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EU long‑term residence: 5 years and absence limits

Residence & citizenship · EuropeChecked Updated

EU long-term residence

Residence & citizenship
6 / 10months per absence / total in 5 years

Long-term resident status requires 5 years of legal and continuous residence. Each absence must be shorter than 6 consecutive months, and absences must total no more than 10 months over the 5 years.1

Window
The 5 years of legal and continuous residence come immediately before you submit the application.1
One absence
The per-trip rule is strict: an absence of 6 consecutive months is not shorter than 6 months and interrupts the period.1How we count: Article 4(3) allows absences shorter than 6 consecutive months.
Total
The Directive states the total as 10 months, not as a fixed number of days. Count the actual absence periods rather than substituting a universal day total.1
After status
After status is granted, 12 consecutive months outside the EU can bring its loss. Member states may allow a longer absence.2

Worked example

One long trip can break continuity

  1. You leave on 1 March 2022 and return on 2 September 2022. Six calendar months after departure is 1 September, so your return is later than that.1How we count: 1 March plus 6 calendar months is 1 September. The return date is 2 September.
  2. The trip has 184 full days outside, from 2 March through 1 September. More importantly, it reaches 6 consecutive months, so it is not a shorter absence that preserves continuity.1How we count: 30 days in March plus 30 in April, 31 in May, 30 in June, 31 in July, 31 in August and 1 in September: 184. The calendar-month test decides the result.
  3. That single absence interrupts the 5-year continuous-residence period even if all your other absences total less than 10 months.1How we count: The per-absence condition and the total condition both have to hold.

The rule it rests on: Long-term resident status requires 5 years of legal and continuous residence. Each absence must be shorter than 6 consecutive months, and absences must total no more than 10 months over the 5 years.1 The 5 years of legal and continuous residence come immediately before you submit the application.1 The per-trip rule is strict: an absence of 6 consecutive months is not shorter than 6 months and interrupts the period.1How we count: Article 4(3) allows absences shorter than 6 consecutive months.

Questions people ask

What absences fit EU long-term residence?

Long-term resident status requires 5 years of legal and continuous residence. Each absence must be shorter than 6 consecutive months, and absences must total no more than 10 months over the 5 years.1 The 5 years of legal and continuous residence come immediately before you submit the application.1

Does an absence of exactly 6 months interrupt residence?

The per-trip rule is strict: an absence of 6 consecutive months is not shorter than 6 months and interrupts the period.1How we count: Article 4(3) allows absences shorter than 6 consecutive months.

Is the 10-month total a fixed number of days?

The Directive states the total as 10 months, not as a fixed number of days. Count the actual absence periods rather than substituting a universal day total.1

Can I lose long-term resident status by staying outside the EU?

After status is granted, 12 consecutive months outside the EU can bring its loss. Member states may allow a longer absence.2

Sources

2 laws, each with its exact words
  1. Directive 2003/109/EC, Art. 4 · EUR-Lex, Publications Office of the European Union · read 27 Oct 2026
    Exact words absences "shall not interrupt the period ... where they are shorter than six consecutive months and do not exceed in total 10 months within the period referred to in paragraph 1."
  2. Directive 2003/109/EC, Art. 9 · EUR-Lex, Publications Office of the European Union · read 27 Oct 2026
    Exact words loss "in the event of absence from the territory of the Community for a period of 12 consecutive months."
Checked against Directive 2003/109/EC, Art. 4 · Directive 2003/109/EC, Art. 9 on 27 Oct 2026 Updated 26 Oct 2026

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