1 year

2-3 years.

One year, but really when you stop celebrating monthly anniversaries and go for bigger ones

6months to year or longer

i agree with what a lot of people have said here - it has as much to do with your mindset/how serious you are about the relationship as it does with exactly how long it's been. well, not as much, but you get the general idea.

my girlfriend and i are coming up to a year, which isn't very long yet, but i consider us a long term relationship because we've made a long term commitment, have long term goals and plans together, etc (plus we knew each other for a long time before our relationship started, it wasn't some getting-together-on-a- whim thing).

I really agree with much of what been said. these things are rarely set in stone.

I think it depends on how much commitment is involved.

Each relationship is different but I say once you hit that year mark and are exclusive you have officially hit the long-term status. For me, I hit a time in my life (low 20s) when I was ready to be in long-term committed (leading to marriage) relationship. I was very upfront with anyone I dated once I hit that point in my life and let them know that I am done with the "dating" scene as far as the "just dating/having fun" type part and looking for something along the more serious lines. So when my know husband and I started dating four years ago we both went into knowing that my desire was to at some point get married and that if either of use felt our relationship wasn't heading in that direction that we would end it. Luckily, we were heading toward married and 2 years into dating we were engaged and married 2 years later and I am loving being a newlywed! So, I would say it depends what you and the other person are looking for and to be honest and upfront about it.

I think the relationship becomes long term when it reaches a year

I think a year is a good amount of time to evaluate whether you want the same things out of the relationship, and whether you will stand the test of time together.

I agree that it has more to do with mindsets than with the calendar. I've been in a few short relationships and 4 long ones. In all of the longer term relationships, we knew (or at least I did) by the 6 month mark that we were in it for the long haul.

I don't think it is a specific time, especially since people might be less serious after a year than people who are together for a few months.