What's the easiest way to become an EU resident as an American national?

Residency is usually defined via physical presence, so you don’t have to have ancestry, etc (thats needed for citizenship).

There is one exception emerging for virtual EU residency: https://e-estonia.com/e-residents/about/

As far as I know, though, Estonia’s virtual residency program doesn’t confer any of the benefits associated with traditional citizenship (like, most relevant to people like us, a passport, but also things like access to nationalized social services, voting rights, etc.). Of course, correct me if I’m wrong.

And, about Bulgaria, yes you heard right. If you buy enough real property in BG they’ll give you a BG passport. But a quaint little hamlet in the countryside won’t cut it — you better be prepared to drop about a quarter mil USD.

Just make sure you call it “investing in the national economic infrastructure.” “Buying a passport” sounds gauche.


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If you have recent-ish Italian background, check this out: http://www.myitaliancitizenship.com/

That’s exactly what I pointed out: residency != citizenship. The original question asked about the former. Passports and voting rights relate to latter.

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I contacted the Danish embassy. They said the cut-off is 18 years old. However (a big one), you can appeal the decision if you can prove you practiced Danish traditions in the home (we kind of did). I think I will go for it!

Also, a business license in Lithuania allows for a residence permit for you and the business owner’s spouse. That’s also exciting news.

I got a 4 year self-employment resident visa in Berlin, Germany. My boyfriend also got a 1 year WHP visa (we’re Australian, but I assume US has the same program available to them too). I’d highly recommend the 4 year self-employment visa - I had a great German lady help me get mine (for 800 euro) as you need to translate everything & be able to have someone that can speak Deutsche. She came to the meetings with me for the application & helped me to set up a bank account etc. PM me if you want her details.


The Dutch-American Friendship Treaty allows Dutch residency to Americans who start a business in The Netherlands. You don’t need to hire anyone locally or have a lot of registered capital; the minimum investment is a few thousand dollars. There are very strict requirements around this visa, and you will have to move your tax domicile to The Netherlands (where you will be paying more in taxes than in the US) and sign up for Dutch health insurance. You will also have to follow all of the Dutch regulations around residency registration with city hall, etc. However, the procedure does work and you could pick far worse places in the world to live than The Netherlands.


Some countries sell EU resident, it´s very expensive but possible:)
" Obtain a Cyprus passport for you and your family with an investment of less than €1 million."

source: https://uae-company-service.com/european-passport

Hungary could be an option ! If you incorporate a company or invest in bonds , you can become a resident. They are open to all nationalities as well !

Thank you for the information provided. I am from India and has just joined nomad forum.

You have mentioned about a certain German Lady who has helped you getting the self-employment resident visa in Berlin, Germany.
I am interested in getting this visa .
I would highly appreciate if you could provide me the contact details for the mentioned lady.
My email is [email protected].

Again thank you in advance for the the required information

I believe Adam at Travels of Adam (Google it) wrote a detailed account of getting German residency as an American freelancer.

I also just wrote a detailed account of my Swiss visa process as an American freelancer. Many European countries operate similarly. http://gigigriffis.com/how-i-got-swiss-residency/

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Hi, I saw your comment and I am in a similar situation, I would like to visit Italy on Oct and would like to get citizenship. My Great Grandmother was born in Italy. I asked here in Argentina and I am able to get my citizenship but it takes 4 years, so I think in Italy is faster. Do you have some tips or recommendations to keep in mind? thanks very much.

Wot? I thought it was grandfather only! Wow. That means I could have gotten it through Italy as well!

wanderingdev, how were you able to do this. I was told by an Italian lawyer when I looked into it, “If your grandfather naturalized, it is essential he did so after your father was born (your uncle, for your cousin) otherwise you are not eligible.” But you are saying you went as far back as your great grandfather. i.e. Your parent’s father or mother must have still been an Italian citizen when they were born. Can you give more details? Thks!

You can go back as far as necessary through the paternal line if you have the proof and if no one renounced citizenship. My grandfather was born before my great grandfather became a US citizen therefore I qualify.

Qualifying through the maternal line is more difficult and might involve going to court.

I’ve researched this at length and in sum, it’s pretty expensive if you don’t have a relative or ancestry line to obtain citizenship, or a work permit (usually sponsored by a company).

One of the easiest and most affordable places I’ve uncovered to-date is Malta, where you can get residency with a real estate investment of €275,000. That’s pretty cheap compared to most Western countries, but significantly more expensive than getting residency somewhere like Costa Rica or Panama, where it can cost just a couple thousand dollars.

Countries that offer citizenship by descent:
Italy, Ireland, Lithuania, Latvia, Serbia, Bosnia, Poland (kind of)

Easiest country for high-level entrepreneurs:
Belgium. It’s not anywhere near Malta’s costs. but it has ongoing costs.

Cheapest countries for start-ups:
Baltics, Slovenia. In some cases, no employees required and very low start-up costs.

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Thanks Andrew, that helps. I just met Gregory yesterday and we were discussing a Slovenian residency for me. I will be in touch.

I’ve received a lot of DM’s from people requesting the assistant I used to help me get a visa. Unfortunately, she no longer offers this service so I can’t pass on her info.

A simple google search will tell you everything that you need to know about applying for the freelancer/self-employment visa. Good luck!