Residence permits - statistics on first permits issued during the year

Data extracted in 12 September 2024.

Planned article update: 12 September 2025.

Highlights

In 2023, more than 3.7 million first residence permits were issued in the EU to non-EU citizens, a 4.7 % increase (+166 361 permits) compared with 2022.

In 2023, among the 10 top citizenships of non-EU nationals who received first residence permits, the highest relative increases compared with 2022 were observed for China (up 29.7 %), followed by Morocco and India (up 10.1 % and 10 %, respectively).

In 2023, employment was the main reason for non-EU citizens obtaining first residence permits in the EU (1.3 million first residence permits representing 33.8 % of all first permits).

Number of first residence permits issued by reason, EU, 2014-2023

This article presents European Union (EU) statistics on first residence permits issued to non-EU citizens during the reference year 2023. Persons benefitting from temporary protection, i.e. persons who left Ukraine due to Russia’s invasion, are not covered by the data on residence permits; see the methodological section below.

Key findings

First residence permits granted to non-EU citizens in the EU reached more than 3.7 million in 2023 (3 741 015), representing an increase of 4.7 % compared to the previous year. Employment remained the top reason for issuing first permits, at 33.8 % of the total of first permits issued, though the number of employment-related permits remained stable (0.4 % decrease). Meanwhile, there were notable increases in permits issued for education (+13.5 %), family reunification (+6.4 %) and other reasons (+5.3 %).

Among the top 10 nationalities:

China saw the most significant relative increase, with a 29.7 % rise in first permits.
Morocco and India also saw notable growth, with increases of 10.1 % and 10 %, respectively.
Ukraine had the highest total share of permits (8.2 %) but faced a considerable decline of 19.6 % compared to the previous year.

Poland remained the top country granting first residence permits, contributing 17.2 % of the total EU number, with Germany, Spain and France following closely. In 2023, Lithuania, Croatia and Romania saw the largest relative increases in the number of residence permits issued compared with 2022. Malta and Cyprus had the highest number of permits issued per 1 000 residents, while Romania and Bulgaria reported the lowest rates of permits per 1 000 population.

First residence permits — an overview

In 2023, more than 3.7 million first residence permits were issued in the EU to citizens of non-EU countries. This latest figure reached the highest level of residence permits issued— since records began — representing a 4.7 % increase (or additional 166 361 permits) compared with 2022 (Figure 1).

Figure 1: First residence permits issued, by reason, EU, 2014-2023
(thousands)
Source: Eurostat (migr_resfirst)

The increase from 2022 to 2023 in the total number of first residence permits was mainly due to an increased number of first permits issued for education reasons (63 674 permits more, or +13.5 %), family (58 943 permits more, or +6.4 %) and other reasons (48 406 permits more, or +5.3 %). Conversely, permits issued for employment reasons saw a decrease in comparison with 2022 (4 662 permits less, or -0.4 %).

In 2023, around 1.3 million first-residence permits were issued for employment-related reasons, representing 33.8 % of all first residence permits issued. Family reasons accounted for 26.4 %, education reasons for 14.3 %, while other reasons, including international protection, accounted for 25.6 %.

Among the EU countries, Poland led the list of first residence permits granted in the EU to non-EU citizens, issuing 642 789 permits (17.2 % of total permits issued in the EU). More than 500 000 first permits were issued by Germany (586 144 permits or 15.7 %), followed by Spain with 548 697 (or 14.7 %), Italy with 389 542 (or 10.4 %) and France with 335 074 (or 9 %). These five countries accounted for around 66.9 % of all first residence permits issued in the EU in 2023. The largest relative increase in the total number of first permits issued in 2023 when compared with 2022 was recorded in Lithuania(+79.5 %; from 31 232 in 2022 to 56 073 in 2023), followed by Croatia (+41.9 %; from 57 330 to 81 347) and Romania (+34.9 %; from 42 207 to 56 920). In 2023, the most significant relative decreases in the total number of permits issued compared with 2022 were recorded in Czechia (-18.6 %; from 53 809 in 2022 to 43 792 in 2023) and Cyprus (-10.9 %; from 38 917 to 34 694). Smaller but notable declines were also seen in Sweden (-9.5 %), Poland (-8.2 %), and Germany (-7.3 %).

Table 1: First residence permits issued, by reason, 2023
Source: Eurostat (migr_resfirst)

Compared with the population of each EU country, the highest ratios of first residence permits per 1 000 population in 2023 were recorded in Malta (75.9 permits issued per 1 000 population) and Cyprus (37.4). The lowest ratios were observed in Romania and Bulgaria (3.0) followed by Czechia (4.0). In total in the EU as a whole, there were 8.3 first residence permits issued per 1 000 population in 2023.

Figure 2: First residence permits issued relative to the population size, 2023
(per 1 000 population)
Source: Eurostat (migr_respop)

First residence permits by reason

Employment

In 2023, employment reasons were the most common reason for issuing residence permits in 14 EU countries. The highest shares were observed in Croatia (95.3 %), Lithuania (83.7 %) and Romania (78.5 %) (Table 1). Poland with 427 162 first permits was the main destination for non-EU citizens (mainly Ukrainians and Belarusians) entering the EU for work reasons. The next most common destinations for work were Spain (128 844 permits) and Germany (91 095 permits). These three EU countries issued more than a half of all first permits for employment reasons in the EU (51.2 %).

Family formation and reunification

Family-related reasons were the most common reason for issuing residence permits in six EU countries. In Luxembourg, Sweden, Belgium, Spain and Finland family-related reasons accounted for more than 40 % of all the permits issued at national level, followed by the Netherlands (34.4 %). Spain (230 138), Germany (207 057), Italy (135 734) and France (92 082) were the EU countries with the highest number of first residence permits issued in 2023 for family-related reasons; these four countries accounted for more than two-thirds of all first permits for family-related reasons in the EU (67.4 %).

Education and study

Ireland and France were the only two EU countries where the most common reason for granting a residence permit was related to education, respectively 45 % and 33.3 %. Notably, France emerged as the top choice for non-EU students seeking educational opportunities within the EU. During 2023, there were 111 719 first residence permits issued in France for education-related reasons, representing 20.9 % of all such permits issued in the EU. France was followed by Spain (90 922) and Germany (77 341).

Other reasons

Table 1 also shows the number of first residence permits issued for other reasons, such as international protection or residence without the right to work (e.g. pensioners). A country comparison based on this miscellaneous category is hampered by the differences that exist in national administrative and legislative systems. This category also covers some specific statuses that only exist under national legislation — for example, in Poland, holders of the Pole’s card are registered in this category (for more information, please see the national metadata file). In 2023, five EU countries had other reasons as the most common basis for granting residence permits: Greece (57.9 %), Austria (49.8 %), Estonia (48.6 %), Italy (48.2 %), and Germany (35.9 %) of all permits issued at the national level.

First residence permits by sex

An analysis based on the results available for 25 of the EU countries^[1] reveals some differences between the sexes as regards their principal reasons for obtaining a residence permit (Figure 3). In 2023, based on available data, the primary reason for issuing a first residence permit to males was for employment-related reasons (23.2 % of the total), while the corresponding share for females only accounted for 9.9 %. In contrast, 15.7 % of all permits issued for females were for family-related reasons; this share was higher than the corresponding proportion recorded for males (11 %). Almost the same percentages of permits for education-related reasons were delivered to males and females, respectively 7.2 % and 7.1 %.

Figure 3: First residence permits issued, by reason and by sex, EU, 2023
(% of total number of permits issued)
Source: Eurostat (migr_resfas)

First residence permits by citizenship and by destination in the EU

In 2023, citizens of Ukraine (307 313, or 8.2 % of the total number of first residence permits issued in the EU) received the highest number of first residence permits, ahead of citizens of Belarus (281 279, or 7.5 %) and India (207 966, or 5.6 %). Nearly half (44.7 %) of all first residence permits issued in the EU in 2023 were issued to citizens of the top 10 countries presented in Figure 4.

Figure 4: First residence permits by top 10 countries of citizenship, EU, 2021-2023
(thousands)
Source: Eurostat (migr_resfirst)

Figure 4 also shows the development of the number of first residence permits that were issued between 2021 and 2023 for the 10 top citizenships of non-EU citizens. The ranking in top 10 citizenships that were granted first residence permits remained almost unchanged between 2021 and 2023.

In 2023, compared with 2022, among the top 10 citizenships of non-EU citizens who received first residence permits, the highest relative increases were observed for China (29.7 %), Morocco (10.1 %), and India (10 %). The largest decreases in the number of first residence permits were seen for Ukraine (-19.6 %), followed by Afghanistan (-18.5 %) and Brazil (-13.4 %)

There are several factors that influence the destination chosen by citizens of non-EU countries granted residence permits, including: geographical proximity (for example, a high number of Belarusians sought residence in Poland, a high number of Russians in Finland, and a high number of Moroccans in Spain and France); historical and linguistic links (for example, a high number of Venezuelans, Colombians, Peruvians and Hondurans sought residence in Spain, a high number of Moroccans, Algerians and Tunisians in France, and a high number of Brazilians, Angolans and Cape Verdeans sought residence in Portugal); or an established migrant networks (for example, a high number of Turkish citizens sought residence in Germany) (Table 2).

Table 2: Top 5 non-EU countries whose citizens received a first resident permit in 2023, by EU and EFTA country
Source: Eurostat (migr_resfirst)

Poland was the principal destination for Ukrainian citizens, as 78.3 % of all resident permits issued to Ukrainians in the EU in 2023 were issued in Poland (Table 3). Similarly, the principal destination for citizens of Belarus was also Poland (90.9 % of all resident permits issued to citizens of Belarus in the EU). Portugal was the most popular destination for citizens of Brazil, while Spain was for citizens of Morocco, accounting for 42.3 % and 49.9 %, respectively, of all the resident permits issued to citizens of these countries by the EU. Notably, of the top 10 countries whose citizens received first residence permits in 2023, Germany emerged as the most favored destination for citizens of India, Syria, Türkiye, Russia and Afghanistan.

Table 3: Top 10 non-EU countries whose citizens received first residence permits in the EU, by EU country issuing the permit, 2023
Source: Eurostat (migr_resfirst)

Figure 5 looks in more detail at the reasons for granting permits to citizens of particular countries. Around 7 out of 10 Ukrainians who were granted a residence permit in the EU in 2023 received their permit for employment-related reasons. Employment was also the principal reason for granting residence permits in the EU to Belarusians (52.3 %), Indians (45.2 %) and Turks (31.8 %). Family was the prevailing reason for permits granted to Moroccans (50.3 %), Russians (39.4 %) and Brazilians (35.3 %). Permits for education were primarily issued to Chinese (37.8 %), while other reasons were predominant for Afghans (85.1 %) and Syrians (77.3 %).

Figure 5: Top 10 non-EU countries whose citizens received first residence permits in the EU, by reason, 2023
(%)
Source: Eurostat (migr_resfirst)

Table 4 focuses on the top five countries whose citizens received first residence permits in the EU by reason and by three leading EU countries issuing a permit. In 2023, Moroccans were the largest group to receive residence permits for family-related reasons (mostly in Spain), and Indians were the largest group to receive residence permits for education-related reasons, about a third of which were issued in Germany. Ukrainians and Belarusians were granted the largest number of residence permits in the EU for employment-related reasons, of which the vast majority were granted in Poland. Syrians topped the list of permits issued for other reasons, of which 62.2 % were granted in Germany.

Table 4: Top 5 non-EU countries whose citizens received first residence permits in the EU, by reason and by EU country issuing the permit, 2023
Source: Eurostat (migr_resfirst)

Source data for tables and graphs

Residence permits statistics: tables and figures

Data sources

The statistics used for this article are provided to Eurostat by the responsible authorities in each of the EU and EFTA countries, principally Ministries of the Interior or Home Affairs or various immigration agencies. The data are based entirely on administrative sources supplied to Eurostat as part of an annual residence permits data collection exercise in accordance with the provisions of Article 6 of Regulation (EC) No 862/2007 on Community statistics on migration and international protection. Commission Regulation (EU) No 216/2010 implementing Regulation (EC) No 862/2007 gives the definitions of the reasons for the residence permits statistics.

Limitations in data availability affect the information presented in this article:

Break in series for Germany in 2020, Greece 2021 (other reasons), Italy in 2022 (other reasons) and Spain in 2023 (education reasons).
For first residence permits issued by sex, data for Malta and Slovakia are not available due to derogations. The unknown category for sex is not included in the totals.

The data on residence permits may be analysed by: reporting country, citizenship of the permit holder, reason for the permit being issued, and length of validity of the permit. From reference period 2010 onwards, data on residence permits were collected on a voluntary basis by age and by sex, becoming mandatory data collection for the 2021 reference period onwards.

Residence permits statistics are available as both flows and stocks.

Data related to residence permits granted during the reference year (flows): the data published under this category contain information about first residence permits issued during the reference year and information about any change of residence status of immigrants during the reference year;
Data related to residence permits valid at the end of the reference year (stock of permits): the data published under this category contain information about the number of valid permissions to stay at the end of the reference year and long-term legal residence status at the end of the reference year.

It should be noted that certain methodological aspects are not fully harmonised between the reporting countries due to different legal or information technology systems. Therefore, the results that are presented in this article should be interpreted with care and readers are advised to make reference to the metadata file on residence permits statistics. Some of the main methodological and administrative differences are noted below.

The "u" flag in Irish data highlights limited data quality reported by the Irish authorities. The process of generating residence permits data involves both the Irish Police and the Department of Justice for which an old information system is currently used. The current system's limitations, which omits unique identifiers of persons, and requires manual data checks, may lead to potential quality issues. According to Irish authorities a comprehensive modernisation programme of the information systems to ensure more accurate data management is in progress.
The data for France are labelled as provisional for most categories, except for family-related reasons.

Starting with the 2021 reference period, there were several improvements in the data collection, including the methodological aspects. These changes were introduced through the implementation of Regulation 851/2020 amending Regulation 862/2007. More details are available in the following document: 2023 Residence Permits Technical Guidelines.

Methodological note

Residence permits data collection refers to residence permits as any authorisation issued by the authorities of a EU country allowing a third-country national (non-EU citizen) to stay legally on its territory. Temporary protection status is considered to be of a different administrative nature to that of the authorisations to reside reported in the residence permits data collection. Therefore, persons benefitting from temporary protection are not included in any of the Residence permits statistics. These persons are subject of a separate data collection on Temporary Protection (TP); see data on temporary protection here and the statistics explained article here. Therefore, while Ukrainians with temporary protection status are not covered in residence permits statistics, those Ukrainians granted residence permits for employment related reasons, family or education - related reasons (but not benefitting from temporary protection) are reported in this data collection. The change in the number of residence permits issued in individual EU countries reflects the diversity of national migration systems and the impact of European immigration policy. Other factors, such as the characteristics of citizens of non-member countries, legal frameworks and the characteristics of countries involved in the immigration process — such as their geographical proximity or language ties — can also be important. National administrative registers and databases are the main sources for these statistics.

Context

Migration policies within the EU are built upon solidarity and responsibility, taking into account the contribution that immigrants make to the EU. Within the European Commission, the Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs is responsible for immigration policy. The Pact on Migration and Asylum, presented by the Commission in September 2020, was adopted by the European Parliament in April 2024 and by the Council in May 2024. This Pact provides a common European response to migration. It allows the EU to manage migration in a fair and sustainable way, ensuring solidarity between countries while also providing certainty and clarity for people arriving in the EU and protecting their fundamental rights. The Pact on Migration and Asylum will ensure that countries share the effort responsibly, showing solidarity with the ones that protect our external borders and with those facing particular migratory pressure, while preventing irregular migration to the EU. The Pact also gives the EU and its countries the tools to react rapidly in situations of crisis, when countries are faced with large numbers of arrivals or when a third-country or non-State entity tries to instrumentalise migrants in order to destabilise our Union. All relevant legal acts and information regarding the EU’s migration policy can be accessed on the European Commission’s website.

Notes

Residence permits statistics analysed by sex are collected based on the regulatory framework provided by Article 6 of Regulation (EC) No 862/2007 on migration and international protection statistics. Data for 2023 were not provided by the following EU countries: Malta and Slovakia due to derogations. ↑

Explore further

Database

Managed migration (migr_man), see:

Residence permits (migr_res)

Residence permits by reason, length of validity and citizenship (migr_resval)

First permits by reason, length of validity and citizenship (migr_resfirst)

First permits issued for family reasons by reason, length of validity and citizenship (migr_resfam)

First permits issued for education reasons by reason, length of validity and citizenship (migr_resedu)

First permits issued for remunerated activities by reason, length of validity and citizenship (migr_resocc)

First permits issued for other reasons by reason, length of validity and citizenship (migr_resoth)

Change of immigration status permits by reason and citizenship (migr_reschange)

All valid permits by reason, length of validity and citizenship on 31 December of each year (migr_resvalid)

Long-term residents by citizenship on 31 December of each year (migr_reslong)

Single permits issued by type of decision, length of validity (migr_ressing)

Long-term residents among all non-EU citizens holding residence permits by citizenship on 31 December (%) (migr_resshare)

Long-term residence permits issued during the year (migr_resltr)

First permits issued for family reunification with a beneficiary of protection status (migr_resfrps1)

Permits valid at the end of the year for family reunification with a beneficiary of protection status (migr_resfrps2)

Residence permits by reason, age, sex and citizenship (migr_resage)

First permits by reason, age, sex and citizenship (migr_resfas)

All valid permits by age, sex and citizenship on 31 December of each year (migr_resvas)

Long-term residents by age, sex and citizenship on 31 December of each year (migr_reslas)

EU blue cards (migr_resbcard)

EU blue cards by type of decision, occupation and citizenship (migr_resbc1)

Admitted family members of EU blue card holders by type of decision and citizenship (migr_resbc2)

EU blue card holders and family members by Member State of previous residence (migr_resbc3)

Residence permits for intra-corporate transfer (migr_resictra)

Intra-corporate transferee permits issued, renewed and withdrawn by type of permit, length of validity and citizenship (migr_resict1_1)

Intra-corporate transferee permits issued by type of permit, economic sector and citizenship (migr_resict1_2)

Intra-corporate transferee permits issued by type of permit, length of validity, transferee position and citizenship (migr_resict1_3)

Authorisation for the purpose of the seasonal work (migr_resseaw)

Authorisations for the purpose of seasonal work by status, length of validity, economic sector and citizenship (migr_ressw1_1)

Authorisations issued for the purpose of seasonal work by economic sector, sex and citizenship (migr_ressw2)

Residence permits - Students and Researchers (migr_ressr)

Authorisations for study and research by reason, type of decision, citizenship and length of validity (migr_ressrath)

Thematic section

Publications

Methodology

Residence permits (ESMS metadata file — migr_res_esms)

External links

European Commission — a New Pact on Migration and Asylum
European Commission — DG Migration and Home Affairs — Policies
European Commission — EU Immigration Portal (EUIP) (also available in Arabic, Spanish, French and Portuguese)
European Commission — European Migration Network (EMN)
European Commission — website on migrant integration (also available in German and French)
OECD — Migration (also available in French)
OECD — International Migration Outlook (also available in French)

[1] Residence permits statistics analysed by sex are collected based on the regulatory framework provided by Article 6 of Regulation (EC) No 862/2007 on migration and international protection statistics. Data for 2023 were not provided by the following EU countries: Malta and Slovakia due to derogations. ↑

[1]