THEMATIC BRIEFING: October 2025 Statelessness determination and protection in Europe: good practice, challenges and risks Spain Switzerland Residence permit, automatic Residence permit, upon application Permanent 1 year Türkiye Right to stay automatic, residence permit upon application Residence permit, upon application 2 years Residence permit, upon application 60 months Ukraine United Kingdom 1 year N/A Renewable for 1-year periods, permanent after 10 years (at authorities’ discretion) Automatically renewed for 2-year periods Renewable for 1-year periods, permanent after 2 years (upon application) Renewable, permanent after 1-5 years (specific conditions apply) Economic and social rights Most countries grant the right to work, education, and some form of healthcare, but access to certain socioeconomic rights is sometimes restricted for recognised stateless people until they acquire permanent residence. This is the case, for example, in Ukraine, where the right to work and a travel document are granted upon acquiring a residence permit, but other rights, such as family reunification, social security, and free healthcare, are only granted once permanent residence is acquired. In Hungary, access to the labour market is limited, particularly because access to employment is contingent on obtaining a work permit. Stateless people have access to education, but access to social security is linked to employment contributions, meaning stateless persons’ automatic entitlements are limited to emergency healthcare. In Kosovo and Albania, issues have been reported with access to rights in practice, despite provisions in law for recognised stateless people. In Bulgaria, temporary residence permits provide protection from detention but do not grant other socio-economic rights such as the right to work or healthcare. People recognised as stateless are not automatically granted any economic or social rights in the Netherlands and in Belgium (judicial procedure), and in Czechia there are limitations on the right to social security and family reunification. In Belgium (administrative procedure), people granted a residence permit have the right to healthcare, social security, education, and housing but there are limitations on work, family reunification, and travel and identity documents. Travel documents, identity documents, and diplomatic protection Most Index countries issue a travel document to recognised stateless people, but, in some countries, this is not automatic and an application is required (e.g. France, Georgia, Italy, Moldova, Montenegro, Türkiye, and the United Kingdom). There are sometimes other requirements, such as paying a fee (e.g. in France, Italy, and the United Kingdom), or having long-term residence (e.g. in Bulgaria). The validity of travel documents varies (e.g. two years in Albania, Bulgaria, Georgia, and Spain and one year in Montenegro) and they are sometimes not recognised for certain administrative procedures or for international travel, or may only allow a single entry into or exit from a country (e.g. in Türkiye). In addition to travel documents, in some countries, recognised stateless people are also issued an identity card (e.g. Georgia, Türkiye and Moldova, and Italy upon application). The Statelessness Index collates examples of travel and identity documents issued to stateless people in different countries. 55 There is limited information about whether stateless people habitually resident in a State may access consular protection abroad from that State. Most countries do not provide consular protection explicitly in the law, or if they do, there are no reported cases in practice. States should seek to address this gap by establishing and giving effect to the right to consular protection for recognised stateless people habitually resident on their territory. As a positive example, recognised stateless people with a travel document from Bulgaria have 23