10 Easiest Countries to Get Citizenship

Would you like to find out about the countries where you can acquire second citizenship in an easy way? Below we discuss 10 such countries that you can consider if you want to acquire foreign citizenship and get a second passport. We speak about various methods of second citizenship acquisition: naturalization, investment, descent, and so on.

Your way to second citizenship

Looking for a way to second citizenship is similar to walking through a maze when you have to make a decision at every corner. How can you acquire it? Is the passport acquisition process easy? How to find the best option? What your second passport would be worth? What country would suit your purposes? Which countries give citizenship in an easy way? You have to do a lot of preparatory work to acquire foreign citizenship and a second passport and be ready for difficult situations. Especially if you are looking for easy, fast, and inexpensive second citizenship acquisition. When making a choice, you have to take the following important factors into consideration:

• Total duration of the process. If you are applying for citizenship by investment or by descent, second citizenship acquisition is going to take you a few months only. If you don’t have any ancestors who were citizens of foreign countries and you don’t want to pay for second citizenship, naturalization is a simple choice for you but it takes a longer time to acquire a second passport in this way. 
• Financial aspect. Depending on how you are planning to acquire citizenship and a passport of a foreign country, the costs can be significantly different. If you become a naturalized citizen of a foreign country, you will have to pay a passport issuance fee, which is negligible. If you apply for citizenship by investment, the investment amount is going to be quite considerable.
• Location of the country. Some people look for a second home country somewhere not far from their first home country. They don’t want to lose touch with their friends and relatives who live there. Some other people, on the contrary, look for a country that is located in another part of the world. They want to find a ‘safety net’ somewhere in a quiet region that they could use in case of an emergency in their home country. They may look to acquire citizenship in the Caribbean, for example
• ‘Black lists’. Many countries maintain lists of foreign countries whose citizens they are not prepared to take onboard. Therefore, you have to find out if your home country is blacklisted in the jurisdiction that you are considering or not. Your passport might be ‘toxic’ in some jurisdictions and citizenship acquisition might be impossible for you.
• Personal preferences. Some people love busy streets and beautiful buildings of European cities while some others prefer quiet beaches of tropical island countries. You could acquire second citizenship both in Europe and in the tropics.
• The level of document acquisition difficulties. If you apply for second citizenship by descent, the document acquisition process can be not easy. You have to rummage through the archives of more than one country. If you apply for citizenship by investment, you should be ready to collect a large application document package. On the other hand, if you acquire citizenship and a second passport by naturalization, the bureaucratic side of things is not going to be overly demanding. 
• Tests. As a rule, naturalized citizens have to take easy tests in the history, culture, and language of their second home country to acquire a second passport. At the same time, ‘golden passport’ acquisition does not involve any such tests. Moreover, if you apply for citizenship of a Caribbean country by investment (see below), you won’t have to visit the country even once! Even to collect your passport!
• Taxes. You have to weigh the tax consequences of second citizenship acquisition. No country of those listed below levies taxes on new citizens automatically. Only the USA and Eritrea have this practice. However, when choosing your second home country, you have to find out about the new tax obligations that may arise as well as tax benefits that your new passport would bring. For instance, some of the countries that we point out offer beneficial tax treatment (charging no capital gains tax, no gift tax, and so on).  

With these factors in mind, we are bringing 10 countries for your consideration. We sincerely hope that each reader will find at least one option that appeals to him/ her. Please find out about the easiest places to acquire foreign citizenship and a second passport.

Citizenship of Vanuatu: the fastest to acquire

Vanuatu citizenship acquisition takes only 8 weeks. This is the place to acquire a second passport in the fastest possible way. And in an easy way too: there are no tests to pass and you can acquire a second passport remotely. A donation of US$ 145,000 is required to acquire citizenship of Vanuatu even though the program is called ‘citizenship by investment’. The name is not precise because it is actually a ‘citizenship by donation’ program because Vanuatu does not offer any returnable investment options while many other countries do. You also have to bear in mind various administrative costs that Vanuatu citizenship acquisition involves.  ]

An island archipelago in the South Pacific, Vanuatu is far away from all geopolitical conflicts even though the country regularly faces natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and tsunamis so life is not exactly easy there. If you choose to acquire residence in Vanuatu, you won’t have to pay any taxes on your global income.

Acquire citizenship of Malta with ease – if you are a millionaire

Acquiring citizenship and a passport of Malta is an easy way of becoming a citizen of the European Union because Malta is a member of the organization. Consequently, you can gain easy access to high-quality healthcare and education services, visa-free travel to 180+ countries, a stable political and economic situation, beneficial tax treatment, and other bonuses. On the other hand, Maltese citizenship acquisition takes a comparatively long time and it is expensive.

You can acquire citizenship of Malta by investment for at least € 715,000. In this case, the process of citizenship acquisition is going to extend over 3 years. You can acquire citizenship and a passport of the country faster (within 1 year) but you will have to pay extra.

Citizenship of Uruguay by naturalization for families

Uruguay is one of the countries with easy citizenship acquisition if you are married. The standard naturalization period is 5 years but it is shortened to 3 years for married couples.

We must note that this citizenship acquisition opportunity is unique in an interesting way. Neither of the spouses have to be citizens of Uruguay to acquire citizenship of the country after 3 years. So this is not exactly citizenship by marriage: two foreign nationals living in marriage in Uruguay can become citizens of the country after legally residing there for 3 years. How could you legalize your prolonged stay in Uruguay before you can apply for a passport? It is easy as there is a residence-by-investment program and the financial requirements are rather low. Thus, you could easily acquire a residence permit.

Turkey: easy citizenship acquisition in the Middle East

Turkey administers a citizenship-by-investment program that has been quite popular with foreign nationals as the citizenship acquisition process is easy. The country sits right on the border of Europe and Asia: part of Istanbul is located in Europe while the rest of the country is located in Asia. The place is perfect for transcontinental trade and travel.

Applicants for Turkish citizenship have several financial options to consider. You can do one of the following things to acquire citizenship and a passport of Turkey:

• Create 50+ permanent jobs in the country;
• Invest in Turkish stocks and bonds;
• Put money in a fund (a pension, venture, or investment one);
• Put money into an account with a Turkish bank;
• Purchase real property of any kind excluding empty land plots and property located close to military objects.

If you choose the latter option, citizenship acquisition will require investing at least US$ 400,000 (the equivalent in Turkish liras). Whatever financial route to Turkish citizenship you choose, you cannot withdraw from the investment before a 3-year period expires. If you do, you will lose your Turkish passport. Rumors have it that the Government of the country is discussing raising the investment threshold. Why? Because the Turkish ‘golden passport’ program has been extremely popular and many foreigners want to acquire Turkish citizenship!

Acquire citizenship and a passport of St Kitts and Nevis by investment to reduce your tax burden

St Kitts and Nevis started the practice of ‘selling’ the country’s citizenship to foreigners in 1984. Since that time, the local citizenship-by-investment program has been among the most popular ones.

Today, it costs US$ 250,000 to acquire a passport of St Kitts and Nevis. Similarly to Vanuatu, passport acquisition does not require visiting the country but the timeframe is going to be longer (3 to 6 months). Accelerated application processing is available for an extra fee.

One of the weightiest advantages that a passport of the country brings is the opportunity to relocate to a country where you don’t have to pay taxes on your global income, gifts, inheritance, and capital gains. However, you have to spend more than six months per year in St Kitts and Nevis to acquire fiscal residence in the country.

Simple EU citizenship acquisition: apply for a Portuguese ‘golden visa’

People from outside the EU are eligible to apply for a ‘golden visa’ to Portugal that serves as a legal residence permit. An investment has to be made to acquire a Portuguese ‘golden visa’ and several investment options are available. You have to bear in mind, however, that foreigners buying real estate in Portugal have been ineligible for ‘golden visas’ since October, 2023.

The most affordable option is investing € 250,000 into a cultural project. The required investment is 20% lower (€ 200,000) if the project is implemented in a sparsely populated or an underdeveloped area.

You don’t have to permanently live in Portugal to keep the residence permit. Staying in the country for 7 days per year will suffice. After 5 years, you are entitled to apply for citizenship of Portugal. Passport acquisition will involve demonstrating basic knowledge of the Portuguese language and culture but the tests are easy. Besides, you will have to have no outstanding fiscal obligations.

A ‘golden visa’ to Spain by investment into real property

Portugal denies foreigners the opportunity to qualify for ‘golden visas’ by investing into real property because there is a housing crisis in the country. The situation is just the opposite in Spain: many houses are empty. For this reason, Spain makes it easy for foreign nationals to buy property in the country and then apply for ‘golden visas’.

It costs at least € 500,000 to acquire legal residence in Spain. If the house that you like costs more, you can easily take out a mortgage. However, you have to invest at least € 500,000 of your own money. You are entitled to apply for citizenship of Spain after living in the country for 10 years: faster citizenship acquisition is impossible in the country.

Acquire citizenship of Egypt, a popular tourist destination

With its ancient history and two seas, Egypt is frequently visited by tourists. Since recently, however, an economic citizenship program has also been available in the country. The most attractive investment option is buying a piece of property in the country for US$ 300,000. The property can be of any type.

You have to hold the property in your possession not to lose your ‘golden visa’ to Egypt. Alternatively, you can make a donation of US$ 250,000 to qualify for a residence permit in the country.

Germany offers easy citizenship to persecuted persons and their descendants

Applying for citizenship of Germany is a relatively easy way to acquire an EU passport if certain conditions are satisfied. Who is eligible to apply? A foreigner whose parents (or one of the parents)  had a permanent residence permit in Germany (Niederlassungserlaubnis, in German) at the moment of his/ her birth is eligible to apply for citizenship of the country. In addition, German refugees and exiled persons of German origin can qualify for citizenship of the country.  

Fast citizenship by naturalization for families in Peru 

Are you unwilling to pay thousands of dollars/ euros for foreign citizenship? Do you have no ancestors from foreign countries? Then naturalization should be your choice. Many countries provide this opportunity but Peru is the country where you can naturalize in the fastest manner.

First, you have to establish legal residence in Peru. You can do so if you open a company in the country, make an investment, or find a job. If you live in Peru for two consecutive years, you can qualify for full-fledged citizenship of the country. An important requirement is that you have to be married and live in Peru with your spouse.

Conclusions and some frequently asked questions

We have discussed a considerable number of ways to acquire foreign citizenship. You can choose an idyllic island in the Caribbean or you can acquire a strong European passport. Whatever your choice is, achieving the goal is quite possible. You have to realize that a second passport is an instrument for extending your horizons and enriching your life. At the same time, some bureaucracy is always involved in the process of foreign citizenship acquisition and you need professional assistance in the matter.

What is the fastest way of acquiring foreign citizenship?

The fastest way of obtaining a second passport is applying for citizenship of Vanuatu by investment. Applications are processed within 4 to 6 weeks in the country. Peru is the country that offers the fastest citizenship by naturalization. You have to live in the country for 2 years only to qualify for citizenship.  

What countries have the most affordable citizenship-by-investment programs?

In addition to Vanuatu, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, the Commonwealth of Dominica, St Kitts and Nevis, and St Lucia in the Caribbean offer affordable second citizenship opportunities. You can acquire citizenship of any of these countries by making a donation or purchasing real property. You can also invest in business (in Antigua and St Lucia) or in Government bonds (only in St Lucia). The application processing takes 3 to 6 months.

Would I have to renounce my home country’s citizenship if I acquired citizenship of a foreign country?

No, you do not in most cases. All countries administering citizenship-by-investment programs allow dual citizenship. Besides, this has been a common tendency in recent years: even such a conservative country as Germany now allows dual citizenship.

Where can I acquire second citizenship by investing into business?

You can consider Turkey: create 50 jobs in the country and you can qualify for citizenship. Antigua and Barbuda as well as St Lucia also allow investing in business ventures but the required investment amounts are considerably higher than the donation amounts.