Which 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 | no level | yes |
- →Armenia: Armeniana test on the Constitution of Armenia and the Armenian language — 33 questions, attempts u
- →Georgia: Georgianan exam in the state language, Georgian history and basics of law — taken together.
- →Turkey: Turkishthere is no formal exam with a level. Command of the language is assessed at an interview
- →Serbia: SerbianThere is a short route — the term depends on the language level
- →Slovenia: Slovenianan exam in Slovene for everyday communication — at the basic level (osnovna raven), before
- →Cyprus: Greek, B1There is a short route — the term depends on the language level
- →Greece: Greek, B1PEGP — the exam for the certificate of sufficient knowledge for naturalization: Greek at a
- →the United Kingdom: English, B1confirmation of English at B1, B2, C1 or C2 — by passing an approved language exam or with
- →Spain: SpanishCCSE — the Cervantes Institute exam on the Constitution and the socio-cultural life of Spa
About the “short route to a passport”
Among the checked countries, exactly one genuine short route was found — the Cypriot one, 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.
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
- 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.
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.
The check runs automatically every two weeks: as soon as a source opens and the rule is confirmed, the country appears in the table.
Frequently asked
Which country has the shortest route to a passport?
Of the checked ones — Cyprus, and only for highly skilled workers: three years of residence with Greek at B1 or four at A2, instead of seven years by the standard rule. Expedited review — up to eight months for a separate fee.
Is a language needed for the residence permit, or only for citizenship?
In the checked countries the language requirement applies at citizenship, not at the residence permit. The exception in spirit is long-term resident status in Greece: courses at level A2 are provided there, together with history and culture.
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?
Every two weeks an automated check visits all the primary sources and reports if an authority's page has changed or stopped opening. The date of the last check stands on every country page.