EU Residency for UK Citizens in 2025

Can Brits Still Live in the EU After Brexit?

Quick answer: Yes, of course.

Longer answer: Yes – through country-specific residency permits.

You no longer hold EU citizenship, since EU citizenship is attached to whether any given country is an EU Member State.

That ended for UK nationals at the end of the transition period in 2020

You can still visit easily without getting a residency permit, as UK citizens retain visa-free access to most European countries.

However, longer stays need the right residency route in the country you choose.

Benefits of EU Residency for UK Citizens 

Live in Europe long-term without the 90/180 Stress

A European residency permit lets you live in your chosen country year-round, open bank accounts, sign leases, and build a life beyond short stays.

This is the quickest answer to EU residency for UK citizens after Brexit.

Schengen Travel Made Simpler

Hold a residency card from a Schengen Member State and you can take short trips across the rest of Schengen under the standard 90/180 rule, with smoother border checks and multi-entry travel tied to your permit.

Path to Citizenship

With a country-specific residency investment program, you can embark on the journey of becoming an EU Citizen again, often taking as little as 5 years.

As a dual British/EU citizen, you also get visa-free and unlimited access to the European Schengen countries.

You can live, work and study anywhere in Europe.

Family Inclusion

Spouse and dependent children are usually included, keeping your entire family together.

Residency unlocks practical benefits like school enrollment and access to healthcare as eligible residents, which is why UK nationals living in Europe often prefer Golden Visas over temporary visas that split families.

You Control the Investment

You choose the investment option and the commitment.

Portugal focuses on regulated funds, while Greece centers on real estate with defined thresholds.

No employer sponsorship, no student status, no daily bureaucracy required to stay.

It’s a portfolio decision that doubles as your bridge to Europe.

How to Get EU Residency for UK Citizens

The most common path for UK nationals to obtain EU Residency is by living in an EU country.

However, Permanent Residency does not unlock any extra benefits that the British passport does not already possess.

For instance, a British citizen with Permanent Residency in Portugal can freely live in Portugal but is still bound by the 90/180-Day when it comes to other European countries.

If your goal is residency and eventual citizenship, two European Golden Visas stand out.

With a Portuguese or Greek passport, for instance, British nationals can live, work and study in almost all of the other EU countries.

The requirements to get an EU Residency for UK Citizens depends on the country you’ve chosen for residency, but overall:

• Have a clean criminal record;
  
  
• Make the minimum investment amount;
  
  
• Supply all requested documentation;
  
  
• Comply with all other program-specific requirements.

Portugal

Portugal has long been many British people’s favorite summer darling, with the Algarve region almost becoming a Little Britain when the sun shines the brightest.

Portugal’s warmth and sunshine is far from the only reason U.K. nationals keep on returning to mainland Europe’s westernmost country.

Portugal offers the most variety in terms of programs, having 2 distinct avenues from which British citizens can pursue Portuguese Residency & Citizenship.

• The Portugal Golden Visa with a subscription to venture capital or private equity funds in the minimum amount of €500,000.
  
  
• The D2 Visa is a business-oriented visa that involves setting up a company in Portugal – a process made effortless with Investment Visa’s own Mátria Co-Working D2 Visa solutions.

Greece

The Greece Golden Visa is the country’s best Residency by Investment program, and currently has one of the lowest points of entry across all Europe: €250,000.

A simple real estate investment is all it takes for a British person living legally and holding Greek residency, with the added benefit of owning a second home abroad.

How Brits Are Currently Limited in Europe

Despite Brexit, the United Kingdom and the European Union continue to have excellent international and diplomatic ties.

The most noteworthy example is the fact that British nationals continue to have visa-free access to the Schengen Zone, the borderless, common travel area shared by most European Union (EU) countries and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries.

As third-country nationals, British tourists are subject to the Schengen Zone’s 90/180-Day rule, which essentially restricts the ability to indefinitely stay in a Schengen country and forces UK citizens to return home upon the expiration of the 90 days.

Their passports are also no longer eligible for most EU countries fast-track lanes at airports, rendering longer queues and waiting times.

The upcoming Smart Borders technological system will also particularly affect British citizens, since there are further requirements that will need to be upheld before traveling to the rest of Europe.

With EU Residency for UK Citizens becoming EU Citizenship, all these become non-issues.

How Investment Visa Can Help You

In 2017, British-born and raised Gary Harland & David Poston joined forces to create the Harland & Poston Group.

In the time since, it's become a multifaceted company operating across several industries, including Real Estate Residency & Investment Visas, Property Management, Project Development & Construction, and Travel.

In 2023, they took the next step and collectively pooled the 20+ years of experience and expertise to create Investment Visa – an investment immigration subsidiary company entirely focused on Golden Visas, Residency & Citizenship by Investment.

Ever since, the two founders, plus their trusted investment advisory team have traveled the world to consult with prospective clients, always raking in successful second residency & citizenship applications.

In the Group’s wider scope, we have:

• A 100% successful track-record with Investment Visas;
  
  
• Operations across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, with offices including Portugal, Greece, the UAE;
  
  
• Managed 500+ million in transactions;
  
  
• Currently own 180 million in assets;
  
  
• Currently own 3 hotels, 2 under construction, 1 in the UK – the iconic Formby Hall
  
  
• 1200 units in a brownfield site in Scotland;
  
  
• Student Accomodation in Paisley, Scotland
  
  
• 11 Developments in Portugal