How Many Citizenship Can You Have? (2024)

In today’s challenging global environment, having dual citizenship and getting the support of two or more countries is a significant advantage. Dual citizenship offers a world of possibilities for anyone, but depending on the situation, it can be extremely simple or highly difficult to get one.

In this article, we’ll go over how you can get dual or multiple citizenship, how to get second citizenship through investment, and how having a second nationality can help you and your family.

Is It Possible To Have Multiple Citizenships?

The answer to this question is yes! It’s possible to seek second or third citizenship. But note that having dual or multiple citizenships mostly depends on your native country. While most countries allow their citizens to seek another citizenship, some countries do not allow dual citizenship, such as Singapore or India. If you are a citizen of a country that does not allow dual citizenship and you get citizenship in another country, your home country’s citizenship and passport may be revoked.

However, if your home country’s nationality legislation allows dual citizenship, you’re free to get another citizenship without the risk of losing your citizenship in your native country.

How To Get Multiple Citizenships

Getting citizenship from another country may appear to be a difficult process, but it is a lot easier than you might expect. There are several options for obtaining citizenship in a foreign country, and the following are the most common ones.

Birth

Some countries grant direct citizenship to anybody born on their territory. The US and Canada are examples of these countries. This is why many people try to have their children born in the US so that their children will become citizens there.

Marriage

If you marry someone from a different country, you can apply for citizenship and a passport from that country. If someone marries an American citizen, for example, they can apply for a green card and subsequently citizenship in the United States. However, note that the government will do due diligence to check if there is a marriage fraud involved.

Naturalization

Naturalization is the most popular route for immigrants to become citizens of another country. You can apply for citizenship by naturalization if you are a legal resident of a nation, usually a permanent resident, and have lived there for a specified time. The law varies by nation; for example, in the United Kingdom, you can apply to become a British citizen bynaturalization after five years of lawful residence. Greece, on the other hand, requires that you live there for seven years in a row.

Citizenship By Investment

Technically, this is covered by the naturalization law, but through a different route. Because the countries that provide citizenship by investment programs allow dual and multiple citizenships, this is a good way to automatically gain new citizenships and even build a portfolio of citizenships. You can become citizens of countries like Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Turkey simply by investing. As you’ll have a diversified portfolio of passports, visa-free travel will become easier. If you’re interested in becoming citizens of these countries can do so by investing starting from $100,000.

How Many Citizenships Should You Have?

You can have as many citizenships as you want, but how many should you have? Well, it’s all up to you. Four passports are usually sufficient, however, for some people, two or three will suffice.

The first step is to diversify, and then you should cover all of your bases. After that, you’ll know how many you need. It’s critical to identify the items you want and then create a passport portfolio around them.

Consider Your Needs

Considering your alternatives and deciding what you want and where you want to travel will assist you in determining how many passports you need. If you’re a US or EU citizen, you can consider getting a second passport from a country with less worldwide influence. This will help you create a profile for different needs.

If you’re looking for a country that offers tax benefits, you can consider adding Caribbean countries to your portfolio. Also, consider your business and travel needs. If you’re a frequent traveler, try to get a passport that fills the gaps in places you travel to. Visa-free travel is a huge incentive to collect different passports that are available to you.

Diversify Your Portfolio

You can diversify your passport portfolio by obtaining different citizenships. Wherever you have ancestors, you should consider getting a passport, but make sure that the new passport will not cause you any problems or obligations.

For example, you might have a US passport and then obtain passports from New Zealand, Ireland, and Hungary, which would be a good way to add some variety to your portfolio. Before making an application, it’s critical to determine whether the country in which you’re applying for a passport has a better or worse position. Also, it’s important to analyze the country you want to get citizenship from a “power” perspective. If it’s a country with almost similar power to your native country and if its passport offers the same travel benefits, it may not be worth the hassle.

The below questions can help you identify how you should diversify your passport portfolio:

• Will the new country improve or aggravate my situation?
• What are my options for travel?
• Is my safety guaranteed?

Consider all of your options and ensure that you’ve covered all of them.

Decide Which Passports You’ll Keep

After you’ve decided on your passport portfolio strategy, you’ll need to determine which passports you want to keep.

In general, there’s no reason to get rid of anything unless they do something drastic, start chasing you down or enforce restrictions that are incompatible with your plan. So it’s wise to make a plan only after you get your second or third (even a fourth) passport. If you’re from the US and you get a strong passport, such as a Canadian one, you may not need your US passport, as with a Canadian one, you can easily visit the US, too.

Decide Where You Want To Live

Apart from diversity and all the other factors, knowing where you want to reside is also critical. Which country do you want to live in? Have you ever been to that country and experienced life there? You may have a residency permit, but this does not allow you to remain in a nation indefinitely. So, once you’ve decided where you wish to live, you may begin the process of obtaining citizenship.

Many people will not obtain their second or third passports in a location where they want to stay for an extended time. But if you want to get citizenship from a specific country just for the sake of living there, getting a residence permit first might help you see if you’ll like living there.

How Many Citizenships Can You Have: Bottom Line

The answer is you can have as many as you want, depending on your original citizenship. While some countries allow dual citizenship or many citizenships at the same time, others do not and require you to renounce your previous citizenship. For more information, you can check out our guide on Easiest Countries To Get Citizenship article.

To figure out how many citizenships you should have, start by diversifying your portfolio and covering all of your bases. In general, having four passports is ideal. For some, two or three may be sufficient. Find out what you want and then focus on putting together a passport portfolio.

Resources on the Easiest Countries To Get Citizenship

Frequently Asked Questions

How many passports can you have?

If your original country’s laws allow you to have more than one passport, Meaning that some countries may allow dual or multiple citizenship. There is no certain limit on the citizenships you may have. However, in theory, the situations in each country may change according to the laws and regulations.

How many citizenships can you have in US?

In general, it is allowed to have dual citizenship in the US. It’s important to check your position before applying for a second citizenship.

Which countries grant citizenship by investment?

There are some preferred countries that offer citizenship by investment programs like Malta, St. Kitts, and more. Portugal is also on the list as the recent citizenship law change lets Portugal Golden Visa applicants start the citizenship process after 5 years. Yes, some countries offer citizenship programs in exchange for investment.

Does the United States allow dual citizenship?

Yes, the United States generally allows dual citizenship. There is no law requiring someone to choose between U.S. citizenship and citizenship of another country.

However, it’s important to note a few things:

The U.S. government doesn’t actively encourage dual citizenship.

You should be aware of the potential tax implications and obligations of both countries.

Can a British have 3 citizenships?

Yes, a British person can have 3 citizenships.

The United Kingdom allows multiple citizenship. This means a British citizen can acquire citizenship of another country without losing their British citizenship. There’s no limit to the number of citizenships a British person can hold as long as the other countries also allow multiple citizenships.