It is not possible to apply to a Citizenship or Residency by Investment program without the help of a registered agency, which must submit your documents and application on your behalf. World Gate works closely with the government programs on numerous applications, and is kept up-to-date about any new offers or changes. You are welcome to contact us for a free consultation and we will be happy to give you more information about the application procedure.

In your first consultation one of our agents will aim to help you identify the problem you are trying to solve, such as eliminating travel difficulties, a desire to offer better opportunities to your family, or business or economic reasons. Before you attend the consultation, it would be helpful if you could make notes related to why you hope to obtain a second citizenship and what your expectations are, as having a clear understanding of these will help our agents better serve you.

While the number of beneficial programs can seem daunting, there are a few factors you can consider in order to choose a program that will ultimately bring you the most value.

It’s essential to identify your goals for the future and what you hope to offer yourself and your family in terms of opportunities and ease of travel. For example, your objective may be to obtain a passport which grants access to numerous business markets such as the EU as quickly as possible. On the other hand, your principal motivation may be to provide second passports for all of your family members for travel or immigration purposes, and accordingly some countries offer better packages for families. Alternatively, if you are planning to start a family, some programs are better suited for single applicants or couples than large families. Our agents will be happy to review the different options available to you, based on your specific goals and plans.

Dual Nationality and Second Citizenship refer to when an individual is a legal citizen of two or more countries at the same time, such as both a citizen of Egypt and of St. Kitts and Nevis and holding passports from each country. As some countries do not allow their citizens to possess a second citizenship, it will be essential for you and our agents to confirm whether this is the case for your country of citizenship before applying for another one.

Citizenship by Investment or Residency by Investment both refer to a particular category of the citizenship law which has been established by government programs in approximately up to twenty countries worldwide. These programs typically require an investment in the economy of the country in the form of a donation, real estate investment, or government bond, and as a result of the investment, the investor can legally obtain citizenship and a valuable passport.

The benefit of this citizenship category is that citizenship status is achieved in a shorter timeframe than traditional immigration processes, with little or no physical residency requirements. A Second Citizenship can solve many problems at once by providing you with easier access to a stable, safe and prosperous economy, more access to business opportunities and global markets, world-class healthcare, education opportunities for this and future generations. Your nationality by birth or your immigration status should not limit you. You can become a global citizen through any of our Citizenship or Residency by Investment programs and discover personal freedom, security and prosperity waiting for you and the ones you love.

The countries which currently offer Citizenship by Investment programs are: Cyprus, Malta, Turkey, Montenegro, Vanuatu, St. Kitts and Nevis, Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Lucia and more.

There are many ways that one can obtain dual citizenship. Some people are born with dual citizenship or can later obtain it under the principle of jus sanguinis, or law of the blood, whereby they obtain citizenship through their parents or ancestors, for example having a parent or grandparent who are from a certain country. Another possibility is jus soli, or law of the soil, meaning that a person acquires the citizenship of the place where they were born. This is the most common way of acquiring a second citizenship, as for example a person born in the United States to Egyptian parents would acquire both American and Egyptian citizenship at birth.
Another way that one can acquire a second citizenship is by living in a foreign country for a certain number of years as a resident. However, the residency requirement is often up to five years in order to be able to apply for citizenship and obtain a second passport. For those without the time or patience for this option, acquiring a second citizenship though a Citizenship by Investment Program is an excellent option which can be more direct, cheaper, and much faster.
While obtaining citizenship through residency is quite easy, there are some documents and steps involved in the process. The most important piece of information to start with is whether your home country permits dual citizenship. Although most countries permit one to obtain a second citizenship, others require their citizens to renounce their citizenship if they wish to obtain another, or limit the rights of a dual national, for example not permitting dual nationals to run for office. Each country has its own unique rules regarding the matter.

Having dual citizenship is invaluable in today’s increasingly globalized world. As the second citizenship programs enable you to pass on your citizenship to future generations in your family, you are constructing a secure future for your family members, with numerous business, education, and travel options. Citizenship in an economically and politically stable country also provides access to world-class healthcare, education, and social services, as well as the ability to travel worldwide without difficulty and access foreign business markets. Additionally, having a second residency in a safe and stable country will provide you and your family members with the security of knowing you always have a place to go if your home country should experience any problems.

A second residency is one obtained in a different country in addition to the primary or current residency of the applicant. A significant number of countries allow their citizens or residents to hold multiple residencies and benefit from all of them.

Residency by Investment, similar to Citizenship by Investment, is a category of the residency law in many countries which allows individuals to obtain legal residency by making an investment into a specific government-approved sector such as real estate or a national development fund. While one can often obtain residency in a foreign country through other means such as with a work visa, the benefits of Residency by Investment are that the residency through investment has little or no physical residency requirements and is often a faster and more streamlined process.

Having a second residency provides numerous benefits, such as the ability to live and work freely in two different countries and travel between the countries without restrictions. Dual residents can also receive the benefits and privileges offered by each country, for example, they can access the local healthcare and educational systems of each country or start a business without the same restrictions which may be imposed on a foreigner.

Countries that offer Residency by Investment include Cyprus, Portugal, Spain, Greece, Bulgaria, Malta, Panama, Brazil, among others.

When a second residence is obtained, the family benefits in multiple ways which are similar to the benefits afforded by Citizenship by Investment. Your family members will have access to the local health system and will be able to access universities and job opportunities that may not be available in your home country.

While each country has a specific set of requirements the applicant must meet to be able to apply for its citizenship or residency by investment programs, most individuals can qualify. Some of the most common requirements include being at least 18 years old, having a clean criminal record, having access to funds acquired through legal means, and making an investment into a government-approved option.

The individual Citizenship by Investment programs in each country work with third-party Due Diligence Agents who use a variety of publicly available information sources to verify the provided information of the applicant and everyone included in the application. These checks include verification of birth certificates at official institutions, media reports, verification of businesses and companies the applicant owns. An additional check includes verifying with law enforcement agencies that the applicant has a clean criminal record. Once the investigations have been completed, the Government makes its decision based on the reports provided by the Due Diligence Agents.

In order to prevent a possible rejection, before taking on a client we conduct a pre-approval check at no cost to the client in order to make sure that the client meets all the program requirements. Transparency is vital when it comes to avoiding being rejected by a program. In the unlikely case you do get rejected, all funds that you have provided as a donation or real estate purchase will be refunded.

Eligibility of dependents is specific to each individual country, but in most cases a spouse and biological or adopted children under 16 are eligible to be included.
Dependent children over the age of 16 can often be included as well if they meet specific criteria. Additionally, parents and sometimes grandparents of the main applicant and their spouse can be included, given that they fit the requirements. Some countries now permit siblings to be included. Our agents can review the different options with you during your initial consultation.

In general, the governments treat applicants as individuals and place little importance on their countries of origin. In rare cases, the relationship between your country of origin and the country you wish to apply to can create restrictions for the application, but our team is trained to anticipate such problems.

In each of the countries where Citizenship by Investment is offered, English is an official language or widely spoken. On the other hand, Residency by Investment programs such as Portugal and Spain sometimes require you to learn the local language.

One of the most attractive features of these programs is that they have little to no physical residency requirements, meaning that if you don’t wish to visit or are unable to, a visit isn’t necessary. Keep in mind that some of the programs do require a visit or some physical residency, but our team will be able to advise you as to which countries do not have these requirements.