How Long to Become a Citizen?
The years of lawful residence a foreign adult usually needs before applying for citizenship. Shorter routes exist for spouses of citizens and others.
Nigeria15 years
This is the general residence period for an adult applicant, not the processing time, and it does not count other conditions such as language, income or a clean record. Rules change; check the current law.
Read this first
These charts show a single number for each country, from our own knowledge: the year something first happened, or the time the law sets for it. Where a rule differs by region, by type of case or by group of people, the note says so. Rules are reformed from time to time, so check the current law. It is general information, not legal advice.
The same numbers, as a table
| Country | Years of residence | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 2 | |
| Australia | 4 | Including at least one year as a permanent resident. |
| Austria | 10 | Six years with strong integration. |
| Belgium | 5 | |
| Brazil | 4 | Shortened for some applicants. |
| Bulgaria | 5 | |
| Canada | 3 | Three years (1,095 days) within the last five years. |
| Chile | 5 | |
| Colombia | 5 | |
| Denmark | 9 | |
| France | 5 | |
| Germany | 5 | Since 2024; shorter for exceptional integration. |
| Greece | 7 | |
| Hungary | 8 | |
| India | 12 | |
| Ireland | 5 | |
| Italy | 10 | |
| Japan | 5 | |
| Kenya | 7 | |
| Luxembourg | 5 | |
| Mexico | 5 | Shorter for some nationalities. |
| Netherlands | 5 | |
| New Zealand | 5 | |
| Nigeria | 15 | |
| Norway | 8 | |
| Peru | 2 | |
| Philippines | 10 | |
| Portugal | 5 | |
| Romania | 8 | |
| Russia | 5 | Shorter routes exist for some groups. |
| South Korea | 5 | |
| Spain | 10 | Two years for nationals of some Latin American countries and Portugal. |
| Sweden | 5 | |
| Switzerland | 10 | |
| Turkey | 5 | |
| United Kingdom | 5 | And a year as a settled person. |
| United States | 5 | Three years if married to a citizen. |
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TheLawToKnow Tools. How Long to Become a Citizen?. https://tools.thelawtoknow.com/how-long-it-takes/how-long-to-become-a-citizen.
