The longer road from permit to passport
Last updated 27 September 2026
In less than two years Finland, Portugal, France and Sweden have lengthened the clocks, added tests and raised the bar for staying for good. The rules differ, but they share a logic, and anyone moving to Europe now should plan for it from the first day.
For most of the past decade, the long game of a move to Europe was predictable. Five years of residence, a language certificate, a clean record and a fee would, in many countries, turn a permit into a passport. That script is being rewritten country by country, and the changes of 2024 to 2026 share a pattern that is worth understanding before you choose where to go.
Start with the clock. Finland raised the residence requirement for citizenship to eight years on 1 October 2024. Portugal's Organic Law 1/2026, in force since 19 May 2026, asks for seven years for citizens of EU and Portuguese-speaking countries and ten for everyone else, where five used to be enough. Sweden has gone further on the step before citizenship: since 12 July 2026, according to the Swedish Migration Agency, permanent residence permits are as a main rule no longer granted.
Then the tests. France has required, since 1 January 2026, French at level A2 for a first multi-year residence card, B1 for a first resident card and B2 for naturalisation, and a civic exam of 40 questions of which 32 must be answered correctly, according to Service-Public. Portugal asks for A2 Portuguese and a test on culture, civic rights and the organisation of the state. Finland will require a citizenship test for applications submitted from 1 March 2027, on law, fundamental rights, history and equality. Finland's interior minister, Mari Rantanen, said the aim was to require applicants to take active steps to meet the conditions.
The third change is quieter but may matter most: when the clock starts. Portugal now counts residence for citizenship only from the day the first valid residence permit is issued, not from arrival or application. Sweden, from 1 October 2026, requires a sponsor on a temporary permit to have lived in Sweden for two years before family can join. The United Kingdom, from 8 October 2026, gives joining family members of EU Settlement Scheme holders three months from their latest legal entry, not their first. In each case the date on a document, not the date you feel you arrived, decides your rights.
What changed, country by country
| Country | What changed | Since | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finland | Citizenship needs eight years of residence; a citizenship test for applications from 1 March 2027 | 1 Oct 2024; 1 Jan 2027 | Apply before 1 March 2027 if you already qualify |
| Finland | Permanent residence: six years, two years of work and B1 Finnish or Swedish | 8 Jan 2026 | Language study is part of the route, not an extra |
| Portugal | Citizenship after seven (EU, CPLP) or ten years, counted from the first residence permit; A2 and a civic test | 19 May 2026 | Keep your first card; gaps in renewal cost time |
| France | A2 for a first multi-year card, B1 for a resident card, B2 for naturalisation; civic exam of 40 questions | 1 Jan 2026 | Pass the tests before you file |
| Sweden | Permanent residence as a main rule no longer granted; two years' residence before family reunification | 12 Jul 2026; 1 Oct 2026 | Plan for repeated temporary permits |
| United Kingdom | Joining family of EU Settlement Scheme holders: three months from latest legal entry | 8 Oct 2026 | Count from your last entry, not your first |
Why it matters for the choice of country
None of these changes closes a door; they lengthen the corridor. For someone deciding between countries, three questions now matter as much as salary or climate. How long until I can stay without a permit that must be renewed? Which language level, and which test, stand in the way? And from which document does the count begin?
The answers favour those who prepare early. A language course started in the first month is worth more than one started in the fourth year. A residence card collected and renewed on time is worth more than an arrival date remembered. And a move made while the old rules still apply, as in Finland until 1 March 2027, can be worth years.
There is also a cost that rarely makes the headlines. Longer clocks mean more renewals, more fees and more appointments, each one a chance for a missed deadline to reset the count. The families that do best under the new rules keep a simple file: every permit, every decision, every certificate, with the dates in a list at the front.
Europe has not stopped welcoming people who want to build a life here. It has decided that belonging should be earned over a longer time and proved on paper. Plan your move with that in mind, and the paper will be on your side.
Sources: Finnish Immigration Service (Migri), citizenship test and permanent residence amendments, 17 June 2026 and 8 January 2026; Finnish Government, citizenship test to be introduced in early 2027, 16 June 2026; Yle News, 17 April 2026; Diário da República, Organic Law 1/2026 of 18 May 2026; Service-Public (DILA), first multi-year residence card, resident card and naturalisation requirements 2026; French Ministry of the Interior, naturalisation; Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket), family immigration from 1 October 2026 and permanent residence permits; Home Office, statement of changes HC 584, explanatory memorandum, 3 September 2026; read 27 September 2026.
Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice. Check with the authority named above before you act.