What is citizenship and does it make any difference? It means that you are becoming a national of a state. And why does it matter? We can simply go to any country we want and visit it, why do we even need citizenship? The difference between regular tours and citizenship is that you will be a tourist otherwise. Thus, you will be purchasing everything.
However, if you get citizenship, you will enjoy several benefits that the state offers. This also means that you will be getting child support and health insurance etc. likewise, you will be allowed to do any business and job there.
Furthermore, you will be allowed to purchase and sell properties. All the benefits are not available otherwise. Therefore, a lot of people prefer getting citizenship.
How to Get Citizenship in A Country?
If you want to apply for citizenship, there are several ways. These include:
- Meeting the requirements for residency
- Contribution to their cultural and historical values
- Living in the country for a long period of time
- If you have any ancestry belonging to that state (blood relatives)
- In case you get married to a national there
- When you invest there
If you have money and you are interested in doing business in a country, you should go for second citizenship by investment. You can go to imperiallegal.com and learn more about citizenship by investment.
You should also know that citizenship by investment is an option that varies from state to state. Although all countries have this option, their conditions vary. Therefore, if you have any country in mind, you should check the requirements and then apply for the program. So let’s have a look at the comparison of different states.
3 Major Regions
If you are trying to get a second citizenship, there are three major regions that offer this program. These regions are;
- Caribbean
- Europe
- Oceania and Asia
1 – Caribbean Region
The least expensive region falls under the Caribbean region. So let’s start from here.
Dominica
The least expensive one among the Caribbean countries is Dominica. The minimum contribution needed here is 100,000 US dollars. Furthermore, the processing time here is of 4 months. So after 4 months, you can get your second citizenship.
You will get to travel to 143 countries without the need for a visa. And one of these 143 countries is the United Kingdom. The family dependents that you can call there include your children under the age of 30 years.
If you need to call your wife, she can also come but her age should be up to 25 years. The same age (25 years) goes for siblings as well. Above all, you can also call your parents who are above 55 years of age.
Saint Lucia
As for Saint Lucia, the minimum contribution is the same as of Dominica i.e. 100,000 US dollars. However, the processing time is 6 months and if you are calling your children and spouse, the age limit is 26 years. And there is no age limit for your grandparents. As for the visa-free travel option, you will get it for 14 countries.
Antigua and Barbuda
The minimum investment needed for this state is 130,000 US dollars. As for the processing time, it is 6 months. But the benefit is that you will get visa-free travel to up to 151 countries that also include the UK and Schengen. The family dependents include grandparents and also spouses. As for children, their age should be under 29 years.
Grenada
The next stage in the Caribbean region is Grenada. The minimum investment that you need to make is 150,000 US dollars. As for the processing time, it is around 5 months. You will get visa-free travel to up to 144 countries that also include UK, Schengen, and China.
As for the family dependents, you can call your spouse and your children who are up to 30 years old. As for your siblings and also your wife, their age should be around 18 years.
St. Kitts and Nevis
The last state in the Caribbean where you can apply for citizenship is St. Kitts and Nevis. You will need a minimum contribution of 150,000 US dollars. As for the processing time, you will need to wait for 4 months. Furthermore, you will get visa-free travel to up to 156 countries that also include UK and Schengen.
Family dependents include your spouse and children who are under the age of 31 years. Furthermore, you can also call your parents.
2 – European region
In the European region, you can apply for ‘investment by citizenship’ in these countries.
Greece
The cheapest and the earliest option in the European region is Greece. You will need to contribute a minimum of EUR 250,000. Furthermore, the processing time is only 2 to 3 months. Though the traveling options are a bit limited, you can still travel free of visa to 29 Schengen countries.
Family dependents include your spouse and your children if you are under 21 years old.
Spain
After Greece, the next option is Spain. You will need to contribute a minimum amount of 500,000 EUR. You will get visa-free travel to up to 29 Schengen countries.
As for your family dependents, you can call your spouse and children who are under the age of 18. In addition to this, the parents of the main applicant can also come.
Portugal
Portugal also needs a minimum contribution of EUR 500,000. You will get visa-free travel to 29 Schengen countries. The processing time for Portugal is 6 months. As for your family dependents, spouse, and children of the main applicant and his/her parents are included.
Bulgaria
You can also get your second nationality for Bulgaria where you will need to contribute a minimum amount of EUR 512,000. The processing time is around 6 to 9 months. However, the best thing here is that you will get visa-free and visa-on-arrival travel to 171 destinations.
Malta Naturalization
Malta is also one of the best choices to have for second citizenship. However, citizenship is not that easy to get for everyone. You will need to contribute a minimum of 1.15 M EUR. Furthermore, the processing time is also around 12 months.
Although the requirements are a bit strict, you get to enjoy several benefits here. One of the perks of having Malta citizenship is that you get to have visa-free travel options for 156 countries. And these 156 countries also include the UK, USA, Canada, and EU. What more would you need, you are getting to travel to some of the most worth visiting places with this nationality.
In addition to this, you can call your spouse and children who are below 26 years of age.
Above all, you can also get to study, work and live anywhere among the 28 European Union countries. So having this nationality means that you are getting a free ticket to the European Union.
3 – Oceania and Asia
As for Oceania and Asia citizenship, these states are offering this program.
Vanuatu
The cheapest option here is Vanuatu. You will need to make an investment of at least 130,000 US dollars. As for the processing time, it’s 2 months. So you will be able to get citizenship in a short period of time.
If you want to travel to other regions, you will have the option of traveling to 130 countries. And of course, this trip is visa-free. Furthermore, this visa-free travel is available for the UK and Schengen too.
And for the family dependents, you can call your grandparents, spouse, and children. Your children’s age should be less than 26 years.
Turkey
Turkey is one of the most famous tourist attractions in the world. You can invest in real estate and get a second citizenship. The minimum contribution amount is 400,000 US dollars. And your process will be completed in 5 months.
So if you have enough money, you can get your second citizenship in Turkey within 5 months. The best thing is that you will get visa-free travel to 111 countries. And your family dependents include your spouse and children. Moreover, your children should be under 18 years.
Final words
You can go for citizenship from the three continental regions. As for the right choice, it depends on your budget, your suitability, and adaptability. You can have a look at all the options and choose the one that suits your criteria.
If you have more money and you are serious about doing some business, you need to look at that perspective. For example, you will do technical business in a country where there is a high demand and the market is suitable. Otherwise, it would be difficult for you to make any profit.
