Being married to a European citizen can get you the same passport your spouse has, often without moving there. Italy and Portugal let you apply from abroad after about 3 years of marriage; Spain and Germany are faster but require you to live in the country. This page compares the spouse routes in ten countries, with links to our detailed guides.
If either of you has European ancestry, check that first. A descent claim is often stronger, and once your spouse is a citizen by descent, the marriage route opens for you. Our requirements by country guide covers descent. If you’re planning to move, compare naturalisation requirements by country too.
The spouse routes compared
| Country | Time married | Must you live there? | Language | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 3 years (18 months with children); 2 years' residence if you live in Italy | No | Italian B1 certificate | EUR 250 |
| Portugal | More than 3 years | No | No exam; weighed in years 3 to 6 | EUR 250 |
| Spain | 1 year | Yes: 1 year in Spain | DELE A2 + CCSE civics test | EUR 104.05 |
| France | 4 years (5 if you lived abroad and your spouse wasn't on the consular register) | No, with 4 or 5 years of marriage | French B2 | EUR 255 |
| Germany | 2 years | Yes: 3 years in Germany | German B1 + naturalisation test | EUR 255 |
| Ireland | 3 years, living together | Yes: 3 of the last 5 years, including the last full year | None | EUR 175 to apply, plus EUR 950 if approved |
| Poland | 3 years | Yes: 2 years on permanent residence | Polish B1 certificate | PLN 1,000 |
| Greece | Married, with a child for the shorter period | Yes: 3 years in Greece with a child, otherwise 7 | PEGP exam (Greek, history, civics) | EUR 550 |
| Croatia | No minimum; marriage in the Croatian register | Yes: permanent stay, usually after 4 years | None | EUR 139.36 |
| Hungary | 10 years (5 with a child) | No | Conversation in Hungarian | Free |
“Must you live there” means whether you can apply while living outside that country. Fees are the government application fees only; translations, apostilles and background checks cost extra.
If you want to apply from abroad
- Italy: apply 3 years after the wedding, or 18 months with children, through your local consulate. The hard part is the B1 Italian certificate. Italian citizenship by marriage.
- Portugal: a declaration after more than 3 years of marriage, with no exam. Up to 6 years of marriage, you need to show ties to Portugal. Portuguese citizenship by marriage.
- France: after 5 years of marriage you can make the declaration at a French consulate, with French at B2 and an interview with both spouses. You can apply after 4 years if your French spouse was on the consular register while you lived abroad. French citizenship by marriage.
- Hungary: after 10 years of marriage, or 5 with a child, through simplified naturalization, free of charge, if you can hold a conversation in Hungarian. Hungarian simplified naturalization.
If you’re moving to Europe
- Spain: 1 year married and 1 year of legal residence in Spain, plus two exams. Unless you’re from an Ibero-American country, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea or Portugal, you declare at the oath that you renounce your previous nationality. Spanish citizenship by marriage.
- Germany: 2 years married and 3 years of lawful residence in Germany, with German at B1 and the naturalisation test, and Germany lets you keep your current citizenship. German citizenship by marriage.
- Ireland: 3 years married and living together, and 3 of the last 5 years living on the island of Ireland, including the whole year before you apply. No language test today. A draft bill the government published in September 2026 would raise this to 5 years of marriage and 5 years of residence and add language and civics tests; it hadn’t become law when we checked. Irish citizenship by marriage.
- Poland: 3 years married and 2 years living in Poland on a permanent residence permit, with a Polish B1 certificate. In practice you first need the permanent permit, which takes time of its own. Polish citizenship by marriage.
- Greece: no spouse route from abroad. With a child, you can naturalise after 3 years living in Greece instead of 7, after passing the PEGP exam. Greek citizenship by marriage.
- Croatia: no language test, but you first need permanent stay in Croatia, which usually takes 4 years of living there. Croatian citizenship by marriage.
Before you apply anywhere
- Register the marriage in your spouse’s country first. Italy, Portugal, Spain and France all expect a marriage held abroad to be entered in their own civil register before you apply.
- Get your background checks last. Most countries want a police certificate from each country you’ve lived in, issued within the last few months and usually apostilled. From the US, that’s an FBI background check.
- Expect a genuine-marriage check. Most countries require that you’re still married, and usually living together, when the decision is made. A separation or divorce while the case is pending generally ends it.
- Check your spouse’s own status. If your spouse is a citizen by descent whose citizenship hasn’t been recognised yet, get that done first: your route depends on it.
Frequently asked questions
Which European country gives citizenship by marriage fastest?
Without moving there, Italy and Portugal are the quickest: Italy after 3 years of marriage (18 months with children) and Portugal after more than 3 years. If you're willing to move, Spain needs only 1 year of marriage and 1 year of legal residence in Spain, and Germany 2 years of marriage and 3 years of residence.
Can I get citizenship by marriage without living in the country?
In some countries. Italy, Portugal, France (after 4 or 5 years of marriage) and Hungary (after 10 years, or 5 with a child) let spouses apply from abroad. Spain, Germany, Ireland, Poland, Greece and Croatia require you to live there.
Does marriage give citizenship automatically?
Not in any of these countries today. You always have to apply or make a declaration, and most countries check the marriage is genuine and still going. Some countries did grant citizenship automatically to foreign wives in the past, which can matter for descent claims through a grandmother.
Do I need to learn the language?
Usually. Italy and Poland ask for B1, France for B2, Germany for B1 plus a naturalisation test, Spain for the DELE A2 plus a civics test, and Hungary for a conversation in Hungarian. Greece asks for its PEGP exam. Portugal, Ireland and Croatia have no language exam for spouses, though Portugal weighs language when it checks your ties to the country in the first 6 years of marriage.
Can I keep my current citizenship?
Italy, Portugal, France, Germany, Ireland, Poland, Greece, Croatia and Hungary don't ask you to give up your current citizenship. Spain asks you to declare at the oath that you renounce your previous nationality, unless you're one of the nationals of Ibero-American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea and Portugal; see our Spanish guide for what the declaration means. Whether you also keep your current citizenship depends on your other country's law: some countries end your citizenship when you voluntarily take another, so check yours.
Official sources
- Italy, Portugal, Spain and Hungary: see the sources on each country’s guide, linked in the table.
- Service-Public.fr: French nationality by marriage and proving your French level, French
- German Nationality Act, section 9 and section 38 (fees), German
- Immigration Service Delivery (Ireland): How to become an Irish citizen
- Gov.pl: applying to be recognised as a Polish citizen, Polish
Checked against these sources on 11 November 2026. Ireland’s proposed change is in the General Scheme of the 2026 Bill, published by the Department of Justice on 21 September 2026.