of being born. Although there are other avenues to becoming a citizen, like marriage or employment,

those are often arduous and often unsuccessful. But in a handful of countries, getting citizenship

is actually quite simple - it’s as easy as writing a check. So, we wanted to know,

where can you buy citizenship?

Well, as of 2016, nine countries are effectively selling citizenship. Most are small islands

in the Caribbean and the Mediterranean, and all are relatively cash-strapped. Allowing

foreigners to buy citizenship has the obvious effect of raising the country’s GDP, but

it can also culminate in long-term economic prosperity through investments in housing

and infrastructure. With that in mind, many countries have made it easy and even affordable

for people to buy their way in.

The cheapest option is the Caribbean island of Dominica [dah-mee-NEE-ka], where citizenship

can be purchased for just 100 thousand dollars or a real estate investment of at least 200

thousand dollars. This program has existed for more than 20 years, however it became

particularly important to Dominica in 2015, after a tropical storm wiped out roughly 90

percent of the country’s GDP. Today, citizenship sales are one of the country’s primary sources

of revenue, however the program is said to be mismanaged, and public officials have been

accused of pocketing much of the profits.

A similar program exists nearby in St. Kitts and [KNEE-viss] Nevis— two tiny Caribbean

islands that form one nation. Like Dominica, St. Kitts’ relied on citizenship sales after

a series of hurricanes decimated their economy in the late 1990’s. Today, citizenship can

be procured for a $250,000 dollar flat rate or a $400,000 dollar real estate investment.

The deal also includes visa-free travel to the roughly 130 countries that accept a St.

Kitts passport. At one point, St. Kitts was selling an estimated two thousand passports

a year, and as a result, the country was seeing rapid development. However, sales have plummeted

since 2014, when Canada and the US issued warnings about the program. For example, businesspeople

have reportedly used visa-free travel through those passports to avoid international sanctions

or flee a country where they were wanted for a crime.

This concept is not unique to far-flung island nations. In fact, a dozen other nations, including

the US, offer permanent residency, or “golden visas”, to foreigners who invest in property,

businesses or public assets. However, the price tag is usually much higher. The United

Kingdom, for example, requires minimum investment of nearly $3 million dollars. Golden Visa

programs are extremely popular among wealthy Chinese nationals seeking to invest in offshore

real estate.

So, what makes dual citizenship so attractive? Well, for people from countries that face

travel restrictions, an alternative passport opens up an entirely new world of visa-free

travel. For wealthy Americans, citizenship in St. Kitts or Dominica can mean huge savings,

as neither country taxes foreign income or capital gains. So despite the high cost of

citizenship, it may be more financially beneficial that it seems.

But having citizenship is not infallible, nearly every country has strict rules about

when they can strip you of your citizenship. To learn about what kind of actions, including

treason and terrorism, can make you lose citizenship, check out this video. Thanks for watching Seeker Daily, don’t forget to like

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