The EU Long-Term Residency Permit allows you to live and work in most EU countries after just 5 years of residency in Portugal, without needing Portuguese citizenship. For many people, this completely reshapes the long-term plan of moving to Portugal.

🔥 Why this matters

Most newcomers assume the path is simple: temporary residency → Portuguese permanent residency → Portuguese citizenship. But there’s a lesser-known third option that grants access to much of the European Union in half the time.

The EU long-term residence permit (also known as EU long-stay status) offers many of the practical benefits associated with EU citizenship—freedom to live, work, and relocate across Europe—while you continue working toward Portuguese citizenship in the background.

📍 In this episode, you’ll learn:
✅ The difference between Portuguese permanent residency and EU long-term residency
✅ How the EU long-term permit lets you access most EU countries after 5 years
✅ Why this option may be more useful than citizenship for some expats
✅ Which EU countries don’t participate
✅ How you can use this permit to move freely in the EU and still become a Portuguese citizen later

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