Which european citizenship is easy

Many wealthy Americans, perturbed by what they consider oppressive U. Factors to consider in terms of new citizenship and a second passport are whether your new passport allows visa-free travel, taxes and other potential obligations, and financial freedom such as the ability to open a bank account or establish a business.

There is also the question of whether a retirement destination is welcoming to ex-pats who wish to become citizens. It is relatively easy to obtain citizenship in the following five countries. Retirees can obtain citizenship in a reasonably short period in the Dominican Republic.

Provided this basic requirement is met, an individual can apply directly for permanent residency. After holding the permanent residency for two years, an individual can then apply for citizenship. The whole process takes about three years. The citizenship process also requires an interview conducted in Spanish questions and answers can be reviewed in advance and a medical exam. A person can qualify to become a naturalized citizen of Ireland by living there for one year, plus four years cumulative residency over the eight years preceding the one year.

The Irish government may even be willing to waive part of the residency time requirement if you can sufficiently document Irish ancestry or other associations with Ireland.

If you happen to have a provable Irish grandparent, you may be able to become an Irish national by virtue of your ancestry. Keep in mind that obtaining citizenship does not automatically shield you from obligations of citizenship in another country for example, paying taxes in both homelands.

It is advisable to go through an agent who can guide you through the process of applying for residency at a Peruvian embassy. Applicants may also need to change their name to the Spanish style of having surnames from both their mother and father. Unlike some countries that require you to renounce your previous citizenship to become a citizen, Peru allows dual citizenship.

Singapore offers a simple route to citizenship. Anyone who establishes a business in Singapore obtains employment there, or marries a citizen of Singapore can obtain permanent residency. Singapore requires National Service from its male citizens. If you are of retirement age, you are likely safely outside the age window that obligates you for national service. A male permanent resident can apply for citizenship after completing National Service. Applicants must renounce their prior citizenship to become a citizen of Singapore.

Canada also offers a simple path to citizenship. Unless you have a job in Canada, you need proof of other income to obtain residency. To meet the residency requirement, you must be physically present in Canada for at least days two years in every five-year period , according to Settlement.

After becoming a permanent resident, you can apply for naturalization as a Canadian citizen after four years. The Canadian immigration authorities are very strict about enforcing the requirement that you physically reside in the country before applying to be a citizen. You must have been physically present in Canada as a permanent resident for at least 1, days during the five years immediately before the date of your application, according to Settlement.

Other requirements include: If you're 14 to 65, you must send documents proving that you can speak and listen in English or French, and you will need to pass a citizenship test. If you wait until you are older, these requirements will not apply. Canada does permit dual citizenship. Try vacationing or staying on a short stay visa before applying for a residency visa.

This strategy makes Panama possibly the easiest country to become a citizen without using the ancestry option. Yes, it takes some time — five years of residency — but the process is generally simple and hassle-free. And five years is actually not a lot of time to wait when it comes to non-ancestry-based second citizenships.

The only major drawback of Panamanian citizenship is that the passport itself is not considered a Tier 1 document. One of them is Argentina, which offers the fastest way to get citizenship in the region.

After obtaining residency in Argentina, you can qualify for full citizenship after only TWO years of living there plus processing time of several additional months. The only major drawback is that an Argentinian passport does not give you visa-free access to the US or Canada. The best passport, and the most valuable second citizenship in South America, is offered by Chile. Getting residency in Argentina is pretty easy. If you have steady, passive income, you could qualify for a rentista visa, which is a one-year visa that can be extended in one-year increments.

At that point, you may apply for naturalization. You will need a bit of Spanish language proficiency, but the exam is easy enough to pass without full fluency. Keep in mind that in spring Argentina ordered one of the strictest coronavirus lockdowns of any country. Argentina banned commercial flights in and out of the country through September , and were barring tourists from entering the country during much of the COVID lockdowns….

Argentina even went so far as to ban its own citizens and residents who were outside of the country from coming back home between March , That is something to keep in mind, especially if freedom to travel during potential future government lockdowns figures prominently into your reasons for acquiring a second passport. But investing time is not the only way to get foreign citizenship. One, they refuse to extradite their citizens to answer for foreign crimes. He might have moved there to be with his Brazilian partner, but he likely stays there for the protection the country offers.

Brazil is a huge melting pot. But not in Brazil. Both types blend in there. One option is to marry a Brazilian citizen and apply for permanent residency immediately after that. After one year of permanent residency, you can apply for naturalization and a Brazilian passport. Talk about how to get a passport easily! Another option is having a baby in Brazil. In our Sovereign Man: Confidential member library , we profiled a couple who moved to Brazil and had their baby there.

The baby automatically became Brazilian. Ten months later, the parents gained permanent residency. A year later — and yes, they lived in Brazil the whole time — the couple qualified to apply for naturalization full citizenship.

After you bring BRL , into the country, you can get a 5-year residency permit. You can invest the money in anything, or just leave it sitting in your Brazillian bank account. The region is home to five Citizenship By Investment programs, and is responsible for making the sale of citizenship in exchange for donations mainstream around the world.

After Hurricane Maria ravaged the region in , several Caribbean nations made their programs even more attractive by literally halving their prices to attract capital. Most of these Caribbean countries rely on tourism as their primary economic engine. Therefore tax revenue plummeted in the spring of as coronavirus essentially shut down the tourism industry. In response, St. Lucia became the first country to offer a COVID discount on its citizenship by investment program.

Lucia which will be paid back without interest after five years. But keep in mind the cost of the value of that money lost to inflation.

Plus the risk of St. Lucia defaulting on its bond obligations. More countries will likely follow and offer Covid-related discounts. Even before the recent changes, the most attractive option for single applicants was St. Lucia, which gives you visa-free access to countries, including the EU but excluding the US and Canada. As an added bonus, one family member can take advantage of a one-year, tuition-only scholarship from the University of the West Indies as part of the deal.

An Antiguan passport is similar to that of St. Lucia in that it gives you access to countries visa-free, including the EU, but excluding the US and Canada. In both cases, there are no residency requirements, meaning that you are not required to spend any time at all in the country after that.

Antigua is the one exception, where you are expected to visit the country for five days within the first five years of gaining their citizenship. The processing time for the entire process is around three to five months — so if you are looking for an expedited passport in a tax haven and you have the means, then a Caribbean passport could make a lot of sense.

We promised you eight easy citizenship and passport options in this article, but we have one more option up our sleeve: Chile. It is the best passport and the most valuable second citizenship in South America. A Chilean passport gives you visa-free access to countries and ranks in 18th place on our Sovereign Man Passport Ranking Index. Various members of the Sovereign Man team have been trying to complete a citizenship application in the past couple of years, and have so far not been successful.

A key challenge has been that months pass without much feedback from the local authorities. And the fastest recent successful naturalization that we know of, finished in , took two full years. So if you are in a hurry to obtain a second citizenship, Chile may not be the best option for you. Check them out in the Sovereign Man archives. If you have one nationality, then one, single government has total control over your life, your finances, your business, and your personal affairs.

We saw many different responses from governments when it came to coronavirus lockdowns. And governments also respond differently to civil unrest, riots, and protests. Sadly, these days, anything is on the table. Tensions between India and China are rising after a June border clash which killed Indian troops.

The US and China are steadily marching into a cold war. And the world is a tinderbox, that would only take a random spark to ignite. The US government is printing vast amounts of money, which could easily devalue the currency, lead to extreme economic repercussions, and spark serious internal and external conflict.

Getting a second passport also means expanding your work, leisure and investment options — both for yourself and for your kids.

Many universities in Europe, for example, are low-cost or free to EU nationals. Having a second passport just makes sense. In this article we covered three citizenship-by-investment programs, but there are 10 more programs around the world. It could potentially help you save tens or even hundreds of thousands of Dollars by picking the best passport for your personal situation at the lowest price…. Sovereign Man: Confidential is our flagship intelligence service informing you about the best places on Earth to safely protect your life, your liberty and your assets.

Additionally we also have intelligence on everything from new residency, foreign banking, options to reduce, defer, or even eliminate your taxes, to incredible investment picks outside the mainstream. And while I appreciate all the visitors who stop by our website, I provide special bonuses to our email subscribers … including free premium intelligence reports and other valuable content that I only share with them. How did you like this article?

Click one of the stars to add your vote Other readers gave this article an average rating of 4. TrustScore 4. This article will outline how to go about getting EU citizenship, where we will briefly mention six ways you can do so. We will be focusing on European Citizenship by investment programs as they currently offer the best way to get citizenship in Europe today.

Citizenship from the EU allows you to enjoy the benefits that come from having the right to move, settle and be employed all across the 28 EU member countries. A passport from any one of the member countries gives you access, privileges and rights to move freely across any border in over two dozen countries, have access to visa-free travel, and a national care system that is some of the best in the world. It is for these reasons that has made Euporan citizenship one of the most coveted and sought-after titles to hold.

There are a number of reasons why anyone would want to move and live in the European Union. Here are just a few:. There are several ways to become a European Citizenship. The best route for each individual will depend upon their own circumstances, as well as the country in which they want to acquire EU citizenship.

Citizenship by descent aka ancestry is by far the easiest and cheapest way to become a European citizen for those who are eligible. Unfortunately, not everyone is lucky enough to have European ancestry, which means they should pursue one of the other two methods outlined below. The next, and most common option is to acquire European citizenship through a naturalisation process. This is a more varied option, with numerous different routes, timelines, and costs involved.

The first, and most important point to stress is that obtaining citizenship by naturalisation inevitably takes time and effort, irrespective of the specific route taken. However, it is the only viable option for many.

Each European country has its own set of requirements and processes in order to become a naturalised citizen. The one thing which they all have in common is that in order to become a naturalised citizen, you first need to acquire permanent residency status. The ways to accomplish this and ultimately become a naturalised citizen include:. In almost every European country, it is possible to qualify for residence if you manage to get a full-time job there, start paying taxes, and fulfil other basic criteria.

After a certain period of time usually about 5 - 10 years , you will then be eligible to apply for citizenship. The difficulty with this option is that you usually need to be hired by a local company who then sponsor you. Marrying an EU citizen usually ensures a fast-track process to residency and thereafter citizenship. The process followed is much the same as others acquiring citizenship by naturalisation, but the timeline can be significantly shortened in some European countries.

The difficulty here is obviously you need to find another person who agrees. Several European countries offer residency permits to those who start a business. European countries which offer residence to business owners include Belgium, Estonia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Hungary, and Latvia. Starting a business is a great way to enter into the EU, however, there are significant barriers to that make entry more difficult with requirements that can be capital and time intensive.

The final way to become a naturalised EU citizen is to start by obtaining residency by investment. For those who have the capacity this is the best way to get citizenship as it has less requirements. This differs to the various citizenship by investment programs offered in the Caribbean and other parts of the world, in that you are not immediately granted citizenship once you have made your investment. You will need to undergo the naturalisation process just like everyone else, but it is a sure and fast way to get your foot in the door with residency.

The two most popular programs in Europe are offered by Portugal and Spain. Both will set you back around EUR , There are other options offered by Greece, Latvia, and Bulgaria. These tend to be cheaper at around , EUR but are more complicated and there is less certainty of successfully being granted residency. While these popular programs are mostly found in the Caribbean such as Dominica and St Kitts and Nevis, however Europe also has similar programs too note.

Historically, there have been two European citizenship by investment options available: Cyprus and Malta. Unfortunately, Cyprus recently suspended their program, however, there have been new programs that have been born as the need of second citizenships and passports have risen dramatically.

Montenegro established a citizenship by investment program back in that offers citizenship by investment for , EUR that can be completed in 3 months. While not officially part of the EU it does give you access to Europe and with a , EUR donation together with , EUR investment in real estate you can get a passport that is quickly gaining in popularity. The program is currently one of a kind in Europe. There are no other programs in the EU that gives you citizenship in 1 year for , EUR which gives you the ability to live, work and have all the rights of a Maltese citizen and access to countries visa-free.

It is required that your purchase a house for , EUR and hold the property for a minimum of five years as well as give a 10, EUR donation as well as 10, EUR for the due diligence.