Second citizenship and a second passport: everything you need to know about economic citizenship and other methods of collecting foreign passports

How can you legally acquire a foreign passport? Simple. You need to obtain full citizenship of a foreign country in order to carry its passport. This passport in turn will allow you to  travel freely around the globe, opening foreign bank accounts on your way. There is no other way to achieve this goal.

Our portal describes only legal opportunities to acquire a second passport and foreign citizenship. Here you can find the descriptions of the different methods of acquiring a foreign passport with an emphasis on economic citizenship (citizenship by investment or, as its detractors might call it in a pejorative sense, “cash for passports”). 

You can do it …

• Rapidly (from six weeks to twelve months depending on the country);
• Easily (you can acquire citizenship of some foreign countries without leaving home);
• Profitably (you can purchase foreign real estate and lease it out);
• Legally (you have to meet all the legal requirements).

Our goal is to present the information in a well-structured manner and provide answers to the following questions:

• What is Citizenship by Investment?
• What are the legal ways of acquiring economic citizenship and a second passport?
• What countries run Government programs aimed at attracting wealthy expat investors?
• How should you compare these countries?

The information that you will find here will help you distinguish between facts and myths about citizenship by investment. In addition, we show the differences between economic citizenship programs on the one hand, and other legal methods of obtaining foreign citizenship, on the other one.

A large portion of the information about second citizenship opportunities that you can find on the Web – be it an article or a video clip – is presented by non-professionals who have never assisted clients in this matter. What they do is advertise somebody else’s services, hoping to make a quick buck.

Experts working for Offshore Pro Group have been in this business for around twenty years and we have helped thousands of clients obtain citizenship of various foreign countries. Some of them continue to build up their foreign passport collections with our assistance!

Misinformation may prevent you making the right choice when considering what foreign passport to apply for. What makes matters even worse is the activities of ‘passport fraudsters’ – in our articles, we speak about the tricks that they use too.

In addition to the opportunity to acquire economic citizenship of a foreign country, we discuss other ways of obtaining the passport of almost any country in the world. In particular, we discuss the possibilities to acquire legal residency abroad that can later lead to acquiring full citizenship of the country via naturalization. This information will help you decide if you want to apply for economic citizenship of a foreign country or use some other route that will ultimately lead to obtaining a second passport.

By reading our articles, you can also learn what benefits a collection of foreign passports can bring. We discuss the practical ways of using such collections.

It should be noted that new information about second citizenship opportunities comes in large quantities from our immigration agents all the time. We try to publish the news about the changes in national citizenship-by-investment programs only after these changes are officially introduced by the corresponding Governments. (You have to realize that such programs are constantly developing and improving.) In any case, we certainly keep our finger on the pulse.

   

For the reasons stated above, you will be well advised to make the ultimate decision about applying for a foreign passport of a certain country only after you have obtained a professional consultation from a licensed professional who is knowledgeable about all terms and conditions as well as all the program changes (even those that are only about to come into effect). Please place a request for such consultation by writing to info@offshore-pro.info.

I. What is economic citizenship?

There is so much data on investment migration that it is easy to confuse ‘legal residency by investment’ and ‘citizenship by investment’ that is sometimes also called ‘economic citizenship’. If you read the articles in this section, you will be free from such confusion. You will develop a clear understanding of investment migration programs or what combinations of such programs appeal to you most.

II. Why do you need a second passport and foreign citizenship?

In this section, we discuss the benefits of investing into economic citizenship and a foreign passport. Here you can learn about the reasons why wealthy people like to collect foreign passports via making investments. The articles in this section reveal the philosophy of successful people who have used the advantages of investment migration. Thus, from this section, you can learn why you need a second, a third, a fourth, and an nth passport.

Caribbean passports and economic citizenship programs

Here you can find the key aspects of Caribbean citizenship-by-investment programs that are considered the simplest, the fastest, and the most beneficial such programs in the world. If you apply for one of these programs, you can obtain not only a foreign passport but also a source of passive income in the form of rental real estate. Yes, you can invest into resort property in the Caribbean and let it on a lease. Moreover, you can sell the property back after three to five years (depending on the country and the investment amount) while retaining full citizenship of the country. The main advantages of the Caribbean citizenship-by-investment programs are the following ones:

• Low costs of foreign citizenship acquisition;
• Low taxes in the countries;
• High speed of citizenship acquisition;
• Liberal requirements to program applicants;
• Lack of obligation to visit the country of second citizenship.

III. Passport and citizenship of Saint Kitts and Nevis by investment

The articles in this section will inform you about the legal possibility to acquire citizenship of St Kitts and Nevis for money. You will learn that the local citizenship-by-investment program is the oldest one in the world. We will tell you how you can use the passport of this politically neutral country that is a member of the British Commonwealth of Nations. You will also learn how you can return your investments into second citizenship of St Kitts and Nevis after five years and even earn a profit.

IV. Passport and citizenship of Grenada by investment

From the articles in this section, you will learn about the Grenadian citizenship-by-investment program that was relaunched in 2013. Currently, this is one of the best such programs in the Caribbean. You will learn how to acquire Grenadian citizenship by investing into real estate in the country and how to use the passport of Grenada to enter China and Schengen zone countries without a visa. In addition, you will find out how to obtain an E-2 business visa to the USA with your Grenadian passport.

V. Passport and citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda by investment

Visa-free access to Schengen zone countries and the opportunity to avoid personal income tax (available to tax residents of the country only) make second citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda an attractive choice. The fact that the country is a member of the British Commonwealth of Nations certainly adds to its attractiveness.

Antigua and Barbuda makes the best offer to large families as far as the investment requirement is concerned. You need to spend five days in the country over the first five years of holding the citizenship certificate in order to renew your passport.

In this section, you can find the latest intelligence on how to invest into luxury resort property on the island of Antigua thus acquiring citizenship of the country. Besides, we discuss various uses of the passport of Antigua and Barbuda.

VI. Passport and citizenship of Dominica by investment

Economic citizenship of Dominica is, alongside St Lucia, the least expensive choice for single investors. The local citizenship-by-investment program was launched in 1993 and thus, it is the second oldest such program in the world (St Kitts and Nevis launched their program in 1984).

VII. Passport and citizenship of Saint Lucia by investment

In this section, you will find the description of the youngest citizenship-by-investment program in the Caribbean, namely, that of St Lucia. The offer that the country makes to bachelors and spinsters is as inexpensive as that made by Dominica. Besides, St Lucia offers the widest range of investment options. You can acquire citizenship of the country by:

• Making a donation to the state fund;
• Making an investment into Government “Covid Relief” bonds;
• Investing into a business venture in the country;
• Purchasing real estate in St Lucia.

Economic citizenship programs in Europe

Here you can find valuable information about all three citizenship-by-investment programs available in Europe. Malta and Montenegro run such programs in this part of the world. The Cyprus program has unfortunately closed. The key characteristics that European economic citizenship programs possess are as follows:

• EU passports with all their benefits (with the exception of Montenegro that is currently an official candidate for EU membership);
• High costs;
• Multiple investment options;
• Tough due diligence checks;
• Relatively long citizenship acquisition timeframes;
• The obligation to visit the country in order to acquire its citizenship and the necessity to establish ‘true ties’ with it.

VIII. Passport and citizenship of Malta by investment

From this section, you can learn about the Maltese citizenship-by-investment Government program that was started in 2014 and that provides for the opportunity to acquire an EU passport in a legal manner. The program has been operating successfully. It is characterized by strict due diligence checks that every candidate for Maltese citizenship has to pass. The passport of Malta provides for visa-free access to a vast number of countries and territories including the USA.

IX. Passport and citizenship of Montenegro by investment

In this section, you can find information about the ways to acquire citizenship of Montenegro by investing into real estate or a business venture in the country. Here you will learn about the uses of the Montenegrin passport in practice. It should be noted that currently Montenegro offers the most affordable opportunity to acquire European citizenship for money. The country is expected to join the European Union in the middle of the next decade.

Other economic citizenship programs

Below please find information about citizenship-by-investment programs that are implemented by the countries in various parts of the world. Without doubt, these programs deserve your attention too.

X. Passport and citizenship of Turkey by investment

Starting with this section, you can learn about the possibilities to invest into Turkish real estate and other assets in order to acquire citizenship of the country. The Turkish economic citizenship program was launched in 2017 and when the prices were cut by a half a year later, it turned into a true bestseller. Thousands of people have already acquired citizenship of Turkey by investment. Would you like to join the group? Please read the articles that you can find below.

XI. Passport and citizenship of Vanuatu by investment

Vanuatu is an island state in the South Pacific. A foreign national cannot acquire citizenship of Vanuatu by purchasing real estate in the country. At least, this is where things stand for now. At the same time, it is still possible to become a citizen of the country that is a member of the British Commonwealth of Nations by making a donation. Vanuatu boasts the shortest citizenship acquisition timeframe: only five to eight weeks are required to obtain the passport.

Other advantages of Vanuatu citizenship-by-investment program include the affordable price, visa-free access to Schengen zone states and many other countries of the world, and the absence of personal income tax for tax residents of Vanuatu. Below please find useful information about this national economic citizenship program and the benefits that the passport of Vanuatu brings.

XII. Compare the countries that offer their citizenship to foreigners for investment

What is the fastest route leading to an EU passport? What foreign citizenship is the most affordable one? Where does investing into real estate makes the best economic sense? Should you choose Caribbean citizenship or European one?

The information that you can find in this section will let you answer these questions from the perspective of your own desires and possibilities. Here you can find analytical articles that allow comparing the countries offering citizenship by investment opportunities.

However, please do not be overly self-assured when making the choice. In any case, you will need a consultation from a professional immigration agent who has vast experience in the matter and who possesses the insider information about the citizenship-by-investment program. Sign up for a consultation!

XIII. Foreign citizenship for investment into real estate

Countries that offer their citizenship for investments into real estate deserve special attention as such investments are potentially returnable. The articles in this section describe the procedures of foreign citizenship acquisition by investment into real estate, the requirements to candidates for citizenship buying real property in the countries, the state of things in the real estate markets there, and so on.

XIV. Non-standard ways of acquiring foreign citizenship within reasonable timeframes

In this section, we discuss the lesser-known opportunities to acquire foreign citizenship within a short timeframe. For instance, in some countries, you can obtain citizenship after giving birth to a child on the country’s territory. In other countries, you can become a citizen in exchange for military services that you provide. In addition, we discuss the latest trends in the development of the citizenship and passport concepts in this section.

XV. Interesting facts about the passports of different countries

Have you ever wondered when passports first appeared? Have you ever wondered who the first person to ‘buy’ a foreign passport was? Have you ever wondered when the existence of bipatrides (people with dual citizenship) became widespread? Have you ever wondered why different national passports have different cover colors? Do the passport cover colors mean anything? You can find the answers to these and many other interesting questions in this section.

XVI. How fraudsters sell foreign passports and economic citizenship

If you read the articles in this section attentively, the possibility that you might fall prey to fraudsters when applying for foreign citizenship will be close to zero. Here we describe the most popular tricks that dishonest people use as well as the ways to detect fraud and avoid being deceived.

XVII. Practical applications of foreign passports

From this section, you will learn how foreign passports can be used in practice. How can you travel with a second (third, fourth, etc.) passport? Should you show your foreign passport(s) to the customs officer when crossing a national border? How should you book your flight if you have more than one passport? How can you use you foreign passport for tax planning purposes?

We answer these and many other suchlike questions in this section. The primary target audience of the articles that are published here are wealthy international investors and highly qualified professionals pondering the possibility to acquire a foreign passport.

XVIII. Methods of obtaining a foreign passport

Here we describe the methods of acquiring a second passport in every country that provides for such an opportunity. Even if the path to the foreign citizenship is extended over twenty years in a certain country, we describe it anyway. Even if you cannot acquire a second passport in a certain country (i.e. you have to give up your current citizenship to obtain a new one), we describe this opportunity anyway with the hope that the regulations are going to change in the future. The articles in this section are based on the information found at official websites of the national immigration agencies. The information is verified by our partners and agents in each particular country.

XIV. The reputations and the perspectives of national economic citizenship programs

What should happen to make the international community demand that a certain national citizenship-by-investment program be terminated? What can put such a program on suspension? What reputational and image-related factors should you take into account when choosing which economic citizenship program to apply to? For how long are the Caribbean citizenship-by-investment programs going to remain available? What about the European ones? Please find the answers in this section.