What does citizenship mean?

1. The state of being a member of a particular country and having rights because of it.
2. The state of living in a particular area or town and behaving in a way that other people who live there expect of you.

Your citizenship is the relationship between you and a specific nation state where the state grants you certain rights – such as the right to vote, work and own property.

In return, as a citizen, you accept the responsibility of upholding the laws and customs of that state.

Citizenship unites different people under a common identity.

Generally speaking, you’re a citizen of the nation in which you were born, and can change your citizenship via either naturalisation or potentially marriage.

Naturalisation can occur if you become a resident in a certain nation and reside there for a certain number of years.

However, since 1984, investment in a host country has been another way to acquire citizenship.

Invest in your freedom – invest in a second citizenship

Whilst people choose citizenship by investment programmes for many different personal reasons, investing in a second citizenship is ultimately investing in freedom.

So, whether you’re seeking greater personal safety, increased global mobility or greater freedom to invest internationally, if you have the means to invest in second citizenship, we can assist you.

Applications can be approved in as little as three months, resulting in citizenship for life, a valid passport and visa-free travel and more.

Her, in alphabetical order, are just a few of the many benefits a second citizenship can offer: –

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

New business opportunities open up to participants in citizenship by investment programs as they can now do business in the host country, as well as travel abroad more freely and conduct business internationally.

EDUCATION

Nelson Mandela said: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” And with a second citizenship, you can change your world and that of your children by accessing the best education programmes in the world. By becoming a global citizen, free to travel and live where you want, you can gain access to the best schools and universities in the world – and potentially benefit from lower domestic fees rather than international tuition fees.

FAMILY AND FUTURE

The majority of citizenship by investment programmes recognise the importance of family to applicants, and therefore extend to include all family members of the main applicant. By investing in a second citizenship therefore, you don’t just invest in your own future freedom, but that of your spouse, children and even parents potentially.

GLOBAL MOBILITY

Many nations around the world are becoming increasingly self-protective, making passports from other nations restrictive in terms of visa-free mobility. If you have to obtain visas whenever you need to travel it’s an expensive, time consuming, frustrating and stressful process. A second passport can alleviate this problem by offering increased global mobility. Did you know an Algerian passport allows visa-free entry into only 48 countries, a Kyrgyzstani passport into only 58 countries? A passport from Cyprus however, a nation which allows citizenship by investment, allows visa-free entry to 145 countries.

LIFESTYLE

If you’re free to travel and visit or reside almost anywhere in the world, you can have access to world-class health facilities, educational establishments and even select where you reside based on your preferred climate. With a second citizenship, you and your family will benefit from an improved lifestyle.

SAFETY

If you originally herald from a nation where political, economic or even climatic threats could undermine your personal or commercial security, having a second passport from a stable, peaceful, safe nation can be literally life-saving. Consider a second citizenship the ultimate insurance policy - priceless for you and your family.

TAXATION MITIGATION

Depending on various criteria, having second citizenship can prove advantageous for tax mitigation purposes. Advice must be sought on an individual basis however, and we’d be pleased to guide you in relation to this complex matter. Certain nation only tax income earned from within that country, and do not tax capital gains either; others don’t tax foreign sourced income even if remitted. A strategic second citizenship could potentially enable you to reduce your global tax burden legally, and manage your wealth more effectively.

Why do citizenship by investment programmes exist?

The number one reasons for creating a citizenship by investment programme is to attract a new source of foreign direct investment (FDI).

Funds from a programme can be allocated to critical domestic projects such as infrastructure, real estate development, economic diversification and job creation. Programmes can also be designed to attract global talent to a nation, and your unique and invaluable knowledge could be appealing for a country seeking to boost or diversity its economy.

Take the example of St. Kitts & Nevis: citizenship by investment applicants can invest in the Sugar Industry Diversification Foundation, which was set up to assist the country to diversify its economy.

Citizenship by investment programmes are truly symbiotic – they benefit the nation in which you invest, and they benefit you. In other words – it’s a win-win, everyone profits.