EU Long-Term Resident Status

Council Directive 2003/109/EC grants pan-EU long-term resident status to non-EU nationals after 5 years of legal and continuous residence in one Member State (Art. 4(1)). Absences of less than 6 consecutive months and ≤ 10 months total over the 5 years are tolerated. Applicants must show stable, regular resources without recourse to social assistance, and comprehensive sickness insurance (Art. 5(1)). Member States may impose integration conditions, including a language requirement, but the directive itself does not fix a CEFR level. The resulting permit is valid ≥ 5 years and automatically renewable (Art. 8(2)); status is lost after 12 consecutive months absent from the EU (Art. 9(1)(c)).