Emigrate to Europe

europeschoolThe expansion of the European Union witnessed over the last ten or 15 years has brought with it a significant change in European attitudes towards emigration. Whereas once most immigration in continental Europe tended to be focussed on lifestyle-rich countries like Spain, Italy and France, the opening up of the EU has meant that many looking at emigrating to Europe, especially those hailing from other EU countries, have moved where they can find work.

The most recently released statistics reveal that over 3 million EU residents alone move to a different member state each year, with Spain, Italy and Germany being the most popular destinations on the continent (not including the United Kingdom, while there were no recent figures for France), but even countries like Estonia and Latvia, which are hardly renowned expat hotspots, now welcome in excess of 3,000 new European residents each year.

Each and every country within the EU is very different from the next, boasting its own history, its own culture, its own way of life, its own infrastructure and, in most instances, its own language. Therefore, it’s simply impossible to compare the lifestyle on offer in Germany with that of, say, Sweden, because it’s just so different in every aspect. Therefore, if you’re not an EU resident who is moving to your new EU destination for employment reasons, then you’re going to need to do plenty of research into the country you are interested in moving to, including what you’ll need to do to qualify to live there and what to expect once you arrive. It is perhaps also advisable to visit your destination country first and get a feel for the area in which you are looking to live.

In this European section of the website we’ve explored in detail a handful of the more popular European countries – Spain, Italy, Germany, France and Sweden (the UK has its own section) – providing an in-depth introduction to each one. What’s more, you’ll also be able to find out about banking in each of these countries, what the education and healthcare systems are like and familiarise yourself with other key financial information.

But don’t think for one minute that this means we’ve ignored the rest of Europe. Among the general information in this section you will find visa overviews (mainly for those of you who don’t live in the EU), regularly updated job listings, property advice, flight overviews and expert analysis from service providers covering removals, currency exchange and a host other services that you will need to familiarise yourselves with as you prepare for your big move.

Rest assured that if the country you are interested in is not yet covered in as much detail as you would like, then over the coming months more content will be regularly added and updated in this section, as we aim to provide you with all the information that you’ll need to make your transition to a new life in any European country as stress-free as possible.

Download your free European Emigration Guide