations. Still, the cost tends to be administrative rather than an “investment entry fee” for citizenship.

2. Restore citizenship your family lost

Sometimes people didn’t leave voluntarily. European history includes cases of citizenship being revoked and families being forced into exile for political, racial, or religious reasons. Some countries created procedures that allow descendants to restore a lost status—often without investing and sometimes without a residence requirement.

Germany is the flagship example. Under rules tied to loss/denial of citizenship during 1933–1945, descendants may be able to claim their own legal right. The key point is that it’s individual: even if your parents never applied, you may still have a chance.

Germany also offers a second “compensation” track for cases where earlier rules limited the transfer of citizenship by women. The submission window for this route runs until 19 August 2031.

Austria opened a similar pathway in 2020. Direct descendants of people who were forced to flee Nazi persecution before 15 May 1955 can obtain Austrian citizenship without giving up their current one.

However, these programs close by deadline. For instance, Spain’s “democratic memory” mechanism—helping descendants of exiles from the Civil War and the Franco regime—closed to new applications as of 22 October 2025. Spain’s Sephardic-origin route was shut earlier, and Portugal removed its Sephardic pathway during the 2026 reform.

Bottom line: if this is genuinely your family story, you should check whether the application window is still open before building a plan.

3. Get citizenship through marriage to an EU citizen

Marriage doesn’t automatically grant a passport, but it often shortens naturalization timelines. Many countries apply reduced waiting periods for spouses.

Spain is frequently cited as one of the fastest: married to a Spanish citizen, you may apply for naturalization after 1 year of legal residence in Spain, whereas most other categories require much longer.

Germany reduces the standard term (often 5 years) to 3 years for spouses of German citizens, provided the marriage has lasted at least 2 years.

Ireland typically requires 3 years of marriage plus an additional 3 years of “reckonable” residence in Ireland.

In most EU countries, marriage primarily simplifies the time requirements, but it doesn’t eliminate the need to live in the country. Immigration authorities scrutinize applications to rule out sham marriages.

There are also more flexible models. For example, Portugal has indicated that citizenship may be available to a spouse/recognized partner after 3 years together—even without residence specifically in Portugal. After the 2026 reform, however, stronger proof of a real connection to the country is expected.

Italy also allows applications from abroad after 3 years of marriage (with further reductions if you have children), but you must demonstrate Italian proficiency (often targeted around B1).

4. Get citizenship through legal residence (naturalization)

You don’t necessarily need ancestors or an EU spouse. If you’ve lived in an EU country long enough under a legitimate residence basis (work, study, family reunification, etc.), citizenship can be pursued via naturalization based on residence.

Ireland requires 5 years of “reckonable” residence within the last 9 years and often does not include a language test—so it’s frequently seen as one of the more accessible routes.

Germany generally keeps a 5-year benchmark, though recent years brought changes: some pathways were shortened, and certain “fast-track” scenarios for highly integrated applicants were removed. In most cases, you’ll need German around B1 and a citizenship test.

Spain works with a two-tier system. For citizens of certain countries (including many with Spanish-language ties) and some other categories, naturalization may be possible after 2 years of residence. For everyone else, the general term is 10 years.

The crucial point is that timelines change. Portugal, for example, was long associated with a 5-year benchmark, but from May 2026 the term increased: for EU citizens and Portuguese-speakers up to 7 years, and for others up to 10 years. Also, the clock typically starts only after your residence permit is issued.

This isn’t “buying” citizenship, but it is the real price of time: you fund your life in the country, meet rules on actual presence, and usually take an exam (language and/or civic/citizenship knowledge).

5. Get citizenship by place of birth (if the right already exists)

This route can’t be chosen purely by preference—you may only discover that it’s already open to you. Some EU countries follow citizenship by birth logic (jus soli) or have systems where citizenship depends on parents’ status and where the birth occurred.

Germany grants citizenship at birth if the child is born in Germany and at least one parent has been lawfully residing there for a minimum of 5 years and holds permanent residence rights.

France uses a dual approach: some situations lead to automatic citizenship, and there are also rules for obtaining citizenship at age 18 for those who have lived in France long enough.

Italy allows applications for people born in Italy to foreign parents between ages 18 and 19, if they have lived there continuously since birth.

Spain goes further than many: if a child is born in Spain and the parent is also born in Spain, citizenship can apply “by origin.” If the parents are foreign nationals, naturalization may still be possible after 1 year of legal residence—aligning with shorter eligibility tiers under Spanish law.

Portugal had a more open rule before the 2026 reform, but the threshold was raised. Now, one parent must have 5 years of lawful residence.

Overall, Europe doesn’t lean toward unconditional citizenship by birth, so for adults born outside the EU, this path rarely helps. But it can be crucial for the next generation: if you (or your children) were born in an EU country or grew up there, the right may already exist—and the “cost” is usually limited to paperwork and procedure rather than an investment.

A rare route beyond the five: citizenship for exceptional merit

Across EU countries, discretion remains. Citizenship may be granted for exceptional achievements in fields such as science, sport, culture, or public service. In these cases there’s no “investment entry ticket,” and sometimes residence isn’t required—but it’s not a mass pathway. The number of such decisions per year is tiny, and it’s generally not something you can simply apply for without a proven, standout outcome.

How to tell which “free” door is open for you

All “free” routes follow the same logic: they don’t open through payment, but through a qualifying connection—ancestry, family history, marriage, or years of residence in Europe.

Your first practical step doesn’t require a budget. Build a family tree back 2–3 generations, gather birth and marriage certificates, and identify which country’s ancestry rules might apply to you. Then verify that the rules are current: many countries changed their frameworks in 2025–2026, and legal status can become outdated quickly in this area.

If eligibility is confirmed, the result isn’t some abstract “benefit”—it’s real access to life in Europe: the ability to live, work, and study across 27 countries. After Malta’s investment route ended, investing stopped being a direct way to buy a passport. Meanwhile, a “golden visa” typically delivers residence permits and waiting periods similar to other routes—without guarantees. In the end, it’s not capital that matters most, but meeting the conditions and being ready to go through the process.

Expert note: when people talk about “free EU citizenship,” they often overlook a less-discussed reality—EU nationality laws are national, but the EU framework can indirectly affect your options. For instance, if you already hold citizenship of an EU country or a close family member becomes EU citizen through a qualifying route, you may benefit from the way residence rights and family reunification are interpreted under EU law. This can lower barriers to obtaining the long-term legal residence that many naturalization paths require, even though it doesn’t magically create citizenship. In other words, the “free” part may come from legal timing and cross-border rights, not from a single application that bypasses everything.

If you’re exploring a “route to Europe” without the usual investment amounts, it’s crucial to understand which options genuinely lead to residence permits and citizenship, and which only provide temporary status. At Digital Nomad, we help you realistically assess your case and choose a lawful path—from eligibility based on ancestry and family ties to alternative residency scenarios. Start with a consultation and check your prospects at https://digital-nomad.gr/en/goldenvisa.

Our Telegram channel about various types of Greek residence permits, digital nomad programs, and the Greek Golden Visa: @digitalnomadgr