If your dream is to move abroad, there are a couple of avenues. An increasing number of countries, including Costa Rica, Thailand, and Germany, offer digital nomad visas. There’s also the student visa option for those doing a degree or studying at a qualified language school (usually one offering 20 hours of class per week). And then there’s getting citizenship in another country.
Obtaining a second passport isn’t always easy, but it is possible. Some countries impose lengthy residency or language requirements that can be hard to satisfy, but others have clear paths to getting a second passport through investment or descent. Read on to learn where in the world you can get citizenship through your ancestors or your bank account.
Related: 6 Tips for Travelers Who Want to Move Abroad—and Companies That Will Help You Do It
Portugal
Acquiring a Portuguese passport through the country’s Golden Visa program is a welcome choice for U.S. citizens. The program was born to bring money into the country and, since it began in 2012, an estimated €6,6 billion has been invested. Portugal’s mild climate, historic cities, and appealing beaches make it an attractive place to live. And because Portugal is part of the European Union, Portuguese citizens can live and work in any of the European Union’s 27 member states.
Americans (and other non-EU citizens) can obtain Portuguese citizenship for themselves and their families by investing in Portugal—as little as €250,000 to supporting the arts or preserve national heritage sites or €500,000 in a research or development opportunity. Once applicants become permanent residents or citizens of Portugal, they can then liquidate their investments.
As of April 1, 2026, Portugal’s parliament approved a change in how long it takes investors to get Portuguese citizenship. It used to be five years and will now change to 10. Investors will still acquire permanent residency after five years. The law has not yet gone into effect; a decision is expected to be made before June 2026.
Whether or not the time it takes to get Portuguese citizenship changes, this is one of the lowest-cost ways to gain citizenship in the EU. Golden Visa applicants choose to move to Portugal right away or go elsewhere, as long as they visit Portugal for approximately one week a year.
Related: Multicolored Thermal Pools Make This Portuguese Island the Ultimate Hot Springs Crawl
Cyprus
The beautiful Mediterranean island of Cyprus has a similar permanent residency path to that of Portugal, and English is widely spoken. Those with permanent residency here can apply for Cypriot—and thus EU—citizenship after seven years. Whether you live on Cyprus or not during your investment period is up to you; visits are required once every two years.
To gain residency, you’ll need to invest €300,000 in up to two new or existing residential or nonresidential properties, a Cypriot company with at least five employees, or investment funds. You’ll also need to earn at least €50,000 annually coming from outside Cyprus.
Grenada
If you lived in Grenada, you could go sailing every day.
Photo by Hugh Whyte/Unsplash
In the heart of the West Indies, Grenada is an attractive choice for Americans looking to live a laid-back Caribbean lifestyle. The chain of islands is known for its beautiful beaches and rainforest. Plus, Grenada’s official language is English. A family of four can obtain citizenship, usually in under six months, by making a onetime $235,000 contribution (plus $9,000 per person in fees) to the government of Grenada.
Alternatively, a family can qualify for citizenship by investing at least $270,000 (plus $59,000 in fees) in a real-estate project approved by the government. After five years of ownership, investors are free to liquidate their investments. Grenada doesn’t have a residency requirement while a citizenship application is pending in the country, so it’s possible to complete the entire application from the United States.
Ireland
An estimated 9.5 of people in the U.S. have Irish heritage, according to the most recent U.S. Census—but not everyone is eligible for Irish citizenship by descent. To apply for Irish citizenship, you must have at least one parent or Irish-born grandparent who was an Irish citizen at the time of your birth.
After collecting all the necessary documents, including your ancestor’s original birth certificate, it takes about 12 months to process your Foreign Birth Registration application. Once this is done, you can apply for an Irish passport as any Irish citizen would and have it in around a month. Ireland being in the EU, you can live and work on the Emerald Isle or reside in any of the other 27 member states.
Related: When to Travel in Ireland for the Best Possible Trip
Italy
Italy’s fashion capital Milan has some gorgeous ancient architecture, including the Duomo.
Photo by Ouael Ben Salah/Unsplash
In 2025 Italy made its citizenship-by-descent laws much more restrictive. As of 2026, you can apply for Italian citizenship by descent if your parent or grandparent is an Italian citizen or was at the time of their death. To add insult to injury, if your grandmother was an Italian citizen born before January 1, 1948 and she married a foreign citizen, she would have lost her Italian citizenship and would be unable to pass it down.
After gathering and submitting your documents such as a recent birth certificate from the Italian commune where the birth was registered, you can expect to wait up to three years for a decision (this is the maximum amount of time the Italy Ministry of the Interior has to review applications).
Egypt
Egypt is the only country on the African continent that offers citizenship through investment. The country is bursting with centuries of history and is ideally situated to travel throughout northern Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. Plus, it’s very affordable to travel around Egypt itself, with the US dollar holding strong against the Egyptian pound.
Egypt also offers multiple routes to citizenship. Some options include making a nonrefundable contribution of $250,000 to the state treasury; investing $300,000 in real estate in a government-owned project and maintaining the investment for at least five years; or transferring $500,000 to a bank in Egypt and keeping the funds there for at least three years.
Related: Cleopatra Once Visited This Remote Desert Destination—Now You Can, Too
This article was originally published in 2024 and most recently updated on April 15, 2026, with current information. Sophie Friedman contributed to the reporting of this story.
