3 solid second passport options for American citizens

Second passports were once the domain of billionaires, secret agents and conventions. Nowadays they are a valuable possession in someone’s wealth toolkit in always uncertain times.

A second citizenship not only means that you have a backup plan if the situation in your home country no longer suits you, it also opens a world of opportunities for travel, companies, education and investments outside the borders.

There are many routes to several citizenships, including through origin and investments, but let’s look today at one that is open to almost everyone: naturalization.

That is the path that my husband and I took to get our Irish citizenship. We lived in Ireland long enough to be eligible for naturalization. Our son became a citizen of Ireland, simply by being born there. At that time, Ireland still had Soli -Sap or “soil rights” but this was removed from the Irish constitution in 2005.

Ireland figures from the countries that today offer the best, fastest second citizenship options for North Americans. Let’s take a closer look and two other destinations where making your house there can lead to a second passport …

Ireland

Ireland has long been a popular destination for American travelers. Like everywhere, it has its advantages and disadvantages. For many, the climate is the biggest disadvantage. Although Ireland does not get many extremes, it rains a lot. In general, the winters are cool (39 ° F to 45 ° F) and the summers are mild (57 ° F to 63 ° F).

Moreover, the costs of living is high, real estate well -expensive and infrastructure reasonable but variable, depending on where you are in the country.

At the top the Irish countryside is beautiful, the Irish speak English, the crime percentage is low and many health care are free for residents they need.

To obtain Irish citizenship, you must first secure a residence permit. Subsequently, you need a period of a year of continuous “calculation” stay in Ireland immediately before the date of your application for naturalization and during the eight years before a total “calculated” residence in Ireland of four years.

Reckonable Residence means a stay in Ireland that is counting to be eligible to request naturalization. You can Use the online residential calculator on the website of Immigration Service Delivery To check whether you meet the circumstances of the naturalization.

All in all, you must have ‘calculated’ home from the previous nine years before submitting your application.

To become an Irish citizen through naturalization, you must meet the conditions set out in the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956.

The basic requirements are that you are 18 years or older, meet the residence requirements and are ‘good character’. This is essentially equal to a background control of the police (Garda Síochána in Ireland).

Most applications for naturalization in Ireland are processed within 19 months and there is no formal citizenship test, language test or interview requirements.

The Irish passport is one of the strongest in the world in terms of travel freedom, global reputation and benefits. Irish citizens can travel to 187 countries visa-free or with visa-on-Arrival.

As an EU citizen, holders have the right to live, work and study in every EU/EEA country (and Switzerland).

It also provides access to EU health care and social services, consular support of every EU ambassade and streamlined journeys within the common travel area (CTA) between Ireland and the UK, which makes free movement and residence rights in both countries possible.

Uruguay

The second smallest country in South America, Uruguay has a spectacular coastline with some of the most luxurious beach resorts on the continent. Despite the abundance of natural attractions of Uruguay, it remains largely undiscovered Through North American expats.

The capital of Montevideo – the southernmost capital in the western hemisphere – is the home of almost half of the 3.5 million inhabitants of Uruguay. About the size of Missouri, Uruguay occupies roughly the same latitude in the southern hemisphere as the state of Georgia in the north.

Once you have set up a foreign residence residence, Uruguay is one of the easiest places in the world to obtain citizenship and a second passport. The Uruguayan government is a stable democracy and the country enjoys a solid banking system, which yielded the nickname ‘The Switzerland of South America’.

The Uruguayan people are mainly of Spanish and North -Italian descent, in which Italians have the most important cultural influence. Although it is a former Spanish colony, the current Uruguay has a culture without significant Spanish influence, apart from the language.

The colonial heritage of Uruguay and strong economy give it a European feeling. This, combined with its pleasant climate, high standard of living and beautiful natural characteristics, makes it an excellent pension and investment place for North American expats.

Uruguay has a explained policy to welcome strangers to live in the country. The staying process is clean and clear, but it takes some time to be completed to 18 months.

After you have been residents for five years and spent at least six months in Uruguay per year, you can start your naturalization process. This period will be reduced to three years if you have minor children who are legal residents or if you are married to a Uruguayan or a legal resident. The start date is the day you request a residence.

You must have a basic knowledge of Spanish, because citizenship applicants are tested in Spanish -language skill.

It takes between six and 18 months to get citizenship from the moment of your application. The decision is made by the Uruguay electoral dishes.

The Uruguay passport has visa -free access to 92 countries, visa on arrival in 48 countries and electronic travel authorization (ETA) in 4. A visa is required in 54 countries. Uruguay’s passport has a world reach of 72%.

With a high mobility score, the Uruguayan passport is a great travel document. You have visa-free access to the whole of South America and Mercosur, as well as the Schengen zone.

The Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic (DR) is the largest democratically run country in the Caribbean, it is easily accessible with daily flights to and from the United States and Canada, and it is one of the very best options for an affordable life in the Caribbean.

The DR probably has the easiest residence permit to retain without time in the country. Once you have a permanent place of residence, the only requirement you have is to extend your residence card every four years.

The Dominican Republic offers ordinary and fast-track residence options. The Fast Track includes residence through investment and a program for pensioners who can prove $ 1500 per month in pension income.

If you follow the route for investment results, you can start the application process for naturalization after just six months instead of waiting for the standard full two years of permanent stay.

Once the Director of Immigration Accepts your application for citizenship, the government process to approve your request can take one and a half to two years.

An interview is required before naturalization is granted, so you must have a decent level of Spanish. During the interview, the officials will ask you why you want to become a Dominican citizen. You will also be asked to show knowledge of the traditions, culture, geography and history of the country.

The passport of Dominican Republic has visa -free access to 28 countries, visa on arrival in 48 countries and electronic travel authorization (ETA) in three. Visa are required in 119 countries. The Dr. Passport has a world reach of 40%.

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