Planning to obtain a second citizenship in a foreign country? You can do so by applying for a second passport through a Citizenship by Investment Program. The Citizenship by Investment Program allows you to obtain residency in return of a financial investment in the country and is one of the fastest ways through which you can do so. In this article, we will take you through the fastest Citizenship by Investment Programs around the world, minimum investment required to obtain citizenship and timelines. Keep reading to find out more information.
Fastest Citizenship by Investment Programs
Here is a list of countries that offer fast and affordable citizenship by investment programs for foreign investors.
Vanuatu
The Vanuatu Citizenship by Investment program is the fastest citizenship by investment program and is also the only country in the south-pacific area that provides a commonwealth passport to foreign investors. The process of applying for a Vanuatu passport is fairly simple and easy. You can get your application approved within one and half months and in return of a minimum investment of $130,000.
Advantages of a Vanuatu Passport
- With a Vanuatu passport, you can travel to more than 90 countries including popular destinations like the UK, Singapore, Hong Kong and Russia.
- Minimum investment starts from $130,000
- You can get your second passport within the time period of two months
- There is no personal taxation, wealth tax, inheritance tax, gift or income tax in the country
- You can include your family members in your passport application
- There is no residence requirement
To find out more about the Vanuatu Citizenship by Investment Program, check out our article: Vanuatu Citizenship by Investment – The Ultimate Guide by Experts.
St Lucia
This Caribbean country offers two types of Citizenship by Investment programs to expats. Foreign investors can either make a minimum investment of $100,000 or $300,000. The waiting period in St Lucia for obtaining citizenship is around 2.5 months – in the years 2020-21, the average processing time for applications was 66 days, according to the St Lucia CIP Unit. There are also no residency requirements to apply for a St Lucia passport. In addition to this, the country also offers visa free access to popular countries that makes it attractive for foreign direct investment.
Advantages of a St Lucia Passport
- The St Lucia passport has one of the fastest turnaround times in the world – around three months.
- Your entire family is eligible to apply for the St Lucia Citizenship by Investment Program.
- The St Lucia passport is quite affordable. You can obtain citizenship in return of a minimum economic investment of $100,000.
- Once your application is approved, you need to then complete your investment in the country.
- There are no residency requirements. Moreover, there is no interview, education or managerial experience required.
- With a St Lucia passport, you have visa free access to more than 140 countries including popular destinations like Schengen zone, the UK, Hong Kong, Singapore, and other countries.
- There is no taxation on capital, wealth or inheritance tax.
Read our article: St Lucia Citizenship by Investment – The Ultimate Guide by Experts to find out more about the St Lucia Citizenship by Investment Program.
St Kitts and Nevis
One of the oldest Citizenship by Investment programs in the world, the St Kitts and Nevis also offers a quick citizenship process for potential investors. This island nation allows citizenship approval within the time period of 60-90 days. In addition to charming beaches and picturesque landscape, this small island country also ensures visa free access to popular places all across the world.
Advantages of a St Kitts and Nevis Passport
- The processing time for your second passport is really quick. You can get your St Kitts and Nevis citizenship approval within four months.
- Visa free travel to more than 140 countries including popular places like Europe’s Schengen area, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong and Singapore.
- If you want you can also fast track the citizenship application process and obtain it within sixty days.
- There is no residency, education, interview or language requirements for obtaining citizenship in St Kitts and Nevis.
- The country allows dual citizenship for your lifetime.
- St Kitts and Nevis is a tax-friendly nation with no income, inheritance or gift tax.
- You can include your family members in your St Kitts and Nevis passport application.
To discover more about this economic citizenship program, you can read our article: St Kitts and Nevis Citizenship by Investment – The Ultimate Guide by Experts.
Dominica
One of the best Citizenship by Investment Programs in the Caribbean, the Dominica investment citizenship program offers various investment schemes for foreign investors to acquire citizenship in the country. In return for an economic contribution of $100,000 or $200,000 real estate investment, you can obtain a Dominica passport under the Dominica Citizenship Program. Moreover, there are no residency requirements, making Dominica one of the most attractive economic citizenship programs. It takes around two months to get your Dominica passport application approved and once it is approved it remains valid till a period of 10 years.
Advantages of a Dominica Passport
- The application process for the Dominica passport is comparatively faster and easier. The processing time is around two-three months.
- You can include your family members in your passport application process
- Dominica offers one of the cheapest citizenship by investment programs in the world. You can obtain a Dominica passport in return of a minimum investment of $100,000.
- Dominica allows dual citizenship
- With a Dominica passport, you can travel visa free to more than 140 countries including popular places like Schengen zone, the UK, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Turkey, and others.
- Dominica is a tax friendly nation. It has no wealth tax, gift tax, inheritance tax, or capital gains tax.
- The Dominica passport is flexible when it comes to requirements. The country demands no residency, education or any other requirements.
Know more about this economic citizenship program by reading our article: Dominica Citizenship by Investment – The Ultimate Guide by Experts.
Grenada
Acquiring citizenship in Grenada is fairly quick. It takes around two months to get your Grenada citizenship application processed. In addition to a short turnaround time, the country doesn’t have any additional residency requirements and has visa free access to various countries like China, Russia, UK, Schengen area to name a few. The Grenada passport remains valid till 10 years.
Advantages of a Grenada Passport
- Very short processing time – You can get your passport within a short time span of 60 days.
- Grenada allows dual citizenship
- You can include your family members in your passport application process
- You can apply for a US E2 visa with a Grenada passport
- The country offers various tax benefits
- There are no residency requirements
To know more about the Grenada Citizenship by Investment Program, please read our article: Grenada Citizenship by Investment 2022 – The Ultimate Guide by Experts next.
Antigua and Barbuda
The Citizenship by Investment program offered by Antigua and Barbuda is also quite attractive. By making a minimum investment between $100,000 and $200,000, you can acquire citizenship in Antigua and Barbuda. The country takes around two months to process your application and issues a passport that remains valid for 5 years. All these factors make the Antigua and Barbuda Citizenship scheme one of the most popular immigration programs around the world.
Advantages of an Antigua and Barbuda Passport
- The application process is fairly quick. It takes around two months only to get your application approved.
- You can include your family in your passport application process.
- Antigua and Barbuda allows dual citizenship.
- There are no travel or residency requirements to obtain Antigua and Barbuda Citizenship.
- With an Antigua and Barbuda passport, you gain visa free access to more than 140 destinations including Schengen zone, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Singapore, and other countries.
- The country offers tax rebates
For more details on Antigua and Barbuda citizenship, visit our article: Antigua and Barbuda Citizenship by Investment – The Ultimate Guide by Experts.
Cyprus
Cyprus is the only European country to offer a Citizenship by Investment Program to interested investors. You can obtain a Cyprus citizenship in return of a minimum investment of EUR 2,200,000 investment in approved real estate projects, government bonds, and projects. There is a residence requirement of six months that applicants need to follow to obtain citizenship in Cyprus.
Advantages of a Cyprus Passport
- Visa-free access to more than 165 countries across the world.
- The nation is tax friendly.
- There are no language requirements.
- Provides fast citizenship. You can get your citizenship approval in six to eight months.
- You can include your whole family in your application process.
Important Note : The Cypriot Golden Visa scheme has been closed since November, 2020.
For more details on Cyprus Citizenship by Investment, check out our article: Cyprus Citizenship by Investment – The Ultimate Guide by Experts.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are instant citizenship countries?
Countries that offer instant citizenship to high net-worth individuals include Dominica, Malta, Antigua and Barbuda, Vanuatu, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, Turkey, Jordan, Grenada, Montenegro and more.
Which is the fastest citizenship by investment program?
Vanuatu and St Kitts and Nevis offer one of the fastest Citizenship by Investment Programs in the world.
Which countries grant citizenship easily?
Here is a list of top 10 countries that offers citizenship easily:
- Spain
- Canada
- Dominican Republic
- Argentina
- Israel
- Peru
- Paraguay
- Bolivia
- Ecuador
- Honduras
