Digital Émigré provides information on residency and citizenship pathways across the EU, with a mission to help investors and remote workers get second passports in Europe.

What is EU freedom of movement? 

When the European Union was founded, one of its core benefits was the right to ‘free movement of persons’ across all member states. 

That includes the 27 countries of the EU itself, plus Liechtenstein, Norway, and Iceland. Every EU citizen has the right to freely settle, work, study, and retire in any of those 30 states, just as if they were born there.  

But, as the saying goes, you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone. As British nationals, we’re part of the only group of ex-EU citizens in history.

We know what it feels like to have such privilege taken away by political decisions out of your control. 

That’s why we’ve made it our mission to help other people get EU citizenship, by offering tailored emigration strategies and advice.  

We chose the name Digital Émigré because, historically, an émigré leaves their country of origin because of political reasons. And digital, because we’re primarily aimed at people who earn their income online, or through other passive sources such as pensions.

What does getting EU citizenship involve?

There are several different ways to become a citizen of a country, including birth, marriage, ancestry, and naturalization.  

We only focus on citizenship by naturalization, because it’s a proactive strategy that you can control with careful lifestyle planning. 

To become a naturalized citizen of a country, you typically need to maintain residency for a certain number of years (this differs by country). 

The typical process looks like this: 

• Step 1: Become a temporary resident of your target country 
• Step 2: Renew your temporary residency status until you reach the number of years to become eligible for citizenship 
• Step 3: Apply for citizenship by naturalization
• Step 4: Once your citizenship is granted, apply for a passport  

As a non-EU national, you need justification for an EU country to grant you residency. For example, you could be sponsored by an employer, enrol in university, or be a professional athlete.  

But those pathways come with many challenges. We prefer the easier ways.  

That’s why we only focus on two kinds of residency-to-citizenship pathways: 

1. Residency by investment 
2. Residency by passive income

We don’t provide information on employer sponsorship, student visas, or any form of residency route other than the two mentioned above. 

Digital Émigré has built a select network of partners across the EU – including immigration lawyers, tax specialists, financial advisors and real estate agents. They help us make sure our content is accurate and up-to-date. We can put you in touch with our trusted partners so you can begin your immigration processes.

Digital Émigré Team