European nations are tightening citizenship rules, varying requirements for residency, language skills, and integration tests.
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Poland and Italy were among the first countries to tighten citizenship procedures, influenced by large numbers of refugees from Ukraine. Poland plans to increase the minimum residency required for citizenship from three to ten years, emphasizing duration of stay, loyalty, a citizenship test, and tax residency. The Ministry of Internal Affairs also suggests an eight-year minimum: three for temporary residence and five for permanent residence, with one year in cases of repatriation. Italy is tightening its laws, particularly regarding descent, requiring applicants to prove at least one parent or ancestor was born in Italy and pass a language exam. For citizenship through residency, EU citizens must reside in Italy for four years, while non-EU citizens need ten years; refugees have a shorter period. In Lithuania, naturalization numbers are stable or decreasing, with requirements including ten years of legal residence, passing exams in Lithuanian language and Constitution, having a legal source of income, and being stateless or willing to renounce other nationalities. Marriage to a Lithuanian citizen requires seven years of cohabitation, though exceptions exist for children of Lithuanian descent. Austria is among the strictest countries, requiring at least ten years of residency, financial means, no criminal record, proficiency in German, and adherence to Austrian values; the financial requirement is noted as the biggest challenge. Germany has simplified its process by reducing the required residency from eight to five years and finalizing dual citizenship rules. Spain allows citizens whose parents or they themselves were born there, and foreigners married to Spaniards can apply after one year, while those without family ties need ten years, with a reduced period of five for refugees. Applicants must prove income and pass exams in Spanish and knowledge of the Spanish constitution and society. The Czech Republic has few citizenship discussions despite having about a million legal residents; general requirements include at least ten years of residency, a clean criminal record, and passing an exam on Czech language and national realities.
