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What are the fastest countries to become a citizen? Hi, I'm Andrew Henderson, founder of Nomad Capitalist, and we talk a lot about second passports as a great way to increase your freedom. But if you don't have a lot of money to invest to buy a passport, and if you don't have ancestors from any number of countries in Europe, your main option to get a passport is to go somewhere and live there for a while and become a naturalized citizen in the future.
Now, the good news is there are many countries you don't have to live in full-time in order to qualify as a resident. You can go and put down some roots, rent an apartment, or even just get a library card and spend a little bit of time there, and come back a few years later to get your passport. The challenge with that is it still takes years, and of course, there are no guarantees. So let's discuss some of the fastest countries that offer naturalization.
There are a couple that offer naturalization as fast as two years. Argentina is one of them. If you're willing to spend six months or longer in each calendar year in Argentina, you can qualify for nationality after only two years. In fact, Argentina is pretty lax because there have been times when they have naturalized illegal aliens who have been living there for two years or longer. So it's an easy option if you're willing to spend time in Argentina.
Another option is the Dominican Republic, which obviously has a far lesser quality passport, but is closer to places like the United States. And by making a minimal investment, you can become a resident in the Dominican Republic, spend part of your time there, and qualify for naturalization after as little as two years.
The last option that's more recent is Peru. By spending six months or longer per year in Peru, you can become a naturalized citizen after only two years. The great thing about Peru and Argentina is that they now both offer access to all of Europe's Schengen area, so they've become very good passports.
If you're willing with a little bit longer, you can spend three years and become a citizen of Paraguay, which allows you to spend rather minimal time on the ground for the next three years before applying for naturalization. You can also go to Russia, which allows you to start a business and pay a little bit of tax in order to qualify for their passport after as little as three years, and that's a pretty good passport too.
The best passport of all of these is Uruguay. If you go to live in Uruguay with a family member, you can qualify in as little as three years. If you're single and going alone, it takes five years. But if you have anyone from your family, you can become a Uruguayan in three years. Uruguay may be one of the next countries to get access to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program, so if you want a passport that gives you access back to the US, Uruguay may be your best bet. The only challenge is you have to spend the vast majority majority of your time in Uruguay for the next three years. So there's always a trade-off, and there are never guarantees. No country has to naturalize you after two or three years, but at least with these programs, you'll be faster to knowing how long it will take and whether you can get your passport in just a few years.
Now, I have a free guide on how to get the best passport for you. You can click on the button above and download it right now. It tells you everything you need to know about second passports, so you can stop wasting time and start taking action. For Nomad Capitalist, I'm Andrew Henderson.
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