With the political climate in the United States, many Americans are doing what the migrant community does: get a second passport and migrate to another country.
While some may do it for family rights, others may do it for business or other reasons.
Some lawyers have declared the increase in clients who are looking for that: a more relaxed place, without conflict, to live in peace.
With Donald Trump’s inauguration, it is not only migrants who are in danger. The LGBTQ community and other minorities are also in danger.
Many of the clients are American families hoping “to move to a safer place,” especially out of concern for rising intolerance against certain communities and the political climate. “It’s very real for them,” he said.
A second passport grants citizenship to people without the restrictions and renewal hassles of a visa. “There’s security in having a passport that is permanent; it’s a real Plan B option,” said one of the lawyers. “Long-term, they’ll feel more security.”
Reaz Jafri, a New York-based attorney at Withers with 30 years of experience assisting people in obtaining a second passport, has seen a fivefold increase in second passport inquiries among his clients in the days immediately following the election.
“The dialogue in our country with politics has been… very intolerant and families are getting their Plan B’s just in case,” Jafri told in a recent interview.
While digital nomad visas or long-stay visas offer easy access to live elsewhere, they are often only temporary. These types of visas are “more popular with younger people who are working in industries where they can work remotely,” Jafri said.
How can you get a second passport?
There are a few ways for people to obtain a second passport, and most of the processes will be lengthy – and possibly expensive.
The quickest and most cost-effective path most of us have heard of is citizenship by descent, meaning you can trace your ancestral ties back to that place. Countries such as Portugal, Austria, Germany and Spain offer this type of naturalization. However, the number of generations to qualify varies, and you’ll need to show documentation of your ancestors’ citizenship.
Since not everyone can trace their lineage to an eligible country, another relatively speedy option is citizenship by investment, also known as a golden visa. “There are six or seven countries that have programs in place where if you invest X number of dollars, you can get citizenship,” Jafri said.
This approach requires making a significant investment in the country, such as a real estate purchase or a business venture, and going through a wealth income background check before being granted citizenship. Unfortunately, this option is mainly reserved for wealthier clients as the required investment is often hefty – for example, Spain requires more than €500,000 (about $532,822). You can also get rejected depending on “what a person’s background is,” like your money is mainly tied to crypto.
However, many European countries, such as Portugal and Spain, are capping the number of golden visas available or scrapping the program entirely due to security concerns. “One thing to keep in mind is these opportunities will not be around forever,” Jafri said.
If you can’t invest a bunch of money into another country, you can also earn citizenship through retirement or long-stay residency, which is ideal for working professionals or retirees. Essentially, you spend a certain amount of time living in the country – sometimes also passing a test to demonstrate an understanding of the language and local culture – to qualify for a passport.
Passport renewals go digital to ease wait times for American travelers
