Which Countries Sell Citizenship?

Dual citizenship (source)

Citizenship is one of only a handful few rights that apparently everybody gets only for being conceived. In spite of the fact that there are different streets to turning into a subject, similar to marriage or livelihood, those are frequently laborious and regularly unsuccessful.But in a handful of countries, getting citizenship is actually quite simple - it’s as easy as writing a check. So, we wanted to know, where can you buy citizenship?

Well, as of 2016, nine countries are effectively selling citizenship. Most are small islands in the Caribbean and the Mediterranean, and all are relatively cash-strapped. Allowing foreigners to buy citizenship has the obvious effect of raising the country’s GDP, but it can also culminate in long-term economic prosperity through investments in housing and infrastructure. Because of that, numerous nations have made it simple and even moderate for individuals to purchase their way in.

The least expensive choice is the Caribbean island of Dominica, where citizenship can be purchased for just 100 thousand dollars or a real estate investment of at least 200 thousand dollars. This program has existed for more than 20 years, however it became particularly important to Dominica in 2015 after a tropical storm wiped out roughly 90 percent of the country’s GDP.

Today, citizenship sales are one of the country’s primary sources of revenue. However the program is said to be mismanaged, and public officials have been accused of pocketing much of the profits. A similar program exists nearby in St. Kitts and Nevis— two tiny Caribbean islands that form one nation. Like Dominica, St. Kitts’ relied on citizenship sales after a series of hurricanes decimated their economy in the late 1990’s.

Today, citizenship can be procured for a $250,000 flat rate or a $400,000 real estate investment. The deal also includes visa-free travel to the roughly 130 countries that accept a St. Kitts passport. At one point, St. Kitts was selling an estimated two thousand passports a year, and as a result, the country was seeing rapid development.

However, sales had plummeted since 2014, when Canada and the US issued warnings about the program. For example, businesspeople have reportedly used visa-free travel through those passports to avoid international sanctions or flee a country where they were wanted for a crime. This concept is not unique to far-flung island nations. In fact, a dozen other nations, including the US, offer permanent residency, or “golden visas”, to foreigners who invest in property, businesses or public assets. However, the price tag is usually much higher. The United Kingdom, for example, requires minimum investment of nearly $3 million dollars.

Golden Visa programs are extremely popular among wealthy Chinese nationals seeking to invest in the offshore real estate. So, what makes double citizenship so appealing? All things considered, for individuals from nations that face travel confinements, an alternative passport opens up an entirely new world of visa-free travel. For wealthy Americans, citizenship in St. Kitts or Dominica can mean immense investment funds, as neither one of the country's charges remote wage or capital increases.

So in spite of the high cost of citizenship, it might be all the more monetarily gainful that it appears.But having citizenship is not infallible, nearly every country has strict rules about when they can strip you of your citizenship.

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