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Option 1: Investment -

Many countries will offer citizenship in exchange for a financial contribution. The specifics will vary from country to country, but investing in the country in various ways can mean citizenship for you.

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Option 2: Birthplace - In some places, if you were born in a certain country, then you are a citizen there regardless of your parents’ citizenship. Think of places like Brazil and Canada.

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Option 3: Descent -

If your family or ancestors are from a certain country, then the case of citizenship by descent may be an option.

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Option 4: Naturalization - In some countries, individuals who aren’t native can become citizens by fulfilling certain requirements or qualifications.

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Golden Visa in Portugal -

Residency is offered in Portugal to individuals who can, and do, make investments in real estate or who donate or transfer capital.

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Golden Visa in Portugal -

General additional requirements include keeping your investment in Portugal for five years, meeting the minimum stay requirements, a clean criminal record, and no outstanding Portuguese tax payments.

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Golden Visa in Spain -

To become a Spanish resident, you’ll need to invest at least €500,000. To apply for actual citizenship, you will also need to prove the 10-year residency requirement and prove that you know Spanish.

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Golden Visa in Spain -

General requirements include staying in Spain for at least 183 days per year, living there for 10 years, as well as keeping your investment in Spain and having no outstanding Spanish tax payments.

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Curaçao - The Caribbean country offers an investor permit program with a minimum investment of US$280,000.

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Curaçao -

An additional benefit of this particular program is that it is a route to Dutch citizenship, as Curaçao is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

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Malta -

Malta has an investor program that allows for citizenship through donation and investment. If you’ve lived in the country for 36 months, then you’d need to contribute €600,000 to stay.

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Malta -

You can also invest in real estate worth €700,000, or sign a property lease for at least a year and worth €16,000.

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Antigua and Barbuda -

You can become a citizen by investing in the national development fund with at least US$100,000, or $400,000 in a government-approved real estate project.

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Antigua and Barbuda -

Extra requirements for residency include a clean criminal record, good health, and a willingness to take the oath of allegiance.

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Saint Kitts and Nevis -

To become a citizen here through investment, you would have to invest US$200,000 or $400,000 in a government-approved real estate project.

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Saint Kitts and Nevis -

A different option is to donate a non-refundable, US$150,000 minimum to Saint Kitts and Nevis Sustainable Growth Fund.

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Turkey -

For Turkish citizenship, the minimum amount is US$400,000 but you can receive citizenship in less than six months.

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Turkey -

To gain Turkish citizenship, in addition to your qualifying investment, you must be over 18 with a clean criminal record and never stayed illegally in Turkey.

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Countries that offer citizenship by birth -

Some countries offer citizenship to people based on where they are born. For example, places like Argentina, Barbados, Fiji, and Mexico all offer citizenship by birth.

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Easiest countries by descent - Italy -

To be eligible in Italy for citizenship, you must have an ancestor who was a citizen of Italy on March 17, 1861 or born in the country afterwards without ever breaking the lineage.

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Easiest countries by descent - Poland -

In Poland, to obtain citizenship you must have an ancestor born post-1900. Additionally, the lineage must not be broken.

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Easiest countries by descent - Hungary -

You may be eligible if you have an ancestor born between 1941 and 1945 or prior to 1920. It’s also important to show an unbroken lineage.

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Other countries where you can apply by descent -

Other countries include Ireland, the UK, Romania, Luxembourg, Greece, and more.

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Naturalization of two years - In Argentina and Peru, you can become a naturalized citizen in two years.

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Naturalization of three years -

With a slightly longer wait time, there are countries with three-year residence requirements. Those include Poland, Paraguay, Honduras, and Serbia.

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Naturalization of four years - Brazil and Ethiopia are countries with a four-year residence requirement.

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Naturalization of five years -

With the longest requirement on this guide, the following countries have five-year requirements: Chile, Albania, Australia, Belgium, and more.

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FAQ: Are there any free citizenship countries? - The only way to get citizenship for free would be to explore the naturalization route.

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FAQ: How many citizenships can you have? -

This depends on your home country and preferences. Often this is also affected by why you need the passports, i.e. whether for business or lifestyle needs.

Sources: (Get Golden Visa)

See also: Europe bound—an American's handbook for living the dream abroad

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