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Have you ever considered obtaining dual citizenship? Did you even know that it’s a thing? Well, yes. Yes, it is. Being a dual citizen simply means that you are a citizen of more than one country. While having dual nationality between two countries is most common, some people even have citizenship in three countries.
It gives you a myriad of privileges from being able to vote, having global mobility, business advantages, better healthcare (dependent upon the country) and a list of other benefits. Every country is different, so you’ll have to look into your specific country of interest.
For starters, you’ll surely be able to obtain a second passport. Since the world has been put on pause and borders have closed due to COVID, times like this are why it’s important to be a national of two lands. If your native passport is banned from traveling abroad, you can simply use your passport from another country. Unfortunately, American passports have been extremely devalued due to our rising coronavirus cases. Pre-pandemic, our passports easily opened the doors to almost 160 countries. That number has drastically dropped to under 30.
But fret not! There are over 50 countries that offer the gift of having multiple nationality and they each have their own process. 25 of those countries are in Europe. I’ve decided to get mine with Spain. With its ideal work-life balance, laidback lifestyle, diverse regions and easy access to Africa, for me it was a no-brainer. A major advantage of being accepted as a citizen of the European Union is that it gives you the freedom to live and work in all of the 25 countries that encompass the E.U. Think of it as being an American and moving state to state. The same concept applies, but instead it’s country to country.
I'll admit, it's a time consuming (and sometimes expensive) process filled with a lot of paperwork that can take anywhere from one to 10 years, depending on the country. But it's worth it.
Considering the state of the world, things are quickly changing, so it’ll be best to look into this sooner than later. Admittedly, some countries are easier, and the requirements do vary. Providing proof that you have a parent or grandparent who immigrated from a particular country — like Italy or Ireland — is one of the easiest ways to obtain citizenship to your ancestor’s native land. If that isn’t an option for you (like most Black people), buying property, investing or being a skilled worker is a sure way to get your foot in the door when it comes to countries like Portugal or Dominica. Or you can simply just apply for residency and show a little proof of income, for countries like Argentina and Paraguay.
If you’re thinking of heading to the Motherland, there’s a number of options — from Cairo and Algeria in the Saharan north, to Nigeria and Benin in the sub-Saharan west, to South Africa and Angola in the south.
Whether you are or aren’t a traveler, you never want to be in a situation where your one and only passport is banned from entering a particular country and you have nothing else to fall back on. Who knows? That second passport may come in handy in case there’s a second pandemic. So, if of interest to you, take a look and see if any of the countries would be an option for you.
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