third country citizenship

EU law refers to “Member States” (Mitgliedsstaaten) and “third country states” (Drittstaaten). A third country is any non-EU Member State (e.g. the United Kingdom after Brexit or the Russian Federation). There are stricter and longer criteria for naturalisation by third-country citizens, although mitigating circumstance apply for those naturalising as the spouses (in an intact marriage) of Austrian citizens.