How long you can live abroad without losing residence, by country
The absence a settled foreign resident can sustain before the status ends, taken from each statute. Germany lets an ordinary residence title lapse after six months away unless the authority sets a longer period, while Austria, Spain and Sweden tie the lapse of EU long-term status to 12 months outside the EU or EEA. France and Norway are far more lenient, at more than three years and more than two years, and Canada counts days rather than a continuous absence: 730 days of presence or qualifying time abroad in every five years.
Scope of this guide
Canada: the Canada Labour Code (federal sector) and the Ontario statutes that LawAsked has loaded. Other provinces are not compared.
| Country | Absence that ends the status | Extension or exceptions |
|---|---|---|
| Austria | More than 12 consecutive months outside the EEA (Daueraufenthalt - EU) | Up to 24 months for serious reasons if the authority is told beforehand |
| Canada | 730 days of presence or qualifying time abroad in every 5-year period | Time abroad with a citizen or permanent resident spouse, or working for a Canadian business, counts; humanitarian grounds can excuse a breach |
| Germany | 6 months (residence titles); 12 months outside the EU area or 6 years outside Germany (EU long-term residence permit) | The authority can set a longer period; a settlement permit after 15 years of lawful residence does not lapse if livelihood is secured and there is no expulsion interest |
| Spain | 12 consecutive months outside the EU (long-term residence) | Exceptions are left to regulations; holidays and similar temporary absences do not break continuity of residence |
| France | More than 3 consecutive years abroad (resident card); 6 consecutive years outside France (EU long-term resident card) | |
| Japan | Re-entry permit valid for up to 5 years; the simplified exit procedure gives 1 year | A permit can be extended by up to one year if return in time is not possible, but not beyond 6 years from the day it took effect |
| Norway | More than 2 consecutive years outside Norway (permanent residence permit) | On application, permission to stay abroad longer than 2 years without losing the permit |
| Sweden | 12 months in a row outside the EU or 6 years in a row outside Sweden (long-term resident status) | A permanent permit is withdrawn once the holder no longer lives in Sweden, but if the holder notifies the authority, not before one year after residence ended |
Country by country
Austria
- Rule
- NAG § 20(4)
- The rule quoted is for the permit "Daueraufenthalt - EU" (EU long-term residence). Section 20(4a) gives holders of a "Blaue Karte EU" and their family 24 months instead.
- The foreigner must prove the stay in the EEA.
Ein Aufenthaltstitel nach Abs. 3 erlischt, wenn sich der Fremde länger als zwölf aufeinander folgende Monate außerhalb des EWR-Gebietes aufhält.kann sich der Fremde bis zu 24 Monate außerhalb des EWR-Gebietes aufhalten, wenn er dies der Behörde vorher mitgeteilt hat Canada
- Rule
- IRPA ss. 28 and 46
- Applies to permanent residents. Status is lost on a final determination that the residency obligation was not met; it is not lost automatically on leaving.
- Other ways of complying can be set by regulation, which is not quoted here.
A permanent resident must comply with a residency obligation with respect to every five-year period.on each of a total of at least 730 days in that five-year periodoutside Canada accompanying a Canadian citizen who is their spouse or common-law partnerjustify the retention of permanent resident status overcomes any breach of the residency obligation prior to the determination on a final determination of a decision made outside of Canada that they have failed to comply with the residency obligation under section 28 Germany
- Rule
- AufenthG § 51(1), (2), (9)
- A visa issued for several entries or valid for more than 90 days does not lapse under the six-month rule.
- Section 51(2) also protects the settlement permit of a person living with a German spouse, if there is no expulsion interest.
wenn der Ausländer ausgereist und nicht innerhalb von sechs Monaten oder einer von der Ausländerbehörde bestimmten längeren Frist wieder eingereist istsich der Ausländer für einen Zeitraum von zwölf aufeinander folgenden Monaten außerhalb des Gebiets aufhält, in dem die Rechtsstellung eines langfristig Aufenthaltsberechtigten erworben werden kannsich der Ausländer für einen Zeitraum von sechs Jahren außerhalb des Bundesgebiets aufhälterlöschen nicht nach Absatz 1 Nr. 6 und 7, wenn deren Lebensunterhalt gesichert ist Spain
- Rule
- Ley Orgánica de Extranjería, art. 32
- The rule covers long-term residence (residencia de larga duración). The statute quoted does not state an absence limit for temporary residence, so that is not shown.
Cuando se produzca la ausencia del territorio de la Unión Europea durante 12 meses consecutivos.Reglamentariamente se establecerán las excepciones a la pérdida de la autorización por este motivoSe considerará que la residencia ha sido continuada aunque por períodos de vacaciones u otras razones que se establezcan reglamentariamente el extranjero haya abandonado el territorio nacional temporalmente. France
- Rule
- CESEDA, art. L411-5
- The same article says the EU long-term resident card also expires after more than three consecutive years outside the EU member states.
- The article quoted states no exceptions or extension, so that column is left empty.
La carte de résident d'un étranger qui a quitté le territoire français et a résidé à l'étranger pendant une période de plus de trois ans consécutifs est périméelorsqu'il a résidé en dehors du territoire national pendant une période de six ans consécutifs Japan
- Rule
- Immigration Control Act arts. 26 and 26-2
- These articles set how long a re-entry permission lasts for a foreign resident who leaves; the passages quoted do not themselves state when the status ends.
- The one-year period is shortened if the period of stay ends earlier.
当該許可が効力を生ずるものとされた日から五年を超えない範囲内においてその有効期間を定めるものとする一年を超えず、かつ、当該許可が効力を生じた日から六年を超えない範囲内で、当該許可の有効期間の延長の許可をすることができる みなされる再入国の許可の有効期間は、前条第三項の規定にかかわらず、出国の日から一年 Norway
- Rule
- Utlendingsloven § 62
- The stay abroad counts as consecutive even if the person has had one or more stays in Norway of some length; the Directorate of Immigration decides the lapse.
Tillatelsen faller bort når innehaveren har oppholdt seg utenfor riket sammenhengende i mer enn to år.En utlending kan etter søknad gis adgang til å oppholde seg utenfor riket i mer enn to år uten at tillatelsen faller bort. Sweden
- Rule
- Utlänningslagen 5 a kap. 5 § and 7 kap. 7 §
- The 12-month period becomes 24 months where long-term resident status was granted under section 1 a.
- Someone who lost the status through absence abroad can regain it on application under 5 a kap. 6 §.
har vistats utanför Europeiska unionens medlemsstaters territorier under tolv månader i följdhar vistats utanför Sveriges territorium under sex år i följdska tidsperioden i första stycket 4 vara tjugofyra månader Ett permanent uppehållstillstånd ska återkallas för en utlänning som inte längre är bosatt i Sverige.får uppehållstillståndet dock återkallas tidigast när ett år har förflutit efter det att bosättningen här i landet upphörde Countries not in this table yet
The United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and the Netherlands are not shown: the ingested statutes for these countries do not state a time-abroad rule that can be quoted (the UK and Dutch immigration statutes are not ingested).
How this table was built
Every row is taken from the official, consolidated text of the statute, which LawAsked loads from each government’s legislation service.
Each figure is tied to a passage quoted word for word from that text. When the page is served, it checks that every quoted passage is still in the current text of a law that is in force; if a law is amended and its wording changes, that row is hidden until a person reviews it again.
The table shows the statutory minimum only. Collective agreements, awards and individual contracts often give more than the statute, and some countries let a collective agreement set different terms.
Use this data
The table and the CSV are free to reuse under CC BY 4.0: credit LawAsked and link to this page. Quoted statute text stays under the terms of its official source.
How to cite this page
LawAsked, “How long you can live abroad without losing residence, by country”, https://lawasked.com/guides/absence-and-loss-of-residence (reviewed October 25, 2026).
Important Legal Disclaimer
General legal information, not formal legal advice. The information provided on LawAsked does not constitute formal legal advice and creates no attorney-client relationship. If you require legal assistance, please consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction.