The 6 Ways to Qualify for a New Citizenship in 2 Years or Fewer

James Nuveen
Medellín

So, you want another citizenship fast.

For most individuals, the benefits of another citizenship far outweigh the costs. I won’t bore you with another list of all the lifestyle merits, security perks, and financial privileges of another passport.

Instead, I want to share practical tactics and how-tos for obtaining your next citizenship so you can find more freedom quickly.

Without further ado, here are five simple (not always easy) ways to qualify for another citizenship in two or fewer years.

1. Residency and Naturalization

Consider the graph below. Five countries, three of which are located in Latin America, offer residency programs that lead to citizenship after a just two years of residency.

By spending just 24 months in Peru, Argentina, or the Dominican Republic, you can qualify for citizenship. Of course, beware that qualifying for citizenship and obtaining citizenship are not the same. Even though you qualify from a specific date, processing your naturalization application can take months.

The above countries offer income-based independent means visas, which means you only need to prove your solvency in the form of recurring or retirement income to obtain permanent residency status. Then, after two years of continuous residency in the country, you qualify for citizenship.

Technically, you can also naturalize in Liberia and Singapore after just two years, but only subject to crucial limitations: In Liberia, you must be black African to get citizenship, while in Singapore, the clock for naturalization starts only once you get permanent residency, which only particularly qualified people can get from day one.

However, as is common in immigration law, what is written into law often differs from practice. So, while Peruvian and Dominican laws state residents can apply for naturalization after two years of continuous residency, on-the-ground experience can differ.

On the other hand, Argentina seems to be the outlier. Some cases of naturalization applications after just six months of residency have been approved, as evidenced by our conversation with Dutch national and Argentine resident BowTiedMara.

Argentina's naturalization process is far more predictable than the other two Latin countries on our list.

See the graph below for how long it takes residents to qualify for citizenship in each given country.

Bonus: Expedited Naturalization by Preferred Nationality

Many countries offer shortened residence periods for naturalization to citizens of countries with which they maintain close cultural or historical ties.

For example, individuals from former Spanish colonies can apply for citizenship in Spain after just two years of residency, and many countries in Latin America provide expedited naturalization for nationals from Spanish-speaking countries (often only for natural-born citizens).

Descendants of Sephardic Jews can apply for expedited citizenship in Portugal, and people who are of Jewish origin can get Israeli citizenship thanks to the Law of Return.

See the map below to learn more about preferred nationality naturalization.

2. Citizenship by Marriage

Several jurisdictions worldwide offer an expedited citizenship path to spouses of citizens. In the following countries, the spouse of a citizen can qualify for citizenship within just two or fewer years of residency:

• Europe
  • Albania: 1 year
  • Armenia: 1 year
  • Cyprus: 2 years
  • Georgia: 2 years
  • Italy: 2 years
  • Kosovo: 1 year
  • Malta: 0 years
  • Spain: 1 year
  • Ukraine: 2 years
• Americas
  • Argentina: 0 years
  • Bahamas: 0 years
  • Barbados: 0 years
  • Belize: 1 year
  • Bolivia: 2 years
  • Brazil: 1 year
  • Colombia: 2 years
  • Costa Rica: 2 years
  • Cuba: 2 years
  • Dominican Republicᶠᵍ: 0 years
  • El Salvador: 2 years
  • Guyana: 0 years
  • Honduras: 0 years
  • Jamaica: 0 years
  • Mexico: 2 years
  • Nicaragua: 2 years
  • Peru: 2 years
  • St. Kitts & Nevis: 0 years
  • St. Lucia: 0 years
  • St. Vincent & the Grenadines: 0 years
  • Trinidad & Tobago: 0 years
• Asia and Oceania
  • Bahrainᶠᵍ: 0 years
  • Cambodia: 0 years
  • East Timor: 2 years
  • Israel: 0 years
  • Jordanᶠᵍ: 0 years
  • Kiribatiᶠᵍ: 0 years
  • Kyrgyzstan: 0 years
  • Lebanon: 0 years
  • Malaysiaᶠᵍ: 2 years
  • Nepal: 0 years
  • Papua New Guinea: 1 year
  • Saudi Arabiaᶠᵍ: 0 years
  • Singapore³: 2 years
  • Solomon Islands: 0 years
  • South Korea: 1 year
  • South Korea: 1 year
  • Sri Lanka: 0 years
  • Syriaᶠᵍ: 0 years
  • Tonga: 0 years
  • Tuvalu: 0 years
  • United Arab Emiratesᶠᵍ: 0 years
  • Vanuatu: 2 years
  • Yemenᶠᵍ: 2 years
• Africa
  • Angola: 0 years
  • Beninᶠᵍ: 0 years
  • Burundiᶠᵍ: 0 years
  • Cabo Verde: 0 years
  • Cameroonᶠᵍ: 0 years
  • Central African Republicᶠᵍ: 0 years
  • Chad: 0 years
  • Comorosᶠᵍ: 0 years
  • Congo (Kinshasa): 0 years
  • Djibouti: 0 years
  • Egyptᶠᵍ: 0 years
  • Eswatiniᶠᵍ: 0 years
  • Gabon: 0 years
  • Ghana: 0 years
  • Guineaᶠᵍ: 0 years
  • Ivory Coast: 0 years
  • Kenya: 0 years
  • Libyaᶠᵍ: 0 years
  • Madagascarᶠᵍ: 0 years
  • Mali: 0 years
  • Mozambique: 0 years
  • Nigeriaᶠᵍ: 0 years
  • Rwanda: 0 years
  • São Tomé & Príncipe: 0 years
  • Senegal: 0 years
  • Sierra Leoneᶠᵍ ⁴: ' years
  • Somaliaᶠᵍ: 0 years
  • Tanzaniaᶠᵍ: 0 years
  • Togoᶠᵍ: 0 years
  • Uganda: 0 years
  • Zambia: 0 years
  • Ethiopia: 1 year
  • Guinea-Bissau: 1 year
  • Algeria: 2 years
  • Burkina Faso: 2 years
  • Liberia⁴: 2 years
  • Sudanᶠᵍ: 2 years
  • Tunisiaᶠᵍ: 2 years

ᶠᵍ Favored Gender: For purposes of citizenship by marriage, many countries prefer one gender (usually women) over the other. Some countries offer shortened naturalization periods for wives but not husbands of their citizens, while others may offer immediate citizenship (by declaration or registration) to wives and no path to citizenship at all for husbands. In cases of differences, we have listed the terms for whichever gender is favorably treated.

³Years of residency for naturalization start counting only after permanent residency (PR) is obtained. The time needed to qualify for PR varies considerably depending on the immigration category and can range from immediate to decades.

⁴Citizenship offered only to individuals of a particular ethnic background.

Some caveats and interesting facts: After marrying an Italian citizen, you can apply for citizenship after two years of residency in Italy or three years abroad. No, you don’t need to reside in the country.

Spouses of Brazilian citizens qualify for citizenship after just one year of residency.

Finally, and most interestingly, the Dominican Republic allows the wives of male citizens to naturalize faster than the husbands of female nationals.

3. Citizenship by Descent

The “lowest hanging fruit” in the investment migration industry, citizenship by descent is a fast-track route to nationality in a country where your ancestors hold or held citizenship. These countries offer citizenship to individuals who can prove descent from their citizens.

A common first question is, “How far back in my lineage can I go?”

Well, it depends. Some countries only grant citizenship by descent to first-generation immigrants. Others allow individuals to prove their descent from great-grandparents (or even more distant ancestors) and qualify for citizenship.

Below is a complete list of countries with that offer citizenship by descent beyond the first generation:

• 2nd generation
  • Antigua & Barbuda
  • Belize
  • Cabo Verde
  • Chile
  • Czechia
  • Equatorial Guinea
  • Ghana
  • Greece
  • Ireland
  • Jamaica
  • Kyrgyzstan
  • Mexico
  • Nigeria
  • Portugal
  • Romania
  • Saint Kitts & Nevis
  • Samoa
  • Slovenia
  • Spain
  • Uganda
  • Ukraine
  • Uruguay
  • Zimbabwe
• Third-generation or more
  • Albania
  • Armenia
  • Brunei
  • Bulgaria
  • Croatia
  • Ecuador
  • Eritrea
  • Germany
  • Hungary
  • Israel
  • Italy
  • Kiribatiᶠᵍ
  • Latvia
  • Liberia⁴
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg
  • Malta
  • Marshall Islands
  • Monaco
  • Nepal
  • Poland
  • Rwanda
  • Sierra Leone
  • Slovakia
  • Solomon Islands
  • South Sudan
  • Sri Lanka
  • Sudan
  • Uzbekistan
  • Zambia

To qualify for citizenship in the country of your ancestors, the required documentation varies. Check out this guide for more details on all European citizenship by descent programs. Most require some variation of birth, marriage, baptism, naturalization, ship registries, citizenship, military service, or other official documents.

Browse the map below to see which programs may be relevant for you and your family.

4. Citizenship by Investment

For those who can afford it, purchasing citizenship is typically the fastest, easiest route on this list. The approval process varies by country but generally ranges from 3 to 12 months.

As the name suggests, citizenship by investment requires an investment or donation of between roughly US$100,000 and US$1 million.

The following countries offer citizenship by investment to foreign nationals:

• Africa
  • Egypt
• Middle East
  • Jordan
  • Turkey
• Europe
  • Malta (highest investment thresholds)
• Caribbean
  • Antigua & Barbuda
  • Dominica
  • Grenada
  • St. Kitts & Nevis
  • St. Lucia
• Asia & Oceania
  • Cambodia
  • Vanuatu (lowest investment thresholds)

However, a few more countries like Pakistan and Samoa offer niche citizenship by investment programs in which an individual would be interested only under rare circumstances.

5. Birth Tourism

If your child is born in a jurisdiction that practices jus soli (i.e. birthright citizenship), your child automatically gains citizenship of that country at birth. Many are familiar with this sometimes-controversial law.

However, most don’t know that if your children are born in certain countries that practice jus soli, you and your spouse may also qualify for citizenship or at least expedite your path to citizenship in that country.

The following jus soli countries also grant or expedite citizenship for the parents of their citizens, with required post-birth residency periods ranging from zero to 2 years:

• Argentina
• Bolivia
• Brazil
• Colombia
• Costa Rica
• Cuba
• Mexico
• Nicaragua

You may notice that the above list and the map below highlight only Western Hemisphere countries. That’s because almost all countries that practice birthright citizenship are in the Americas.

An interesting niche case: If your child is born in Brazil, home to one of the strongest passports in Latin America, you can apply for naturalization immediately without any required residence period.

6. Citizenship by Exception

Most countries have legislative provisions that allow the head of state, supreme court, or national assemblies to grant citizenship, usually without residency or language requirements, to individuals considered of particular merit or utility or in exchange for loosely defined exceptional contributions or services to the country.

This path to citizenship is typically applied only in rare circumstances, on a case-by-case basis, and not according to detailed criteria. Most commonly, this path is open to athletes, artists, industrialists, or individuals who have displayed conspicuous acts of heroism.

There are many ways to bake your citizenship cake

Why does all this matter? Obtaining another citizenship can open doors to new business opportunities, financial and banking benefits, enhanced tax optimization, political stability, more security, and greater travel access around the world.

And you may need those benefits sooner than you realize.

So, if you are wondering where to begin, start with your current citizenship. Evaluate your goals, limitations, and potential routes to another citizenship. Then, find the path and timeline that best suits your needs.