Apply for or claim citizenship of another country
Is your home country, too cold, too hot, or too rapidly sliding into authoritarianism?
For many, the future is looking a tad bleak — having a backup nation is a sensible. But even if you have a rosier outlook, having citizenship of another country can open doors socially, professionally, and literally depending on the airport.
Cultures change, laws change — there's no way of knowing if the opportunities available to you today will be available in a decade. The world is becoming increasingly isolationist, so grab all the passports you can while you've still got the chance.
Ways to become a citizen
There are many ways of becoming a citizen of another country. Not all of them are practical for our purposes, but I've written them down anyway.
I've ordered them from most difficult to achieve to least difficult.
Be born in the country. Arguably the hardest to achieve as an adult.
Be a foundling. Many states grant citizenship to children of unknown origin who are found in the state.
Work for (or become) the Pope. The Vatican offers citizenship to people who work for or are the Pope. The current population (pope inclusive) is
1,1361. So your odds are slim.Naturalization. This is a broad category – the difficulty depends greatly on the country. It requires you to be a long-term resident.
By Marriage. Really, this is a subcategory of naturalization. In many countries marrying a citizen allows you to fast-track the naturalization process.
Paying lots of money. Some countries will sell you citizenship. This is arguably pretty easy if you have a few hundred thousand dollars lying around. However, since you're reading a blog with tips on how to save $5 in just 10 years, I'm going to assume you don't consider this a viable path.
By descent. Many countries offer citizenship to the children, grandchildren, or nth-children of citizens. This is what we'll be concentrating on as the simplest most viable way of getting citizenship of another country.
How to apply for (or claim) citizenship of another country by descent
Applying for citizenship of a country that offers citizenship by descent is sometimes straightforward and sometimes complicated and comes with caveats such as renouncing your current citizenship, or joining the army.
Identify your origins. This can be done by asking your parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents. Depending on circumstances a cell phone or a ouija board may be required.
Find out if you're eligible. Use the map and list at the bottom of this page to check if you're eligible for the citizenship of your parents or ancestral land.
Do the admin. Find the buried documents, fill out the forms, take the photos, and pay the fee.
Be a good citizen of your new nation. Learn the anthem, pick a sports team, embrace their customs and bigotries, fight their wars, lay down your life.
Countries that allow citizenship by descent
Below is a map of every country recognized as such by Wikipedia. I've highlighted the countries that allow citizenship by descent without also requiring naturalization, or renouncing your current citizenship.
I got most of this information from the Wikipedia page on Jus Sanguinis. I'm bound to have made some mistakes, so double-check before diving headfirst into your ancestry.
- Dots mean you can become a citizen if your parent is a citizen.
- Stripes mean you can become a citizen if your parent, or one of your grand-parents is a citizen.
- Solid blue means you can become a citizen if you can prove your ancestry, or in some cases ethnicity and cultural connection.
Countries that require one parent
Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, Haiti, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Malta, Morocco, Mexico, Nepal, Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America.
Countries that require one parent or grandparent
Chile, Czechia, Portugal.
Countries that require one parent, or grandparent, or great-grandparent, or ancestry
Afghanistan, Armenia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Israel, Ireland, Kiribati, Lithuania, Myanmar, Rwanda, Turkey.
Some special cases and interesting examples
Jewish expulsions from Europe
Many European countries have a special case of allowing citizenship by descent only to the descendants of Jews who fled persecution. For instance, descendants of Sephardic Jews who fled the Portuguese Inquisition may be able to claim Portuguese citizenship.
Liberia
Liberia is the only country that explicitly requires you to be of Black African descent to gain citizenship.3 Liberia requires naturalization, and until recently you also needed to renounce your previous citizenship. That's why it isn't on the map.