How many years to citizenship: residence rules in 17 countries
Published
Canada asks for about 3 years of physical presence, Germany and the United Kingdom 5, Sweden now 8 and Spain, Italy, Austria and Switzerland 10. Here is the general residence rule for naturalisation in 17 countries, and where the official source says you can keep your other citizenship.
How long you must live in a country before you can apply for its citizenship varies from about 3 years to 10 under the general rules. Several countries have changed the number recently: Sweden raised it from five to eight years on 6 June 2026, and Portugal set 7 or 10 years from 19 May 2026.
This table covers 17 countries whose rules we checked on official government pages and in published laws on 7 October 2026. It is not a complete list, and it shows only the general rule for adults. Several of these countries also have shorter routes, for example for spouses of citizens, refugees, people of the country's descent or citizens of certain countries; these exist but are not detailed here.
The general residence requirement
| Country | Residence required by the general rule | Can you keep your other citizenship? |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | 1,095 days (3 years) of physical presence in the last 5 years | Yes |
| Germany | 5 years of lawful habitual residence | Yes |
| United Kingdom | 5 years living in the UK, with indefinite leave to remain for the last 12 months | Yes |
| United States | 5 years as a lawful permanent resident | Not confirmed |
| New Zealand | 5 years as a resident, with at least 1,350 days in the country | Yes |
| Netherlands | 5 consecutive years with a valid residence permit | Usually no, with exceptions |
| Ireland | 5 years of reckonable residence in the last 9, including 1 continuous year before applying | Not confirmed |
| France | 5 years | Not confirmed |
| Luxembourg | 5 years, the last one uninterrupted | Not confirmed |
| Japan | 5 consecutive years | In principle no |
| Portugal | 7 years for citizens of Portuguese speaking and EU countries, 10 for others | Not confirmed |
| Sweden | 8 years | Not confirmed |
| Denmark | 9 years of continuous residence | Not confirmed |
| Italy | 10 years | Not confirmed |
| Austria | 10 years of lawful, uninterrupted residence, 5 of them as a settled resident | Not confirmed |
| Switzerland | 10 years, with a permanent residence permit (C permit) | Yes |
| Spain | 10 years of legal, continuous residence | Usually no, with exceptions |
"Not confirmed" means the official page we read did not state the rule on keeping another citizenship. It is not a "no".
What changed recently
Sweden: from five to eight years. The Swedish Migration Agency states that the main residence rule increased from five to eight years when the new rules came into force on 6 June 2026, together with stricter requirements on self-sufficiency, language and conduct.
Portugal: 7 or 10 years. Organic Law No. 1/2026 sets 7 years of legal residence for nationals of Portuguese speaking countries and citizens of EU member states, and 10 years for everyone else. Our article on Portugal's new citizenship rules explains how time is now counted and who keeps the old rules.
Germany: 5 years and dual citizenship. German law now requires five years of lawful habitual residence. Germany's Interior Ministry states that the principle of avoiding multiple citizenship has been abandoned, so applicants no longer have to give up their previous citizenship.
Keeping your other citizenship
Where the official sources address it, the picture is mixed:
- Allowed: Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Germany and Switzerland, where the right to dual nationality has been recognised without restriction since 1 January 1992.
- Usually not allowed: in the Netherlands, adults who naturalise must usually renounce their other nationality, with exceptions. Spain requires a declaration renouncing the previous nationality, with exceptions for nationals of Ibero-American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea and Portugal, among others. Japan requires that applicants have no nationality or, in principle, lose it on naturalisation.
Even where a country allows dual citizenship, your current country may not. Check both sides.
What the years do not tell you
- Time is counted differently. Some countries count calendar years of legal residence; others count days physically present, as Canada and New Zealand do. Long periods abroad can stop you meeting the requirement: New Zealand, for example, asks for at least 240 days in the country in each 12-month period.
- Not all permits count. Ireland counts only "reckonable" residence; Switzerland and Denmark tie the count to permanent residence; Austria requires part of the time as a settled resident.
- Years are only one condition. Language tests, civic knowledge, income and a clean record are common requirements.
Before you plan around these numbers
These are general rules as published on 7 October 2026, not legal advice. Rules on citizenship change, often with little notice, and individual circumstances matter. Check the rule with the official authority of the country, or a qualified adviser, before making decisions.
Country profiles: Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, Portugal, Sweden, Spain and Switzerland.
Sources
- Government of Canada (IRCC). Citizenship: who can apply (eligibility). accessed .
- Federal Ministry of Justice of Germany (gesetze-im-internet.de). Staatsangehörigkeitsgesetz, § 10. accessed .
- Federal Ministry of the Interior of Germany (BMI). Fragen und Antworten: Reform des Staatsangehörigkeitsrechts. accessed .
- GOV.UK. Apply for citizenship if you have indefinite leave to remain or settled status. accessed .
- GOV.UK. Dual citizenship. accessed .
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I am a Lawful Permanent Resident of 5 Years. accessed .
- New Zealand Government (govt.nz). Presence in NZ requirements. accessed .
- New Zealand Government (govt.nz). Dual citizenship. accessed .
- IND, Netherlands. Becoming a Dutch national through naturalisation. accessed .
- IND, Netherlands. Dual nationality. accessed .
- Immigration Service Delivery, Ireland. How to Become an Irish Citizen Guide. accessed .
- Service-Public.fr. French naturalization by decree. accessed .
- Guichet.lu, Luxembourg. Acquiring Luxembourgish nationality by naturalisation. accessed .
- Ministry of Justice of Japan. Nationality Q&A. accessed .
- Diário da República, Portugal. Lei Orgânica n.º 1/2026, de 18 de maio (Lei da Nacionalidade). accessed .
- Swedish Migration Agency. New rules for Swedish citizenship from 6 June 2026. accessed .
- Life in Denmark (Danish authorities). Conditions for foreign citizens' acquisition of Danish citizenship. accessed .
- Ministry of the Interior of Italy. Cittadinanza. accessed .
- oesterreich.gv.at, Austria. Verleihung der Staatsbürgerschaft nach zehn Jahren. accessed .
- State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), Switzerland. Ordinary naturalisation. accessed .
- State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), Switzerland. Dual nationality. accessed .
- Boletín Oficial del Estado, Spain. Código Civil, artículos 22 a 24. accessed .