Supranational Settlement Blocs (SSBs)
Where citizenship in one country lets you live in multiple others
The world has 14 Supranational Settlement Blocs (SSBs) – groups of countries where citizenship in one member state grants the possibility to settle permanently in all the others, either automatically or with only minimal documentation requirements.
A further 4 country groups are what we characterize as “proto-SSBs”; blocs that offer some mobility benefits for member country citizens, but typically only to a limited segment of the population and not based on rights but on privileges.
Note that several countries are members of more than one SSB.
Full SSBs
Partial SSBs
Proto-SSBs
The EU/EEA Settlement Bloc
Consisting of the 27 European Union countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway, this is the world’s largest SSB in terms of number of countries covered.
Citizens of each participating state can freely settle in the others without needing visas or permits.
Participating Countries:
The MERCOSUR-RA Settlement Bloc
Stretched across 16.4 million km², the Mercosur Residence Agreement SSB is the world’s largest in terms of area covered.
The agreement gives the citizens of each participating state the right to obtain residency in the others as long as they can demonstrate a clean criminal record.
The individual must apply for an initial two-year residence permit (to which he has a right), which he can subsequently convert to permanent status and eventually citizenship.
Note that not all Mercosur member countries are signatories to the Mercosur Residence Agreement and that Venezuela is suspended.
Participating Countries:
The CARICOM-CSME Settlement Bloc
Just as not all Mercosur countries are signatories to the Residency Agreement, not all Caricom states are part of the Single Market & Economy (CSME) agreement.
While comprising 12 countries, the Caricom SME covers an area of just 0.42 million km², a combined population of just 7 million, and an aggregate GDP of just over $60 billion, making it the smallest SSB on our list.
Note also that the right to settle across the bloc is limited to those who can obtain a “Skill Certificate” in one of the member countries, which can restrict the movement of unskilled labor.
However, in October 2025, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, and Saint Vincent & the Grenadines extended full freedom of movement and settlement between each other, making the four-country bloc a fully-fledged SSB within a partial SSB.
Participating Countries:
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Settlement Bloc
While subject to occasional political disruptions, the Gulf Cooperation Council allows for free movement and settlement of its nationals across the bloc.
Citizens of each participating state can freely reside in the others without the need for visas or permits.
The bloc is home to 58 million, about two-thirds of whom live in Saudi Arabia.
Participating Countries:
The Nordic Passport Union (NPU) Settlement Bloc
Consisting of the culturally and (except for Finland) linguistically affiliated Nordic countries, the NPU is the oldest SSB on our list, dating back to the 1950s.
Citizens of each participating state can freely settle in the others without the need for visas or permits. Moreover, NPU citizens (by descent) enjoy expedited naturalization timelines in each other’s countries (see the IMI Citizenship Catalog for specific timelines for “preferred nationalities”).
Note, however, that because all the NPU countries are also members of both the European Economic Area and Schengen, the NPU is mostly redundant from the perspective of settlement rights.
However, NPU citizens enjoy freedom of settlement in Greenland and the Faroe Islands (both Danish overseas territories that are not themselves part of the EU), a privilege not shared with other EU citizens.
Participating Countries:
The Common Travel Area (CTA) Settlement Bloc
The CTA SSB allows the citizens of Ireland and the United Kingdom (including its crown dependencies Guernsey, Jersey, and the Isle of Man) to freely move and settle anywhere within the bloc.
Holding renewed relevance in the wake of Brexit, this SSB is home to some 73 million people and a combined GDP of $3.7 trillion.
Participating Countries:
The Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement (TTTA) Settlement Bloc
The TTA SSB allows Australians and New Zealanders to settle freely in each other’s countries without any need for special permits or visas.
New Zealand, in fact, extends the same courtesy also to permanent residents of Australia.
Participating Countries:
The Compact of Free Association (CoFA) Settlement Bloc
A legacy of the US trusteeship of certain Pacific island nations in the wake of WWII, Americans are free to reside indefinitely in the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and Palau – and vice versa.
Note, however, that nationals of the mentioned Pacific countries are only permitted to travel to the US and apply for admission as non-immigrants as long as they are natural-born citizens or acquired citizenship in 1986.
Participating Countries:
The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) Settlement Bloc
Citizens of the EAEU member states generally have the right to freely move (visa-free and often using only national IDs) and reside within the territories of each member state.
While they don’t need work permits or visas to visit or remain in each others’ countries, they may still need to register longer stays with local authorities.
Detailed regulations regarding access to social services and similar vary somewhat between member states.
Participating Countries:
The India-Nepal Settlement Bloc
India and Nepal have one of the world’s freest supranational settlement blocs. Citizens one country have the same rights as citizens of the other to travel, settle long term, take up employment, and own property anywhere in the two countries.
This is thanks to the Indo‑Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship (1950).
Participating Countries:
The East African Community Settlement Bloc
Thanks to the East African Community’s Common Market Protocol, nationals of each member state enjoy visa-free travel throughout the bloc as well as the right to settle permanently in any member state.
To obtain residence, the citizen needs only file a simple online or in-person application.
Beyond providing proof of identity, there are no requirements to obtain the EAC residence permit, which is renewable indefinitely and which can eventually be converted to a permanent residency.
Permanent settlement is a right that comes with trivial administrative steps, and the granting of residence permits is not discretionary.
Participating Countries:
The OECS Settlement Bloc
The Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) is another SSB within an SSB.
All six OECS member states are also members of CARICOM, but where CARICOM requires a Skill Certificate to enjoy bloc-wide freedom of settlement, OECS-citizens can settle completely freely without any special documentation in any country in the bloc.
Moreover, while CARICOM limits freedom of settlement for natural-born citizens (thus excluding citizens by investment), settlement rights for OECS citizens extend equally to all citizens, regardless of how that citizenship was obtained. Citizens inside the bloc enjoy equal rights to work, business establishment, education, healthcare, and social security benefits.
Participating Countries:
The ECOWAS Settlement Bloc
ECOWAS offers significant mobility benefits to citizens, including visa-free travel, right of residence, and, in principle, the right to work across member states.
However, implementation varies widely by country, and enforcement can be inconsistent, particularly regarding the right to work and permanent settlement.
While citizens of each participating state have the right to obtain residency in the others, they still need to apply for a formal residence permit for stays over 90 days.
Such applications are supposed to be simplified for ECOWAS citizens, but reports indicate implementation is not homogenous across the bloc and that border agents have been known to request bribes.
ECOWAS continues to work toward its goal of complete, EU-style freedom of movement and settlement, which has proven challenging in practice.
Participating Countries:
The Pacific Alliance Settlement Bloc
The Pacific Alliance is a Latin American regional bloc established in 2012 made up of Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru, created to promote economic integration and facilitate the free movement of goods, services, capital, and people.
In terms of mobility, Pacific Alliance nationals benefit from visa-free travel and simplified residence and work permits within member states. A framework agreement allows for the mutual recognition of professional qualifications and easier labor market access.
However, while integration is advanced economically, settlement rights (permanent residency and full labor mobility) are still evolving and less robust than in blocs like the EU or Mercosur. Implementation varies by country and can involve bureaucratic hurdles.
Participating Countries:
The Central American 4 (CA-4) Settlement Bloc
Similar to Europe’s Schengen Area, the four Central American countries have established free movement across borders within its bloc.
Under the CA-4 Agreement, nationals of the four countries enjoy passport-free, visa-free travel across borders using only national ID cards. Border formalities are minimal, enabling seamless right of entry throughout the region.
While the agreement does not explicitly grant a legal right of permanent settlement, in practice, citizens can reside, work, and study in any CA-4 country with relatively few restrictions.
Enforcement is generally lax, and governments tend not to expel or regulate CA-4 nationals as foreigners. Residency permits may be regularized informally or through streamlined processes. This makes the CA-4 one of the most functionally integrated mobility zones in the Americas, despite limited formal legal codification.
Participating Countries:
The Andean Community (CAN) Settlement Bloc
Citizens of the Comunidad Andina (CAN) countries can enter each others’ countries without a visa and using only national ID as identification.
Moreover, upon presenting valid identity documents and police certificate, citizens of each country can obtain a two-year temporary residence permit.
Those who additionally demonstrate a legal means of livelihood for themselves and their family members may obtain a permanent residence permit from the outset, without first going through the two-year temporary residence period.
Similar to the Nordic Passport Union, the CAN SSB is an SSB within an SSB: All CAN countries are also members of MERCOSUR’s residence agreement. This provides another layer of guaranteed access to the Andean countries, should the MERCOSUR residence agreement undergo fragmentation.
Participating Countries:
Proto-Supranational Settlement Blocs
A number of political or economic blocs have long-term goals of further integration in terms of intra-regional mobility, but are still at too early a stage of integration to be properly characterized as full-fledged SSBs. Examples include:
The Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP)
Consisting of nine Portuguese-speaking countries with a combined population of nearly 300 million, the CPLP began group chiefly linked only by a common language and cultural affinities.
In the CPLP Mobility Pact signed in Luanda in 2021, each country committed to cooperate on a mutual framework that would “make short-term and temporary stays more flexible” and to instate a separate CPLP visa category in each member state.
The CPLP visa, which is not yet fully implemented in each member state, generally requires that the applicant demonstrate a clean criminal record and sufficient financial resources.
The financial sufficiency requirement may be waived under exceptional circumstances, such as where a host entity (typically an employer) undertakes the responsibility for the applicant’s subsistence, or where an applicant has been admitted to an institute of higher education.
In the case of Portugal (it is not clear what the terms are among several of the other member states) visa is valid for two years, and may be subsequently renewed twice. After five years of residency, the applicant is eligible for permanent residency in Portugal.
Many of the member states don’t offer visa-free travel for each other’s citizens.
Participating Countries:
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
Primarily an association aimed at facilitating economic integration, ASEAN offers some limited mobility advantages to citizens of the respective member states.
While citizens of ASEAN member countries generally enjoy visa-free access to other ASEAN countries for periods ranging from 14 to 30 days, this is a function of bilateral agreements rather than a supranational-level accord.
For certain classes of skilled laborers, the ASEAN countries offer unified recognition of qualifications, which can facilitate freedom of movement for such individuals. Nonetheless, residency rights are typically tied to employment, and not automatic.
There have been discussion about introducing a single visa system (modeled on the Schengen visa), but implementation remains checkered.
The member countries’ highly varied economic, political, and developmental profiles have made closer integration challenging. ASEAN may one day become a settlement union, but not in the foreseeable future.
Participating Countries:
The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
Consisting of highly diverse member countries bordering on the Pacific, APEC aims to facilitate economic cooperation among its member states.
While the group has no specific plans for a broad travel or settlement union, it has produced one tangible mobility-enhancing policy: The APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC).
The ABTC, which is issued only to business travelers who generally must document a need for short-term and frequent visits within the bloc, eliminates the need for a visa for short visits.
What constitutes a business traveler varies by country, where some apply more restrictive criteria than others. Hong Kong, for example, will give it to any kind of bona fide businessperson, while Australia limits availability to businesspeople engaged in international trade, export, and so on.
The card is valid for five years.
Participating Countries:
The African Union Passport Initiative
The African Passport initiative is an ambitious plan by the African Union (AU) aimed at fostering greater mobility among the citizens of its 55 member states, enhancing economic integration, and promoting intra-African trade and tourism.
One of the primary goals of the African Passport is to allow free movement of people across Africa. This includes the ability to travel, work, and live within any of the member states without the need for visas.
In 2016, at an AU summit in Kigali, heads of state, diplomats, and other AU officials received African Passports to commence the implementation process.
The broader rollout to all eligible Africans has been gradual and is still ongoing. The AU’s plan involves collaborating with member states to adopt and integrate the passport into their national systems, which includes technological, legal, and regulatory adjustments.
For now, the African Passport remains a symbol of hope and ambition for continental integration and unity.