LingoflyWhich language you need for residence, permanent settlement and citizenship
A summary across nine countries: which language citizenship requires, whether there is a level on the Common European Scale, how it is checked and how many hours of study stand behind that level. Every line was read on the website of the authority imposing the requirement, and is dated. Countries whose primary sources we could not reach are listed separately — with what exactly did not open.
Countries and requirements
| Country | Language | Level | Our course |
|---|---|---|---|
| Armenia | Armenian | no level | yes |
| Georgia | Georgian | no level | yes |
| Turkey | Turkish | no level | yes |
| Serbia | Serbian | no exam | yes |
| Slovenia | Slovenian | its own level | yes |
| Cyprus | Greek | B1 | yes |
| Greece | Greek | B1 | yes |
| the United Kingdom | English | B1 | yes |
| Spain | Spanish | A2 | yes |
- →Armenia: ArmenianA test on the Constitution in Armenian — 33 questions; no level on the scale named.
- →Georgia: GeorgianOne exam on three subjects: the state language, Georgian history and basics of law.
- →Turkey: TurkishNo exam: the language is assessed at an interview with the commission.
- →Serbia: SerbianNo language exam; spouses of Serbian citizens have a simplified route under article 17.
- →Slovenia: SlovenianA Slovene exam at the basic level before a government-appointed commission.
- →Cyprus: Greek, B1Greek at B1 and a civics exam; for highly skilled workers the language level shortens the term.
- →Greece: Greek, B1The PEGP exam: Greek at B1 plus history, geography, culture and political institutions.
- →the United Kingdom: English, B1English at B1 for citizenship and indefinite leave to remain, plus the Life in the UK test.
- →Spain: Spanish, A2Two Cervantes Institute exams: the DELE at A2 or higher, and the CCSE.
About the “short route to a passport”
Among the checked countries, Cyprus is the only one where language shortens the term: for highly skilled workers, three years of residence instead of seven, and the price of that term is named in the law itself — Greek at B1 instead of A2. Language here is not a formality but what directly shortens the term.
Simplified routes exist in other countries too, but they run through family, not language. In Armenia spouses of citizens need two years of residence instead of three, and children of citizens one. In Serbia the spouse of a citizen with three years of marriage and permanent settlement is admitted on simplified terms, without giving up the previous citizenship.
Everything else sold under the words “a passport in a couple of years” is, as a rule, residence by investment, not citizenship. The difference is fundamental: the permit gives the right to live, citizenship gives the passport, and the road from the first to the second still passes through residence terms and a language exam.
What changed recently
- Slovenia, November 1, 2024. The Aliens Act provisions on the Slovene language came into force: a permanent residence permit now requires a passed Slovene exam at the basic level (the government labels it A2), and extending a family member's temporary permit requires a check at the survival level. ([source](https://www.gov.si/novice/2024-10-30-zacne-veljati-pogoj-uspesnega-preizkusa-znanja-slovenscine-na-prezivetveni-in-osnovni-ravni-a2/))
- Cyprus, December 19, 2023. The population registration law with 2023 amendments came into force: it established the current naturalization conditions — seven years of residence within the last ten, Greek at B1 and an exam on social life, and for highly skilled workers shortened terms where the language level directly affects the number of years. ([source](https://www.gov.cy/moi/en/documents/acquisition-of-cypriot-citizenship-by-naturalization-due-to-years-of-residence-form-m127/))
What we have not yet verified
These countries are absent from the table on purpose: their primary sources did not open to us, and we will not retell other people's retellings of immigration rules — people count their terms by them.
- Kazakhstan (Kazakh): the citizenship law text in the “Adilet” legal database cannot be opened by any means available to us — the server drops the secure connection, and the egov.kz portal assembles the page with scripts. From what is visible outside, only the term is confirmed: five years of permanent residence or marriage to a citizen; we could not confirm the language condition.
- Sri Lanka (Sinhala and Tamil): the immigration service publishes procedures for specific categories — descendants of migrants from India and China, stateless persons — but its site carries no general naturalization procedure with a language condition, and we will not reconstruct one on their behalf.
- the Maldives (Dhivehi): the immigration service website works but publishes no naturalization conditions for foreigners at all.
A country will not appear in the table by itself: it is added once its primary source can be opened and the rule in it read by a person, not taken from a retelling.
Frequently asked
Which country has the shortest route to a passport?
It depends on the grounds. If language shortens the term — only in Cyprus, for highly skilled workers: three years of residence with Greek at B1 or four at A2 instead of seven. If you have family — in Armenia spouses of citizens need two years and children of citizens one; in Serbia the spouse of a citizen with three years of marriage and permanent settlement is admitted on simplified terms.
Is a language needed for the residence permit, or only for citizenship?
Most often the language is asked at citizenship, but not only there. In the United Kingdom English at B1 is also required for indefinite leave to remain, that is, for permanent residence. In Slovenia, since 1 November 2024, permanent residence requires a Slovene exam. In Greece, long-term resident status comes with Greek courses at level A2.
How many hours to level B1?
The Cambridge exam board names 350–400 study hours to B1 and 180–200 to A2. It is an institutional benchmark, not a research finding: people differ.
Is an app enough to pass the exam?
No, and we say it outright. An app gives you a stock of words, listening comprehension and reading; the level A2 exam and above has writing and a conversation with a person, and those cannot be set up without one. Plan teacher sessions for the last months of preparation.
How often do you update this data?
The date on a country page is the day a person read the requirement. Every two weeks a robot visits the primary sources and compares their text with the previous run; if an authority's page has changed or stopped opening, the requirement is reread and only then is the date moved. So the date can be older than two weeks: the robot compares, but it does not read the rule and does not set the date itself.