06 Jan 2025
As global connectivity grows, many dream of a second passport or citizenship. Suppose it is a decision of a business move, personal liberty, or a perceived chance at an enhanced quality of life. In that case, acquiring citizenship in any country can be long and tedious. However, it is easier to gain citizenship in some countries than in others. This article aims to discuss the countries where noncitizens may obtain citizenship more easily than others and also explore how to send money to their home country for loved ones.
Derivative citizenship is a common, easy way to get citizenship worldwide. Most countries have laws that let people apply for citizenship based on ancestry. This includes applications based on parentage, grandparentage, or great-grandparentage. CIT can also be known as citizenship by descent or by blood.
This process typically allows applicants to secure citizenship through their parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents. Countries with such policies aim to strengthen cultural and historical connections while expanding their global diaspora. Nations like Italy, Ireland, and Poland are particularly popular for their flexible ancestry-based citizenship programs.
Ireland has widely liberal policies on citizenship. People can trace their ancestry to Ireland; you just need to have at least Irish grandparents to get citizenship despite being born in another country. This is more appealing to people of Irish origin, especially in countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia, with many Irish descendants.
You should know how to apply and the documents required for this visa. One must prove that they have Irish origin documents such as birth certificates, marriage certificates, etc. For the grandparent’s rule, your parents must also have been born outside of Ireland.
It can take weeks, and the best part is that it is pretty easy if you can provide essential documents.
Italy also has a policy of granting citizenship by descent, and this particularly favors those with Italian original roots. While the Irish citizenship law permits citizenship claims only up to the first generation and, in some cases. Further, the Italian law permits up to the third generation and, in others, even further back.
To apply, one must provide evidence of a direct descendant link to an Italian citizen. A copy of your ancestor's birth, marriage, and death certificates will be needed. Your ancestor had to be a citizen of Italy at the time of your parent or grandparent's birth.
Being granted citizenship by descent takes years, if not more than several months because the procedure entails several stages.
Here are some countries where it is easy to get citizenship. Examples are below
It is the easiest country to get citizenship in Europe real estate, qualifying Portugal Golden Visa funds, donations, or capital transfer; Portugal offers residency to everybody and is the easiest country to get citizenship. However, you can live anywhere and only come to Portugal for as much as 7 days a year. A Portuguese language test is also essential when you apply for the Portugal Golden Visa Program, though a simple test is usually given.
To obtain residency in Spain, you will be required to invest in a Spain Golden Visa of a minimum of €500,000. To get easy citizenship, you have to supply evidence that meets the ten-year residency requirement; besides, you have to show that you have some knowledge of Spanish.
So, if you are an investor, entrepreneur, scientist, or a top talent, the UAE Golden Visa is for you. This way, you can obtain permanent residency in the UAE or a long-term UAE visa – a visa for residency in the UAE. Since 2022, with a reduced investment of AED 2 million ($545,000), you can apply for this visa. It grants a 10-year Golden Visa for investing in UAE real estate.
The UAE Golden Visa has been active since 2019 and since 2022, with a reduced investment amount of AED 2 million ($545,000); you can apply for this visa by purchasing real estate in the UAE. Another choice is to spend AED 750,000 ($204,000) in real estate to obtain a two-year residency visa.
As for the easy and swift path to EU citizenship, one may mention the Individual Investor Programme of Malta MIIP. The program of this point provides an opportunity to acquire Maltese citizenship via donation and investment. If you have a residence permit for 36 months, the investment will be €600,000; if you have had it for 12 months, the investment is €750,000. In addition, for Malta citizenship by investment, the real estate investment has to be at least €700,000 or property lease for the minimum annual rent of €16 000.
Antigua and Barbuda offers you a one-time investment in the form of a donation to the country’s national development fund of a minimum of $230,000 for citizenship. The other opportunity is to invest four hundred thousand U.S. dollars in any government-sanctioned real estate venture. Your investment has to remain tied up for five years You will be required to maintain the investment for five years. An Antigua and Barbuda is an easy passport to get and gives you the freedom of visa-less travel in 153 countries in the world; this is one of the easiest passports to obtain. Out of all the countries offering citizenship by investment, Antigua and Barbuda remain some of the easiest to secure.
They are some of the countries that give the easiest citizenship to obtain, and Turkey is one of them. For starters, real estate always stands out as one of the most common routes by which one can gain citizenship in Turkey if one is willing to invest. This is the minimum required amount of financing, which is $ 400,000. The procedure is fast, and within a short time of your arrival, you can become a citizen of the country in less than six months.
Dominica's citizenship by investment program allows you to directly participate in Dominica's economy with a minimum investment of $200,000 and apply for citizenship. In addition to the investment in a donation, a person can invest $200 000 purchase shares of the approved real estate and obtain a Dominican passport for you and your family.
It is more appealing when one takes time to consider more of the programs offered under Country of Benefit Investment or CBI. To qualify for St Lucia Citizenship by Investment, you can do so with a minimum investment of $240,000 or other essential expectations.
Many countries allow citizenship by marriage to a national in the state of the country. Unlike the other options which do not offer any citizenship at all or do it after many years, this one gives naturalization after certain years of residency.
France has primarily provided a logical way of naturalization for individuals who intend to wed a French citizen. If you live together for some time, you can turn your foreigner status into French citizenship.
You must have lived in the marriage for at least 4 years (or 5 if you have resided in a different country from France) and present in France at least half the time. A further condition is operational fluency in the French language.
The last step is naturalization after fulfilling the residency and language requirements, which can take several months.
Spain permits a foreigner to naturalize as a Spanish citizen by marriage under the condition they have been a resident in Spain for one year.
To become fluent in Spanish, you must have been a Spanish resident for 12 months as a dependent of a Spanish citizen. You also have to integrate yourself and display Spanish language and cultural knowledge.
After fulfilling these requirements, here are the procedures that one has to follow to become a naturalized Spaniard. If you are a foreigner wishing to become a member of Spain’s society, the next step is to visit the Spanish Ministry of Justice and demand naturalization.
It is impossible to achieve easy citizenship standards by the state since the process of obtaining it differs significantly in terms of flexibility and complexity depending on the applicant’s situation. Countries with birthright citizenship may grant the fastest naturalization processes for people who have the right heritage while on the other hand, investment channels create an opportunity for wealth to fuel the process.
For those who prefer more orthodox ways of going about the process, places such as Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay make naturalization straightforward and fast. Portugal and Spain require residency to be a citizen, but it only takes a shorter time than others.
Visa-free Travel
Today, most nations allow their citizens to visit other countries without or with minimal visa requirements.
Tax Advantages
Some countries also have good policies for taxing non-resident citizens.
Enhanced Security
The second having a second passport has more benefits and can give an individual a much better level of protection.
Education and Healthcare Benefits
Availability of quality educational healthcare facilities around the globe.
The nation and the selected course have a considerable impact on the prices. In contrast to naturalization, which usually entails government fees, legal charges, and living expenses, citizenship by investment schemes sometimes demands significant financial input.
The processing time differs depending on the country of origin and the program that the candidate is applying for. The citizenship by investment scheme might not take very long; it can take a few months. Others may require several years, as the case may be when a candidate is still undertaking residency requirements.
Indeed, dual citizenship is permitted in many nations. Checking the precise legislation of both your native country and the nation you're applying for citizenship is crucial. Due to their stringent dual citizenship laws, certain nations may compel you to abandon your original citizenship.
Most countries award this kind of citizenship, known as jus soli or citizenship by birth. In this instance, an individual who is born within the territory of a given country has the right to that country’s citizenship despite the parentage.
Here are some of the countries that grant citizenship by birth:
North America
South America
Caribbean
