This ad hoc query seeks to establish which stay qualifies as a continuous stay under Article 4(3) of the Long-Term Residents Directive and whether an absence from a territory on which a person does not have a valid residence permit interrupts the continuity of the stay under this directive. It also examines whether EMN Member and Observer Countries accept longer periods of absence than those provided for in the directive.

In 2003, the Council adopted the Long-Term Resident Directive 2003/109/EC in order to promote the integration of third-country nationals in legal stay in the EU. Fourteen years after its entry into force, EMN Luxembourg conducted a study on the implementation of the Directive in 23 EU Member States, including Belgium.

In May 2011 the directive was formally adopted to extend the scope of the directive to beneficiaries of international protection. Background information, state of play and case law regarding this directive can be found here.

The Council Directive 2003/109/EC has been amended by the Directive 2011/51/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 May 2011 to extend its scope to beneficiaries of international protection