The Number of Countries That Allow Dual Citizenship Has Increased Greatly Since the Beginning of the Century

Is dual citizenship a whim or a necessity? A growing number of people are beginning to appreciate the benefits of dual citizenship. It is good to know that some of these people are top-rank government officials who understand the advantages of attracting specialists from foreign countries. Consequently, they abolish the restrictions on dual citizenship.

Impressive statistics

Since the beginning of the millennium, the number of countries allowing dual citizenship has grown by almost 50%. The fastest growth is found in Oceania and Europe. Clearly, the number of countries that prohibit dual citizenship has decreased proportionally.

Out of 195 countries, around ¾ (149) currently allow dual citizenship. Their number has grown by 10% over the last ten years and by 42% since the beginning of the century. The number of countries that disallow dual citizenship has decreased by 47% since the beginning of the century.

Oceania is the region of the world where the increase is happening at the fastest rate. In 2020, only six countries in Oceania allowed dual citizenship. By today, this figure has grown by 113% to 13 countries.

In Africa, the number of countries allowing dual citizenship has grown by 73% over the last 25 years. This is the second fastest growth rate. Europe comes third in the race with the growth rate of 52%.

Africa is the region with the highest percentage of countries allowing dual citizenship. Of 149 countries that allow it, 38 are located in Africa, which makes 26% of the total number of countries allowing dual citizenship. Europe comes second with 23% and Asia comes third with 21%.

The world is growing smaller

Thanks to the development of telecommunication technologies and transportation infrastructure, the world is becoming smaller. Today, many people live, work, and invest in countries other than the countries of their birth. If it is legally possible to acquire dual citizenship in a foreign country, life becomes much easier for such people.

Over the past two decades, a significant number of high-ranking officials and legislators around the world have realized that granting the right to hold two citizenships at a time is beneficial for everybody. It ensures higher confidence, more comfort, and better security for the holders of dual citizenship but it also brings advantages to the country that grants second citizenship to the person. ‘Human capital’ from other countries as well as foreign investments can contribute to the development of the national economy significantly.

The donor countries do not lose very much either when they allow their citizens to acquire citizenship of a foreign country without facing any sanctions. Any person will feel terrible if he/ she has to choose between his/ her homeland and a foreign country that is potentially more attractive in economic or climatic terms. However, if the person is able to keep his/ her original passport when acquiring another one, it is likely that this person will live between the two countries making contributions to both of them. They may want to return home to spend their golden years there, for example.

Because the interconnections between national states are growing in number and intensity, experts believe that the tendency that we are talking about is going to continue. There are some clear signs that it will. For example, Germany used to be highly conservative about the issue of dual citizenship. Presently, however, it has joined the group of countries that are considering the possibility of making dual citizenship legal in the near future.

Fast second citizenship for investors

The demand for dual citizenship has increased significantly over the last few years. The Covid-19 pandemic that limited everybody’s freedom of movement has been one trigger and the military conflict in Ukraine another one.

More and more people realize that they need second passports to enhance their travel opportunities and gain access to new markets and better service. A second passport is also an efficient instrument of hedging financial, fiscal, banking, and other types of risks. Many wealthy individuals are prepared to spend considerable amounts of money on becoming citizens of a foreign country. Luckily, they don’t have to break any laws because they can legally acquire foreign citizenship by investment.

When it comes to choosing the foreign country whose citizen you would like to become, there is no universal solution. Everything will depend on your main goals and preferences. What is especially attractive about acquiring economic citizenship is the fast speed of obtaining a second passport. At the same time, there are other routes that lead to the same goal too. For instance, you can become a citizen of a foreign country by naturalization if you permanently live there for a few (to be more exact, for quite a few) years. If one of your ancestors was a citizen of a foreign country, you can try to apply for citizenship of the country by descent (several states provide this opportunity). Alternatively, you can marry a foreign person or join the armed forces of a foreign country. You will not be able to acquire foreign citizenship in an instant in these cases but you will not have to wait for too long either.

Professional assistance with enlarging your passport collection

Economic citizenship schemes allow building up your passport collection in a fast manner. At the same time, you have to take a serious approach to this task. There are several important aspects that you should delve in. For instance, you should seek professional advice on the taxation system that is applied in the foreign country that you are considering. (You will probably be pleased to know that a couple of low-tax jurisdictions administer economic citizenship programs.) Our experts will be delighted to help you obtain a second, a third, etc. passport while avoiding various traps and pitfalls.