Easiest and hardest European countries for granting permanent residence

Previous video has been focussing on the ease or difficulty for obtaining a temporary residence permit in an EU country.

The current video takes it one step further: given you have a temporary residence permit: is it possible or easy to prolong it? Can you easily establish a permanent residency? Or do the administrative hurdles enchain to an almost impossibility?

The Easiest Countries to Obtain Permanent Residence in Europe (youtube link)

Ranking all 27 countries in the European Union

While the list of the previous video is not completely turned upside down, there are notable differences!

Several factors play a role: 

• language ability, but requirements differ
• cultural integration: again the standards applied vary
• financial requirement: from pocket money to unsurmountable, hence restricted to the wealthy.
• tax considerations.

Spoiler alert: Below you find the list ordered from the easiest to the hardest country to establish permanent residency.

1. Belgium
2. Ireland
3. Portugal
4. Italy
5. Spain
6. Latvia
7. Sweden
8. France
9. Bulgaria
10. Greece
11. Hungary
12. Lithuania
13. Austria
14. Cyprus
15. Czechia
16. Malta
17. Luxembourg
18. Romania
19. Poland
20. Slovenia
21. Croatia
22. Germany
23. Netherlands
24. Estonia
25. Slovakia
26. Finland
27. Denmark