Post: #1

The London-based Financial Times launched the first annual comprehensive review, and ranking, of the world's available citizenship by investment programs. These programs are not cheap (they start at about $45,000 for a Comoros citizenship), but they provide a second citizenship as a hedge against the stupidity of your own government (by allowing you to live in another country) and as an alternative means of international travel if your main passport is ever lost or confiscated. They also provide you with a means of renouncing your current citizenship, if living in your own country becomes untenable.

This web site grants access to a comprehensive 39-page PDF report of all of the world's existing citizenship by investment programs. Alternatively, you can also search the web site for a list of the countries, each nation's rank in seven suitability categories, and the methodology used to generate the report.

Quote:Citizenship by investment (CBI) is a process whereby a country grants an applicant citizenship in exchange for an investment in that country’s economy. Valid investments vary from country to country, although most countries give applicants the choice between contributing to a government-run national development fund or a real estate purchase.

CBI is different from residence by investment. When an applicant chooses a residence by investment programme, that applicant gains the right to ‘reside’ in that country. The applicant generally has to do so for a specified amount of time, for example, for six months out of each year, or risk losing his or her residence. Residence does not necessarily lead to citizenship, and the application for citizenship is a separate process. ‘Residents’ generally have to wait between three and six years before they can apply for citizenship.

By contrast, CBI is a direct route to citizenship that exempts applicants from living in a country for a long period of time. A successful CBI applicant receives citizenship for life, which cannot be lost by virtue of where the applicant chooses to live.

Here are a few pertinent charts found in the report:

   


   


Here is the link to review the web site or to request the report:

http://cbiindex.com/

Post: #2

if I'm not mistaken, citizenship via investment requires investing a huge chunk of money into real estate or something of the sort.. I know for some countries it's north of 1 million USD..

Malta has a residency program which can grant you citizenship after 5 years, I know that for sure

Post: #3

(07-05-2017 06:29 PM)bumborass Wrote:  if I'm not mistaken, citizenship via investment requires investing a huge chunk of money into real estate or something of the sort.. I know for some countries it's north of 1 million USD..

Malta has a residency program which can grant you citizenship after 5 years, I know that for sure

You are mistaken. You must not have read my post. Citizenship by investment starts at about $45,000 for a Comoros citizenship, which provides a second-rate passport. The prices go up from there. Of course, it also depends upon your definition of what constitutes "investing a huge chunk of money."

Dominican citizenship (the top ranked citizenship by investment program, according to this survey) costs about $125,000, inclusive of all legal fees and due diligence costs. I posted this information exactly because this new web site provides a central database for answering the type of questions that you pose. It provide a wealth of information for critical thinkers who truly see a second citizenship as an investment in their future and who wish to hedge their bets in an increasingly uncertain -- and totalitarian-leaning -- world.

If you are interested, here is another article that lists approximate costs for many citizenship by investment programs:

http://premieroffshore.com/10-best-secon...-programs/

Post: #4

(07-05-2017 11:08 PM)Tail Gunner Wrote:  

(07-05-2017 06:29 PM)bumborass Wrote:  if I'm not mistaken, citizenship via investment requires investing a huge chunk of money into real estate or something of the sort.. I know for some countries it's north of 1 million USD..

Malta has a residency program which can grant you citizenship after 5 years, I know that for sure

You are mistaken. You must not have read my post. Citizenship by investment starts at about $45,000 for a Comoros citizenship, which provides a second-rate passport. The prices go up from there. Of course, it also depends upon your definition of what constitutes "investing a huge chunk of money."

Dominican citizenship (the top ranked citizenship by investment program, according to this survey) costs about $125,000, inclusive of all legal fees and due diligence costs. I posted this information exactly because this new web site provides a central database for answering the type of questions that you pose. It provide a wealth of information for critical thinkers who truly see a second citizenship as an investment in their future and who wish to hedge their bets in an increasingly uncertain -- and totalitarian-leaning -- world.

If you are interested, here is another article that lists approximate costs for many citizenship by investment programs:

http://premieroffshore.com/10-best-secon...-programs/

I stand corrected. Props, reading through that link now

Post: #5

Good info,but citizenship by investment isn't the only option.

If you've got the time, going through the immigration process and becoming a naturalized citizen is an option in many countries. And of course you get to live in the country even before you're a citizen.

If you've got the right ancestry,you may have automatic citizenship,or at least expedited citizenship.

Post: #6

(07-07-2017 11:51 AM)mammal Wrote:  Good info,but citizenship by investment isn't the only option.

If you've got the time, going through the immigration process and becoming a naturalized citizen is an option in many countries. And of course you get to live in the country even before you're a citizen.

If you've got the right ancestry,you may have automatic citizenship,or at least expedited citizenship.

You are correct, it is not the only option -- but it is the subject of this thread. The fact is that most people do not have access to citizenship by descent or have the ability to live in a foreign country until they become a naturalized citizen, which is why I created this thread. A citizenship by investment program is a worthwhile investment for farsighted critical thinkers with the investment capital to spend on such an enterprise. This information is gold, because it is all located in a central location. I have never seen such a resource posted anywhere else. Best regards.

Post: #7

There is a huge temporary development for anyone with the funds and farsightedness to obtain a citizenship by investment second passport. St. Kitts and Nevis has added a temporary Hurricane Relief Fund option for citizenship, which requires a donation of only $150,000 -- for a family of up to four.

http://stkitts-citizenship.com/

This means that you save $100,000 off the normal citizenship by investment program and something like $200,000 for a family of four (because the normal citizenship by investment program costs $250,000, plus -- I believe -- a $25,000 fee per additional family member). Additional fees will apply for due diligence and processing.

This is a limited time six-month offer, stemming from the need for emergency government funds to deal with the recent hurricane damage. This temporary program will close on March 30, 2018. If interested, there are various offshore service providers that will steer you through the process, but I recommend the Mark Nestmann Group. They are very well-established and have an excellent reputation. I am not affiliated with them in any way. I have just been around the block and I am familiar with their reputation.

Post: #8

Vanuatu has just become the first nation to accept Bitcoin as payment for its $200,000 citizenship by investment program.

http://www.livebitcoinnews.com/vanuatu-n...p-program/

https://news.bitcoin.com/vanuatu-becomes...p-payment/

Post: #9

What are my options in Perú? I know it's a six-month visa there. Then I would have to leave for six months.

Post: #10

Another option you can consider is citizenship through a parent or grandparent. If one or more of your relatives hail from another country originally, you can get citizenship thru them without the investment. For instance, one of my parents is from Portugal originally. Even though I was born a US Citizen, just like my other parent, the other parent originally from Portugal was able to qualify me getting my Portuguese citizenship for only about $150 and a couple trips to the embassy.

Post: #11

(10-13-2017 01:31 AM)John Michael Kane Wrote:  Another option you can consider is citizenship through a parent or grandparent. If one or more of your relatives hail from another country originally, you can get citizenship thru them without the investment. For instance, one of my parents is from Portugal originally. Even though I was born a US Citizen, just like my other parent, the other parent originally from Portugal was able to qualify me getting my Portuguese citizenship for only about $150 and a couple trips to the embassy.

Golden advice, and especially true for people of Italian origins, even distant origins. For example, it is well-known that in Argentina, many people obtain Italian citizenship even though they are just grand-sons or even I think great-grandsons of Italian settlers. Italy being very generous with its citizenship, through bloodline only mind you (no Jus Solis).

Post: #12

(10-13-2017 01:12 AM)puckerman Wrote:  What are my options in Perú? I know it's a six-month visa there. Then I would have to leave for six months.

This is a thread about citizenship by investment programs, not citizenship by naturalization -- or temporary visas. Having said that, the President of Peru must personally sign and approve all naturalization applications. The previous President of Peru had an unofficial, unstated policy of never signing naturalization applications. I only know this fact because I have an acquaintance in Peru who follows this immigration law closely. A new President was sworn in a few months ago, so this policy may change. Then again, it may not.

This proves that you need boots-on-the-ground knowledge (either by obtaining it yourself or from someone else) when making such decisions. If necessary, spend the money to hire a well-connected lawyer. You could spend years living in a county -- and follow all its immigration laws to the letter -- only to discover that the President, the members of the Supreme Court, or even some minor government lackey, will never approve your naturalization application.

Post: #13

How about Paraguay?

I am an Ethiopian citizen and got a Paraguayan residence permit for around 6k. Should be getting the passport next year. Total cost including legal fees and flights to and back from Asuncion was less than $9,000.

Post: #14

(10-13-2017 09:43 AM)Not a Second Hander Wrote:  How about Paraguay?

I am an Ethiopian citizen and got a Paraguayan residence permit for around 6k. Should be getting the passport next year. Total cost including legal fees and flights to and back from Asuncion was less than $9,000.

Again, this is a thread about citizenship by investment programs, not citizenship by naturalization. Having said that, and I take no joy in telling you this fact, but you overpaid for your permanent residency by a factor of 100% to 200%. In fact, unless they have changed things dramatically in the last few years, if you speak Spanish and do the necessary research, you can obtain permanent residency yourself in Paraguay for just a few hundred dollars. There are offshore service providers who charge FAR more than what you would pay if you simply hired a local immigration lawyer directly. Of course, I understand that you might have limited options as a citizen of Ethiopia.

Be very careful with trying to obtain Paraguayan citizenship. First, I know for a fact (having spoken to an immigration lawyer in Paraguay) that Paraguay seldom issues citizenship to immigrants from Asia or the Middle-East. While he did not specifically mention Africa, I assume that it would be the same. Second, there has been at least one scandal in Paraguay involving fraudulent passport sales. Be absolutely sure that you receive a certificate of nationalization, as well as a passport. A passport, by itself, means nothing without a certificate of nationalization as your proof of citizenship -- because without that document you will never be able to renew your gray-market passport.

You can read about some of these issues here, but the more in-depth articles about fraudulent passports are written in Spanish.

http://nomadcapitalist.com/2017/01/30/pa...ency-2017/

If you want, send me a personal message. I might be familiar with the offshore service provider or the lawyer with whom you are working.

Post: #15

(10-13-2017 06:27 AM)Going strong Wrote:  

(10-13-2017 01:31 AM)John Michael Kane Wrote:  Another option you can consider is citizenship through a parent or grandparent. If one or more of your relatives hail from another country originally, you can get citizenship thru them without the investment. For instance, one of my parents is from Portugal originally. Even though I was born a US Citizen, just like my other parent, the other parent originally from Portugal was able to qualify me getting my Portuguese citizenship for only about $150 and a couple trips to the embassy.

Golden advice, and especially true for people of Italian origins, even distant origins. For example, it is well-known that in Argentina, many people obtain Italian citizenship even though they are just grand-sons or even I think great-grandsons of Italian settlers. Italy being very generous with its citizenship, through bloodline only mind you (no Jus Solis).

I did a genetic test and it came back as about 2% Italian. I don't have a direct proof of lineage back to Italy. I wonder if they would take the DNA results as proof?

Post: #16

(10-13-2017 01:54 PM)John Michael Kane Wrote:  

(10-13-2017 06:27 AM)Going strong Wrote:  

(10-13-2017 01:31 AM)John Michael Kane Wrote:  Another option you can consider is citizenship through a parent or grandparent. If one or more of your relatives hail from another country originally, you can get citizenship thru them without the investment. For instance, one of my parents is from Portugal originally. Even though I was born a US Citizen, just like my other parent, the other parent originally from Portugal was able to qualify me getting my Portuguese citizenship for only about $150 and a couple trips to the embassy.

Golden advice, and especially true for people of Italian origins, even distant origins. For example, it is well-known that in Argentina, many people obtain Italian citizenship even though they are just grand-sons or even I think great-grandsons of Italian settlers. Italy being very generous with its citizenship, through bloodline only mind you (no Jus Solis).

I did a genetic test and it came back as about 2% Italian. I don't have a direct proof of lineage back to Italy. I wonder if they would take the DNA results as proof?

No, it does not work like that. Every program with which I am familiar requires official government documents linking yourself to ancestors who possessed citizenship. The one possible exception, for certain cases, is for the recently implemented program for Sephardic Jews in Spain:

Quote:Non-Jewish individuals need to provide a genealogical connection to a Spanish Jewish ancestor, while Jewish individuals only need to prove Sephardic heritage.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017.../97166030/

Post: #17

Tail Gunner care to address the topic of how many citizenships/passports one can actually have in various countries? Many countries impose a limit to the number of citizenships a person can have (or can apply for, etc) before having to renounce their citizenship. Many people already have 2 to begin with (e.g. born in a country with migrant parents from another country) and hence these rules can pose a problem.

Post: #18

(10-14-2017 01:08 AM)Australia Sucks Wrote:  Tail Gunner care to address the topic of how many citizenships/passports one can actually have in various countries? Many countries impose a limit to the number of citizenships a person can have (or can apply for, etc) before having to renounce their citizenship. Many people already have 2 to begin with (e.g. born in a country with migrant parents from another country) and hence these rules can pose a problem.

I believe that you correctly stated the potential problem. My only possible issue with what you stated is the use of the word "many" in both those contexts. I am not sure that "many" of those countries that allow dual citizenship impose a limit to the total number of citizenships that a citizen may hold.

Moreover, as a percentage of the global population, I doubt that "many" people already hold two citizenships. I do know that a number of countries do not allow dual citizenship, yet they have citizens who hold a second citizenship without their knowledge. I imagine that the same lack of enforcement occurs in those countries that place a limit on the total number of citizenships that a person may hold. Of course, this lack of enforcement may change as global government databases become more interconnected.

Post: #19

Thank Tail Gunner, great info.

Post: #20

Rumor has it that Montenegro, Georgia, and Kazakhstan are working to create citizen by investment programs -- and that several other countries in the Balkans are also considering such programs. A recent CNN article mentions these facts and provides a good overview of citizen by investment programs and how they work.

http://www.cnn.com/travel/article/multip...index.html

Post: #21

(10-14-2017 10:26 AM)Tail Gunner Wrote:  I do know that a number of countries do not allow dual citizenship, yet they have citizens who hold a second citizenship without their knowledge. I imagine that the same lack of enforcement occurs in those countries that place a limit on the total number of citizenships that a person may hold. Of course, this lack of enforcement may change as global government databases become more interconnected.

True on all points, above: in most cases (unless you are under special watch), if a country Y grants you its citizenship, your native country X will not automatically be made aware of this fact. I mean, you might want to disclose the fact that you just got a new citizenship to your native country' Consulate, or you might prefer not to reveal anything...

Post: #22

I have dual citizenship. luckily it was quite easy, my mother was born in mexico. a few trips to consulates and embassies. bing bang boom. however, i do read Simon Black's investment and residency advice in his newletters https://www.sovereignman.com/. Be sure to check that out. He mentions lots of other loopholes, quick access, and lawyers with specific knowledge of such things.

Post: #23

A good article on citizenship by investment in the CARICOM nations:

https://wp.caribbeannewsnow.com/2017/10/...ce-bottom/

Post: #24

(10-17-2017 06:44 PM)Tail Gunner Wrote:  Rumor has it that Montenegro, Georgia, and Kazakhstan are working to create citizen by investment programs -- and that several other countries in the Balkans are also considering such programs. A recent CNN article mentions these facts and provides a good overview of citizen by investment programs and how they work.

http://www.cnn.com/travel/article/multip...index.html

Moldova has since this summer a citizenship by investment program, with a contribution to a Public Investment Fund of 100,000 €, government bonds of 250,000€ (locked for 5 years), or property investment of 250,000 € (a 120 square meters baller penthouse in a last generation building with a prime location in Centru). The negative is that you have to maintain your investment for five years before getting a passport.

A moldovan passport allows you to travel to Russia and Belarus without visa.

For wealthy FSU addicts.

http://citizenshipbyinvestment.ch/index....t-program/

Post: #25

(12-23-2017 12:05 PM)Count Pierre Wrote:  Moldova has since this summer a citizenship by investment program, with a contribution to a Public Investment Fund of 100,000 €, government bonds of 250,000€ (locked for 5 years), or property investment of 250,000 € (a 120 square meters baller penthouse in a last generation building with a prime location in Centru). The negative is that you have to maintain your investment for five years before getting a passport.

A moldovan passport allows you to travel to Russia and Belarus without visa.

For wealthy FSU addicts.

http://citizenshipbyinvestment.ch/index....t-program/

Thanks for the post. If an applicant is able to make multiple real estate investments in Moldova, which the article seems to imply (i.e., "one or more real estate"), then this citizenship by investment program is worth an in-depth examination.

Quote: Real estate: EUR 250,000 (property investment) kept for 5 years (one or more real estate)

qualify for citizenship by investment in Moldova and investments have to maintained for 60 months.

One of the problems with many citizenship by investment programs, especially in the Caribbean, is that they force you to buy a single piece of real estate to meet the minimum investment amount. Such properties often vastly exceed the local market value and are built just to meet the needs of the citizenship by investment program. You will never recoup your money on such an "investment" unless you can re-sell it to another applicant (sucker).

So, a citizenship by investment program that allows you to buy multiple properties to meet the minimum investment threshold of the citizenship by investment program -- and therefore allows you to obtain a real market return on your investment capital -- is definitely worth a look. By holding such an investment for at least five years you are trading the commitment of your investment capital in exchange for the time that it would otherwise take to actually live in a country to obtain naturalization. So, if the investment makes financial sense then you truly receive a bargain. In other words, obtaining citizenship is simply a bonus. Too bad Moldova is landlocked and does not have access to the Black Sea.