Summary
The most common requirement is 5 years, set by 70 of the 177 countries with a residence-based route. The median is 6 years. The lowest is 2 years (Argentina, Dominican Republic and Peru) and the highest is 40 years (Equatorial Guinea). 14 countries have no ordinary residence-based route.
These are nominal years in the law, not typical waiting times. Exceptions and shorter periods for some groups are on each country page. 3 of the values reflect a change in force after 1 January 2024. Most records are not yet verified by our team: see the Status column.
How many countries require each number of years
Each row counts the countries that require that many years of residence before naturalisation. 5 years and 10 years are the two most common requirements: together they cover 109 of the 177 countries.
- 2 years3 countries
- 3 years10 countries
- 4 years5 countries
- 5 years70 countries
- 6 years7 countries
- 7 years17 countries
- 8 years10 countries
- 9 years1 country
- 10 years39 countries
- 11 years1 country
- 14 years1 country
- 15 years5 countries
- 20 years4 countries
- 25 years2 countries
- 30 years1 country
- 40 years1 country
Years of residence by country
Each row shows one country and the years of residence it requires, from the shortest requirement to the longest.
- Argentina2 years
- Dominican Republic2 years
- Peru2 years
- Armenia3 years
- Bolivia3 years
- Bosnia and Herzegovina3 years
- Canada3 years
- Ecuador3 years
- Honduras3 years
- Israel3 years
- Paraguay3 years
- Poland3 years
- Serbia3 years
- Australia4 years
- Brazil4 years
- Ethiopia4 years
- Jordan4 years
- Nicaragua4 years
- Afghanistan5 years
- Azerbaijan5 years
- Bangladesh5 years
- Belarus5 years
- Belgium5 years
- Belize5 years
- Benin5 years
- Bulgaria5 years
- Cabo Verde5 years
- Cameroon5 years
- Central African Republic5 years
- Chile5 years
- Colombia5 years
- Cuba5 years
- Czechia5 years
- Côte d'Ivoire5 years
- El Salvador5 years
- Eswatini5 years
- Fiji5 years
- France5 years
- Gabon5 years
- Germany5 years
- Ghana5 years
- Guatemala5 years
- Guinea5 years
- Haiti5 years
- Indonesia5 years
- Iran5 years
- Ireland5 years
- Jamaica5 years
- Japan5 years
- Kazakhstan5 years
- Kosovo5 years
- Kyrgyzstan5 years
- Latvia5 years
- Lebanon5 years
- Lesotho5 years
- Luxembourg5 years
- Madagascar5 years
- Mauritius5 years
- Mexico5 years
- Mongolia5 years
- Morocco5 years
- Netherlands5 years
- New Zealand5 years
- Pakistan5 years
- Panama5 years
- Portugal5 years
- Russia5 years
- Samoa5 years
- Sao Tome and Principe5 years
- Saudi Arabia5 years
- Senegal5 years
- South Africa5 years
- South Korea5 years
- Suriname5 years
- Syria5 years
- Taiwan5 years
- Tajikistan5 years
- Thailand5 years
- Togo5 years
- Tonga5 years
- Tunisia5 years
- Turkmenistan5 years
- Türkiye5 years
- Ukraine5 years
- United Kingdom5 years
- United States5 years
- Uzbekistan5 years
- Vietnam5 years
- Antigua and Barbuda6 years
- Barbados6 years
- Grenada6 years
- Guinea-Bissau6 years
- Guyana6 years
- The Bahamas6 years
- Trinidad and Tobago6 years
- Albania7 years
- Algeria7 years
- Cambodia7 years
- Costa Rica7 years
- Dominica7 years
- Greece7 years
- Iceland7 years
- Kenya7 years
- Kiribati7 years
- Malawi7 years
- Malta7 years
- North Macedonia7 years
- Saint Lucia7 years
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines7 years
- Somalia7 years
- Tanzania7 years
- Tuvalu7 years
- Croatia8 years
- Cyprus8 years
- Estonia8 years
- Finland8 years
- Hungary8 years
- Norway8 years
- Papua New Guinea8 years
- Romania8 years
- Slovakia8 years
- Sweden8 years
- Denmark9 years
- Angola10 years
- Austria10 years
- Botswana10 years
- Burkina Faso10 years
- Burundi10 years
- Comoros10 years
- Djibouti10 years
- Egypt10 years
- Georgia10 years
- Iraq10 years
- Italy10 years
- Laos10 years
- Libya10 years
- Liechtenstein10 years
- Lithuania10 years
- Malaysia10 years
- Mali10 years
- Marshall Islands10 years
- Mauritania10 years
- Moldova10 years
- Montenegro10 years
- Mozambique10 years
- Namibia10 years
- Niger10 years
- Philippines10 years
- Republic of the Congo10 years
- Singapore10 years
- Slovenia10 years
- Solomon Islands10 years
- South Sudan10 years
- Spain10 years
- Sudan10 years
- Switzerland10 years
- Timor-Leste10 years
- Uganda10 years
- Vanuatu10 years
- Venezuela10 years
- Zambia10 years
- Zimbabwe10 years
- India11 years
- Saint Kitts and Nevis14 years
- Chad15 years
- Nigeria15 years
- Rwanda15 years
- Sierra Leone15 years
- The Gambia15 years
- Bhutan20 years
- Brunei20 years
- Eritrea20 years
- Oman20 years
- Bahrain25 years
- Qatar25 years
- United Arab Emirates30 years
- Equatorial Guinea40 years
Full ranking
| Rank | Country | Region | Years | Dual citizenship | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Argentina | Americas | 2 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 1 |  Dominican Republic | Americas | 2 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 1 |  Peru | Americas | 2 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 4 |  Armenia | Asia | 3 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 4 |  Bolivia | Americas | 3 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 4 |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | Europe | 3 | Citizens abroad only | Not verified |
| 4 |  Canada | Americas | 3 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 4 |  Ecuador | Americas | 3 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 4 |  Honduras | Americas | 3 | Citizens abroad only | Not verified |
| 4 |  Israel | Asia | 3 | Citizens abroad only | Not verified |
| 4 |  Paraguay | Americas | 3 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 4 |  Poland | Europe | 3 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 4 |  Serbia | Europe | 3 | Citizens abroad only | Not verified |
| 14 |  Australia | Oceania | 4 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 14 |  Brazil | Americas | 4 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 14 |  Ethiopia | Africa | 4 | Not accepted | Not verified |
| 14 |  Jordan | Asia | 4 | Citizens abroad only | Not verified |
| 14 |  Nicaragua | Americas | 4 | Citizens abroad only | Not verified |
| 19 |  Afghanistan | Asia | 5 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  Azerbaijan | Asia | 5 | New citizens only | Not verified |
| 19 |  Bangladesh | Asia | 5 | Not accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  Belarus | Europe | 5 | Citizens abroad only | Not verified |
| 19 |  Belgium | Europe | 5 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  Belize | Americas | 5 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  Benin | Africa | 5 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  Bulgaria | Europe | 5 | Citizens abroad only | Not verified |
| 19 |  Cabo Verde | Africa | 5 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  Cameroon | Africa | 5 | New citizens only | Not verified |
| 19 |  Central African Republic | Africa | 5 | New citizens only | Not verified |
| 19 |  Chile | Americas | 5 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  Colombia | Americas | 5 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  Cuba | Americas | 5 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  Czechia | Europe | 5 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  Côte d'Ivoire | Africa | 5 | New citizens only | Not verified |
| 19 |  El Salvador | Americas | 5 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  Eswatini | Africa | 5 | New citizens only | Not verified |
| 19 |  Fiji | Oceania | 5 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  France | Europe | 5 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  Gabon | Africa | 5 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  Germany | Europe | 5 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  Ghana | Africa | 5 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  Guatemala | Americas | 5 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  Guinea | Africa | 5 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  Haiti | Americas | 5 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  Indonesia | Asia | 5 | Not accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  Iran | Asia | 5 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  Ireland | Europe | 5 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  Jamaica | Americas | 5 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  Japan | Asia | 5 | Not accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  Kazakhstan | Asia | 5 | Not accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  Kosovo | Europe | 5 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  Kyrgyzstan | Asia | 5 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  Latvia | Europe | 5 | Not accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  Lebanon | Asia | 5 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  Lesotho | Africa | 5 | Citizens abroad only | Not verified |
| 19 |  Luxembourg | Europe | 5 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  Madagascar | Africa | 5 | New citizens only | Not verified |
| 19 |  Mauritius | Africa | 5 | Citizens abroad only | Not verified |
| 19 |  Mexico | Americas | 5 | Citizens abroad only | Not verified |
| 19 |  Mongolia | Asia | 5 | Citizens abroad only | Not verified |
| 19 |  Morocco | Africa | 5 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  Netherlands | Europe | 5 | Not accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  New Zealand | Oceania | 5 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  Pakistan | Asia | 5 | Not accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  Panama | Americas | 5 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  Portugal | Europe | 5 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  Russia | Europe | 5 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  Samoa | Oceania | 5 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  Sao Tome and Principe | Africa | 5 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  Saudi Arabia | Asia | 5 | Not accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  Senegal | Africa | 5 | New citizens only | Not verified |
| 19 |  South Africa | Africa | 5 | New citizens only | Not verified |
| 19 |  South Korea | Asia | 5 | Not accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  Suriname | Americas | 5 | New citizens only | Not verified |
| 19 |  Syria | Asia | 5 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  Taiwan | Asia | 5 | Citizens abroad only | Not verified |
| 19 |  Tajikistan | Asia | 5 | Not accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  Thailand | Asia | 5 | New citizens only | Not verified |
| 19 |  Togo | Africa | 5 | Not accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  Tonga | Oceania | 5 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  Tunisia | Africa | 5 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  Turkmenistan | Asia | 5 | Citizens abroad only | Not verified |
| 19 |  Türkiye | Europe | 5 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  Ukraine | Europe | 5 | Not accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  United Kingdom | Europe | 5 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  United States | Americas | 5 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  Uzbekistan | Asia | 5 | Not accepted | Not verified |
| 19 |  Vietnam | Asia | 5 | Citizens abroad only | Not verified |
| 89 |  Antigua and Barbuda | Americas | 6 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 89 |  Barbados | Americas | 6 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 89 |  Grenada | Americas | 6 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 89 |  Guinea-Bissau | Africa | 6 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 89 |  Guyana | Americas | 6 | New citizens only | Not verified |
| 89 |  The Bahamas | Americas | 6 | Citizens abroad only | Not verified |
| 89 |  Trinidad and Tobago | Americas | 6 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 96 |  Albania | Europe | 7 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 96 |  Algeria | Africa | 7 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 96 |  Cambodia | Asia | 7 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 96 |  Costa Rica | Americas | 7 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 96 |  Dominica | Americas | 7 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 96 |  Greece | Europe | 7 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 96 |  Iceland | Europe | 7 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 96 |  Kenya | Africa | 7 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 96 |  Kiribati | Oceania | 7 | Not accepted | Not verified |
| 96 |  Malawi | Africa | 7 | Citizens abroad only | Not verified |
| 96 |  Malta | Europe | 7 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 96 |  North Macedonia | Europe | 7 | Citizens abroad only | Not verified |
| 96 |  Saint Lucia | Americas | 7 | Citizens abroad only | Not verified |
| 96 |  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Americas | 7 | Citizens abroad only | Not verified |
| 96 |  Somalia | Africa | 7 | Citizens abroad only | Not verified |
| 96 |  Tanzania | Africa | 7 | Not accepted | Not verified |
| 96 |  Tuvalu | Oceania | 7 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 113 |  Croatia | Europe | 8 | Citizens abroad only | Not verified |
| 113 |  Cyprus | Europe | 8 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 113 |  Estonia | Europe | 8 | Citizens abroad only | Not verified |
| 113 |  Finland | Europe | 8 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 113 |  Hungary | Europe | 8 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 113 |  Norway | Europe | 8 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 113 |  Papua New Guinea | Oceania | 8 | Not accepted | Not verified |
| 113 |  Romania | Europe | 8 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 113 |  Slovakia | Europe | 8 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 113 |  Sweden | Europe | 8 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 123 |  Denmark | Europe | 9 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 124 |  Angola | Africa | 10 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 124 |  Austria | Europe | 10 | Not accepted | Not verified |
| 124 |  Botswana | Africa | 10 | New citizens only | Not verified |
| 124 |  Burkina Faso | Africa | 10 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 124 |  Burundi | Africa | 10 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 124 |  Comoros | Africa | 10 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 124 |  Djibouti | Africa | 10 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 124 |  Egypt | Africa | 10 | New citizens only | Not verified |
| 124 |  Georgia | Asia | 10 | Not accepted | Not verified |
| 124 |  Iraq | Asia | 10 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 124 |  Italy | Europe | 10 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 124 |  Laos | Asia | 10 | Citizens abroad only | Not verified |
| 124 |  Libya | Africa | 10 | New citizens only | Not verified |
| 124 |  Liechtenstein | Europe | 10 | Citizens abroad only | Not verified |
| 124 |  Lithuania | Europe | 10 | Not accepted | Not verified |
| 124 |  Malaysia | Asia | 10 | New citizens only | Not verified |
| 124 |  Mali | Africa | 10 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 124 |  Marshall Islands | Oceania | 10 | Not accepted | Not verified |
| 124 |  Mauritania | Africa | 10 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 124 |  Moldova | Europe | 10 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 124 |  Montenegro | Europe | 10 | Not accepted | Not verified |
| 124 |  Mozambique | Africa | 10 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 124 |  Namibia | Africa | 10 | Citizens abroad only | Not verified |
| 124 |  Niger | Africa | 10 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 124 |  Philippines | Asia | 10 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 124 |  Republic of the Congo | Africa | 10 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 124 |  Singapore | Asia | 10 | Not accepted | Not verified |
| 124 |  Slovenia | Europe | 10 | Citizens abroad only | Not verified |
| 124 |  Solomon Islands | Oceania | 10 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 124 |  South Sudan | Africa | 10 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 124 |  Spain | Europe | 10 | New citizens only | Not verified |
| 124 |  Sudan | Africa | 10 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 124 |  Switzerland | Europe | 10 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 124 |  Timor-Leste | Asia | 10 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 124 |  Uganda | Africa | 10 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 124 |  Vanuatu | Oceania | 10 | Citizens abroad only | Not verified |
| 124 |  Venezuela | Americas | 10 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 124 |  Zambia | Africa | 10 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 124 |  Zimbabwe | Africa | 10 | Citizens abroad only | Not verified |
| 163 |  India | Asia | 11 | Not accepted | Not verified |
| 164 |  Saint Kitts and Nevis | Americas | 14 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 165 |  Chad | Africa | 15 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 165 |  Nigeria | Africa | 15 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 165 |  Rwanda | Africa | 15 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 165 |  Sierra Leone | Africa | 15 | Accepted | Not verified |
| 165 |  The Gambia | Africa | 15 | Citizens abroad only | Not verified |
| 170 |  Bhutan | Asia | 20 | Not accepted | Not verified |
| 170 |  Brunei | Asia | 20 | New citizens only | Not verified |
| 170 |  Eritrea | Africa | 20 | Not accepted | Not verified |
| 170 |  Oman | Asia | 20 | Not accepted | Not verified |
| 174 |  Bahrain | Asia | 25 | New citizens only | Not verified |
| 174 |  Qatar | Asia | 25 | Not accepted | Not verified |
| 176 |  United Arab Emirates | Asia | 30 | Not accepted | Not verified |
| 177 |  Equatorial Guinea | Africa | 40 | Not accepted | Not verified |
Countries with no residence-based route
- China
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Kuwait
- Liberia
- Micronesia
- Myanmar
- Nauru
- Nepal
- North Korea
- Palau
- Seychelles
- Sri Lanka
- Uruguay
- Yemen
Sources and licence
Vink, van der Baaren, Bauböck, Džankić, Honohan, Manby (2025). GLOBALCIT Citizenship Law Dataset v3.1. Global Citizenship Observatory, https://hdl.handle.net/1814/73190. CC BY 4.0. Modified by TravelDecl.
Modified by TravelDecl: updated with changes after 1 January 2024.
GLOBALCIT codes the law as written. Fees, processing times, quotas and how officials apply the rules in practice are not in this dataset: check them with the official authority.
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