EU freedom of movement and residence

KEY POINTS

EU citizens with a valid identity card or passport may:

• enter another EU Member State without requiring an exit or entry visa. Family members who are not nationals of a Member State do not require either an exit or entry visa if they possess a valid residence card;
• live in another Member State for up to 3 months without any conditions or formalities;
• live in another Member State for longer than 3 months subject to certain conditions, depending on their status in the host country:
  • those who are employed or self-employed do not need to meet any other conditions,
  • students and other people not working for payment, such as those in retirement, must have sufficient resources for themselves and their family, so as not to be a burden on the host country’s social assistance system, and comprehensive sickness insurance cover;
• have to register with the relevant authorities if living in the country longer than 3 months. Their family members, if not EU citizens, require a residence card valid for 5 years;
• be entitled to permanent residence if they have lived legally in another Member State for a continuous period of 5 years. This also applies to their accompanying family members;
• have the right to be treated on an equal footing with nationals of the host country. However, host authorities are not obliged to grant benefits to EU citizens not working for payment during the first 3 months of their stay.

In addition:

• family members of an EU citizen may, under certain conditions, have the right to continue to live in the country concerned even if the EU citizen themselves dies or leaves the country;
• EU citizens, or their family members, may be expelled if they behave in a way that seriously threatens one of society’s fundamental interests;
• the only diseases which justify restricting a person’s freedom of movement are those which the World Health Organization considers to have epidemic potential.