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Australia |
In Australia it is possible to acquire citizenship and a passport after 3 years of legal residence. Generally one needs to be physically present in Australia for a full 2 years out of the 3 years prior to applying for citizenship, although exceptions are possible in certain cases. There are interesting conditions for investors and highly skilled professionals who wish to become resident. Australia certainly offers a very attractive passport, but also relatively high taxation. Please click here for more information.
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Austria |
To qualify for grant of citizenship without prior residence under the provisions of the Austrian Citizenship Act, § 10 (6), an applicant must provide scientific, cultural or economic benefits to the Republic of Austria . This must be confirmed by the Austrian Government, which then grants citizenship by a decision of all Government Ministers. Under the citizenship-by-investment provisions, an applicant is required to actively invest in the Austrian economy, for example in the form of a joint venture or a direct investment in a business creating jobs or generating new export sales. Generally a minimum investment of at least EUR 2 million is required. Passive investments in Government bonds, real estate, etc. do not qualify. Fees of EUR 250,000 or more apply, depending on the case and the number of persons in an application, as each case is handled on an individual basis. Please click here for more information.
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Belgium |
After Belgium amended its citizenship law in March 2000, it is now possible to acquire Belgian citizenship after only 3 years of residence. However, qualification for citizenship depends on the residence status, and the requirements for establishing residence are rather restrictive. Belgium has one of the highest income tax rates in Europe, but still no capital gains tax for private persons. Please click here for further information.
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Belize |
Belize has terminated its Economic Citizenship programme as of January 15, 2002. Under this programme, citizenship and passport could be acquired within approximately 1 month against a one-time contribution to the government. Under the Belize programme it was possible to legally change your name and to include dependent parents in one application for a reasonable additional fee.
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Bulgaria |
The Republic of Bulgaria has provision in its Citizenship Act for the acquisition of citizenship based on proof of Bulgarian origin without any prior residence requirement. Documentary proof to establish such a claim can include ancestry from a Bulgarian citizen or other evidence of ethnicity. Since 1 January 2006 Bulgaria has been a full member of the EU. Please enquire for further information and advice.
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Canada |
In Canada it is possible to acquire citizenship and a passport after only 3 years of legal residence. It is no longer possible however to spend a considerable part of this period outside of Canada. There are interesting conditions for investors and highly skilled professionals who wish to become resident. Residence in Canada allows you visa-free entry to the USA. Canada has one of the highest personal tax rates in the world, but wealthy individuals who take up residence in Canada can shelter income and assets that are kept outside Canada from Canadian taxation for up to 5 years. Needless to say, the Canadian passport is one of the best-regarded in the world. Please enquire for further information and advice.
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Croatia |
Croatian citizenship law provides that persons of Croatian descent ("emigrants") may be naturalised as Croatian citizens without the usual residence and language requirements. Proof of Croatian-born grandparents is required, along with appropriate supporting documentation. Furthermore, a foreign citizen who is married to such a person of Croatian descent who has acquired Croatian citizenship according to these provisions can also acquire Croatian citizenship without residence and language requirements. Children can acquire Croatian citizenship by naturalization only after both parents have acquired citizenship by naturalization. Please enquire for further information and advice.
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Dominica (Commonwealth of Dominica) |
Citizenship and Passport may be acquired within 5 - 14 months against a one-time contribution to the government, based on an Economic Citizenship program. Benefits include a Commonwealth passport which allows good visa-free travel to over 50 countries. This is one of only three Citizenship-by-Investment programs available today. Please click here for more information.
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Dominican Republic |
In the Dominican Republic it is possible to acquire citizenship and a passport after only 6 months of legal residence in combination with an investment in a business or in real estate of at least US$ 50,000. Parallel to this legal possibility of establishing residence status and acquiring citizenship 6 months later, there is a constant practice of illegal sales of passport and citizenship documents by corrupt government officials, and therefore passports from the Dominican Republic have a very bad reputation. Also visa free travel is poor. Acquisition of citizenship in the Dominican Republic will only be of interest in very special circumstances and is generally not recommended. Please enquire for further information and advice.
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Germany |
Germany has made it easier to qualify for citizenship through descent and naturalisation. Since the introduction of its new Citizenship and Nationality Law on 1 January 2000, Germany grants citizenship to any child born on its territory to a foreign parent who, at the time of birth, had resided there lawfully for eight years and who also had either the right to unlimited residence or else had held a permanent residence permit for three years. It also grants citizenship to any child born either in Germany or overseas to a German parent. Foreign nationals who have permanent residence in Germany may now naturalise after only eight years lawful residence, subject to certain conditions including adequate knowledge of German and financial self-sufficiency. This period is reduced to three years if a permanent resident is married to a German citizen. In addition, former German citizens deprived of citizenship between 30 January 1933 and 8 May 1945, on political, racial or religious grounds, may qualify for its restoration along with their descendants. Under Germany's Right of Return, refugees and expellees of ethnic German origin, admitted to its territory within the boundaries of the German Reich of 31 December 1937, may also apply for restoration of citizenship with proof of their ethnicity, along with their spouses and descendants. Please enquire for further information and advice.
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Grenada |
Grenada has terminated its Economic Citizenship programme as of October 24, 2001. Under this programme, citizenship and Passport could be acquired within approximately 2 - 3 months against a one-time contribution to the government. It is very unlikely that the programme will be resumed.
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Ireland |
Irish law allows descendants of Irish grand-parents to re-establish Irish citizenship. Ireland is also the only country within the European Union that continues to render citizenship to all persons who are born in the State, although since 1 January 2005 this is restricted to persons where at least one parent is holding a permanent, unlimited resident permit of Ireland or the United Kingdom. The Irish Government has however abolished the practice wherein entitlement to Irish citizenship could be obtained through a substantial investment in the State. This programme is not operating any more; on 5 June 2001, the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 2001 was enacted. It amended the Irish Nationality Laws passed between 1956 and 1994 but did not include any reference to naturalisation through investment so this is no longer a means of obtaining Irish citizenship. However, Ireland offers the possibility for financially independent persons to obtain a residence permit, and after five years of legal residence one may apply for naturalisation as an Irish citizen. Please enquire for further information and advice.
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Israel |
The Law of Return allows any Jewish person to take up residence in Israel and to acquire Israeli citizenship. Although citizenship is acquired immediately upon establishing residence in Israel, an Israeli passport is normally issued only after one year of residence. There are, however, exceptions, and in some instances it is possible to have a full passport issued immediately. Please contact us for further information and advice.
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Lithuania |
Lithuania joined the European Union along with 9 other European countries in May 2004. It has changed its citizenship law with effect from 1 January 2003 to allow people who were citizens of Lithuania before 15 June 1940, and three generations of their descendants, to regain Lithuanian citizenship without having to give up their existing nationalities. Lithuania does not have a specific Citizenship-by-Investment Programme but its Citizenship Law does permit the naturalisation of people who have invested money in the country and benefited the economy and created jobs there without them having to meet the normal requirements. Please click here for more information.
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Mauritius |
Under the Immigration Act 1973 a Permanent Resident Scheme (PRS) has been introduced to attract foreign investors to Mauritius. With a minimum investment of US$ 500,000 in a qualifying business activity, permanent residence is granted to foreigners and their families. In the event a person has invested under this scheme and has remained resident in Mauritius for a continuous period of 2 years, he is entitled to apply for citizenship under the Mauritian Citizenship Act 1968. Please contact us for further information and advice.
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Panama |
There is no economic citizenship programme in Panama. Panamanian citizenship can be applied for only after 5 years of resdidence under an immigrant status. Immigrant status as an investor can be acquired by a US$ 40,000 investment in a government approved reforestation project. Panama also offers residence permits without immigrant-status (and which does not lead to citizenship) if you invest approx. US$ 165,000 in a non-revocable fixed-term deposit for 5 years with the National Bank of Panama. Under this category, residents acquire the right to obtain a limited Panamanian Passport good for traveling, but which does not confer Panamanian citizenship. Please click here for more information.
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Poland |
Poland joined the European Union in May 2004. Many of its former citizens have not returned to Poland since the end of the Second World War and their descendants have acquired the citizenship of the countries in which they were born. However, an individual has an entitlement to Polish citizenship if his or her ancestors were Polish and did not acquire another citizenship voluntarily. Please enquire for further information and advice.
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Serbia |
The Republic of Serbia has provision in its Citizenship Law for the acquisition of citizenship based on proof of Serb origin, through documentary evidence of ancestry or ethnicity, without any prior residence requirement. This provision extends to the diaspora of ethnic Serbs overseas. Although Serbia is not a member of the EU, its citizens benefit from visa-free travel to several European countries including Greece. Please enquire for further information and advice.
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St. Kitts and Nevis |
The Citizenship-by-Investment program of St. Christopher (St. Kitts) and Nevis was established in 1984. It is the oldest and perhaps also the finest of such programs in existence. Benefits include a Commonwealth passport which allows visa-free travel to over 60 countries. To qualify for citizenship, the Government requires either an investment in designated real estate with a value of at least US$ 350,000, or a contribution to the Sugar Industry Diversification Foundation (a public charity) in the amount of US$ 200,000 (for a single applicant, however inclusive of all Government fees). The SIDF option is clearly the best Citizenship-by-Investment program available today. Please click here for more information.
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Slovakia |
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Spain |
In certain cases it is possible to acquire Spanish citizenship after only 2 years of legal residence, namely if you are a citizen of a former colony of Spain (this includes most Latin American countries and the Philippines) or if you are a Sephardic Jew. The normal period of time required before one may apply for citizenship is 10 years. Please enquire for further information and advice.
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United Kingdom |
Residence in the United Kingdom can often be established quite easily, for example if you have a British ancestor and if you are also a Commonwealth citizen, if you are willing to start a business or if you invest GBP 750,000 in the UK. After only 5 years of legal residence it is possible to apply for British citizenship. Please enquire for further information and advice.
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United States of America |
After 5 years of permanent residence it is possible to acquire US citizenship and to obtain a passport which gives not only the protection but also the taxation of the most powerful country in the world. The US Virgin Islands, a US territory in the Caribbean, may be attractive for wealthy individuals and families interested in US naturalization, or current U.S. citizens willing to relocate to a warmer climate while legally reduce their tax liability under the protection of the American flag. Please enquire for further information and advice.
Contact Henley & Partners
Every day, individual clients as well as other law and consulting firms worldwide rely on us for professional advice on citizenship law of selected countries, comparative citizenship law, the acquisition of alternative citizenship, and more. Let the combined expertise and global reach of our consultants and associates work for you. For further information or to arrange a private consultation contact us today.