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Judi Galst is Managing Director, Private Clients at Henley & Partners USA Inc.
Top athletes and entertainment figures face a unique challenge: their careers demand global access, but their passports often restrict it. Formula One races span five continents. Tennis professionals compete in 30 countries annually. Film productions cross multiple borders. For these individuals, citizenship constraints directly impact earning potential and career longevity.
In response to this growing need, Henley & Partners has launched a dedicated and specialized Sports and Entertainment desk. The decision comes amid a significant surge in inquiries from high-profile talent across industries, from Olympic medalists and championship athletes to Hollywood directors, producers, and Grammy-winning performers. These highly talented individuals increasingly recognize that strategic residence and citizenship planning has become essential for sustaining tax-efficient globally mobile careers.
The numbers underscore this phenomenon. The English Premier League features 63% foreign-born players. Spain’s La Liga depends on 38% international talent. US Major League Baseball includes 28% athletes born outside America. These figures reflect careers built on cross-border access. Consider Max Verstappen (dual Dutch/Belgian citizenship and Monaco residence), Lewis Hamilton (dual British/Grenadian citizenship and Monaco residence), or Joel Embiid (Cameroonian/American/French citizenship). Their multi-national status offers much-needed flexibility in today’s sports landscape.
For every famous dual national, countless others without this status face career limitations owing to passport restrictions. In April 2025, Abdulrashid Sadulaev, a decorated two-time Olympic champion and six-time world champion, was denied a Schengen visa to compete in the European Freestyle Wrestling Championship in Bratislava, Slovakia.
Entertainment professionals aren’t immune either. Emmy-winning comedian Vir Das had to postpone his Dublin show in September 2024 after the Swedish embassy granted him a single-entry Schengen visa rather than the double-entry visa he had requested, preventing him from traveling between Sweden and Ireland for performances.
The film and entertainment industry, too, operates as an inherently international enterprise. UNESCO data reveals that 12% of all feature films produced globally between 2005 and 2015 were international co-productions, with cross-border collaborations generating 2.78 times more revenue than purely national projects. These statistics translate to careers built on constant border crossings. Award-winning productions such as Poor Things (2023), an Ireland–UK–US co-production that grossed USD 118 million globally, and Oppenheimer, a UK–US collaboration approaching USD 1 billion in box office returns, demonstrate the commercial potential when creative teams transcend cross-border limitations. Television series also benefit from international partnerships, as seen with Sweet Tooth, a US–New Zealand co-production that garnered 5.4 million Netflix views within just three days of release.
For directors, producers, actors, and crew members, European citizenship eliminates the visa gauntlet that frequently disrupts production schedules and budget planning. Eurimages, the Council of Europe’s support fund, has financed 2,519 international co-productions with EUR 716 million since its inception, emphasizing the structural importance of cross-border mobility in European cinema.
European citizenship also allows entertainment professionals to access regional funding mechanisms often restricted to EU citizens. Many European film subsidies require EU citizen participation, creating significant competitive disadvantages for non-EU creators. Additionally, citizenship provides protection for artists addressing politically sensitive topics should conditions in their home country deteriorate — an increasingly relevant consideration in today’s polarized media landscape.
Beyond investment- and merit-based pathways, Henley & Partners also offers comprehensive citizenship by descent services for entertainment and sports professionals who may qualify for European or UK citizenship through family heritage.
Many countries apply the principle of ius sanguinis (right of blood), allowing individuals to trace eligibility through parents, grandparents, or even more distant relatives. Some of the countries that offer this route include Austria, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, and the UK (through the UK Ancestry Visa).
For many performers with European roots, citizenship by descent provides an additional avenue to secure the same mobility benefits without the subjective evaluation process. It is also usually more affordable and accessible than other pathways. However, the application process can be complex and time-consuming. Each country sets its own eligibility criteria, often requiring documentation that verifies ancestry and, in some cases, language proficiency. Henley & Partners offers end-to-end assistance throughout this journey — from exploring your ancestry and preparing your case to ensuring you receive your new passport with minimal stress.
Merit-based citizenship applications demand expertise beyond standard investment migration protocols. These pathways involve subjective evaluation criteria, ministerial discretion, and nuanced cultural considerations.
Henley & Partners runs the sector’s only dedicated Sports and Entertainment desk and is the only firm specializing in these complex European citizenship by merit pathways. For athletes facing age-limited careers, timing is critical. Our specialized team coordinates with agents, managers, and governing bodies to time applications optimally within competitive schedules.
As countries compete for exceptional talent, merit-based citizenship programs offer mutual benefit: performers gain mobility essential to world-class careers while nations enhance international standing through association with excellence.
For athletes and entertainers navigating careers built on global access, proper citizenship and residence planning represents career insurance — maintaining ease of access to opportunity regardless of political changes, injury risks, or contract uncertainties.
Henley & Partners assists international clients in obtaining residence and citizenship under the respective programs. Contact us to arrange an initial private consultation.
