Where to obtain the easiest new citizenship?

[bobrussell]

If you are that proud of it you would be aware that it is spelled the Republic of Ireland and not the Republik of Ireland. A little sweeping to label 64 million population as bastards!

Troll suitably fed!

[mpyre]

Many Latin American countries offer citizenship after 3 years

You have to be married to a local though..

The cheapest option, unless you are allergic to marriage or gay

The three simplist options without marriage are all Latin American...Mexico, Panama and Uruguay. It varies a little but can be done in 3 to 5 years.

[DiDiChok]

Firstly, let me emphasise that I am not an expert on Nationality, the variations and possibilities available and any resulting implications acquired as a result, such as tax status. You need a lawyer for that.

The terminology issues raised by "sawadee1947" should serve as a warning to all and I'm sorry that I upset him. I advise people to think very carefully before acquiring another nationality as you may be breaking open a hornet's nest of unintended consequences. For instance, country 'B' may not let you in if you have a stamp in your passport from country 'A', with whom they have fallen out. Also, you may be disqualified from Government jobs because dual loyalties are frowned on. I know for certain that this applies to Thailand and to the UK.

Many countries insist that if you hold one of their passports that you use it when entering and leaving their country. Thailand doesn't seem to insist on this unlike the UK. After all, you shouldn't need a visa to visit your own country!

In reply to to "macahoom" and his " once you sign the form" question, I was referring to entries that need to be made on form FB1A of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956 & 1986. This form is the one used to register a foreign birth in the republic of Ireland using a birth certificate from another country. The form is the first step towards becoming an Irish citizen and should only be signed if you intend to proceed.

I think that I seem to have misled "mike234" about dual citizenship when I mentioned America as an example. Once you have citizenship of a country of course you can apply or reapply for citizenship elsewhere if their law allows it. However, getting citizenship of that country may involve giving up citizenship of somewhere or everywhere else first. The workaround is the revoke and reacquire process. My point was that the Irish have been clever and so hold on to you and let you hold on to their nationality. America wanted me to give up the UK nationality but in the end I decided to drop my application because I could see that once the IRS gets hold of you they squeeze every pip of information and money out of you that they can.

[csabo]

I guess the "why?" question is unwanted.

I was wondering why he was wanted and by whom. People usually don't just throw a dart at a map to choose a location for new citizenship and sort out the details later.

[theoldgit]

Post dragging the thread off topic removed, along with a response.

[konying]

Does not Cambodia offer one for $10 000, or use to anyway

[fang37]

Why would one wish to change citizenship?

[Jingthing]

Why would one wish to change citizenship?

Actually, some Americans have really good reasons.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-05-07/americans-abroad-top-quarterly-record-for-giving-up-citizenship

Americans Living Abroad Set Record for Giving Up Citizenship

Personally I would never do that. If feeling too harassed by the expat oppressive U.S. laws, I would just return back there. Oh well! BTW, for complex reasons that's exactly what is happening to me but not sure yet if push will ever come to shove, but good chance it will. In case that isn't clear, yes I am feeling pushed back to the U.S. not by Thai immigration crackdowns but by U.S. laws about expats that impact on policies of U.S. financial institutions. Moving to a third country wouldn't solve that. Not a happy situation but who said everything in life is fair?

Edited November 10, 2015 by Jingthing

[dbrenn]

50,000 dollars for cambodian citizenship. as told to me by an English guy i know who showed me his cambodian passport.

but he did it a few years ago. he's lived there years and owns a hotel and other businesses

very corrupt process. as part if the citizenship process he was supposed to have an interview with the King. he said he was really looking forward to meeting the king but imagine his disappointment - he just had to send someone down to the palace to hand over some cash! the royal family dont have much money over in cambodia and arent above asking for some tea money

Officially you can get Cambodian citizenship for free, but you need to be fluent in written and spoken Khmer and have some tie to the country eg marriage, business, investment, and live there for a number of years

There's a difference between getting a passport from a corrupt official and actually holding citizenship. Unless there is a certificate of naturalisation legally issued under the relevant legislation, it's unlikely that a corrupt passport would be reissued, or even be valid for entering or exiting the country.

[bark]

So absurd but funny this thread

Changing citizenship to get a Thai visa

Seems like US is the easiest with the most useful passport with investment around $500,000 last time I checked couple years ago.

Thats about 17 million Thai baht. Would buy you 34 Thai elite visa for 5 years each (500'000 for 5 years).

170 years of trouble free stay in the land of smiles

Nope- 500,000 x 36 bt/dollar = 18,000,000 bt. Can I keep the extra million ?

[thaihome]

Firstly, let me emphasise that I am not an expert on Nationality, the variations and possibilities available and any resulting implications acquired as a result, such as tax status. You need a lawyer for that.

.... America wanted me to give up the UK nationality but in the end I decided to drop my application because I could see that once the IRS gets hold of you they squeeze every pip of information and money out of you that they can.

The US did not want you to give up your UK citizenship, you were likely misinformed. The US Supreme Court ruled in 1952 that dual citizenship is a "status long recognized in the law" and that "a person may have and exercise rights of nationality in two countries and be subject to the responsibilities of both. The mere fact he asserts the rights of one citizenship does not, without more, mean that he renounces the other. The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) makes no mention of dual nationality.

You are correct in that the IRS requires all US citizens and green card holders to file a income tax return each year reporting world wide income regardless if they live in the US or not (there are also foreign banking reporting requirements). As long as you pay income tax somewhere on your income, it is likely you would not be required to pay US income tax on it since there are deductions and credits for foreign income and foreign tax.

To me there is no reason for a Brit to hold dual US citizenship due to the IRS and banking reporting requirements unless they want to live in the US long term.

TH

Edited November 14, 2015 by thaihome

[roo860]

Well if the 'friend' has a father, mother, grandfather or grandmother who was born in Ireland (Eire or southern Ireland to be precise), then he or she can claim Irish nationality and therefore EU residency too. It doesn't matter where the applicant was born. I think you must have been born before 2004 or something as the door has now been shut to those born after that date. Doing this was very popular with UK journalists during UDI in the Ian Smith regime in Rhodesia as at the time he didn't let anyone with a UK passport into the country. Those who could wave an Irish Passport of course, were able to get in. Many countries have Irish populations and usually smile on Irish passports.

You simply have to produce a full copy your birth certificate (BC) and then those of your father/mother and their marriage certificate (and the same for grandparents if necessary). Then your birth can be registered in Ireland once you sign the form, and the follow on is a passport and everything that goes with it. You don't have to live in Ireland or have worked there or even have an Irish address. Of course, the connected relative must have had an Irish BC which can be problematical as the Register Office in Dublin got burnt down in 1922 during the riots for independence. However, the tracing service is very good and they usually come up with a full BC at a very reasonable standard cost plus as many copies as you want. Sometimes, the BC is a document that the relative never possessed as passports and so on weren't as important in those far off days.

Interestingly, for other countries that demand you resign citizenship of your former country (e.g. America) before taking up theirs, Ireland will also give you a letter to say that they have rescinded their nationality but it automatically gets reinstated immediately afterwards! The UK will also give you a letter and allow you to reinstate UK nationality, but will only do that once on your say so and there are loads of forms to be filled in and procedures to be followed. You also need to be careful of some countries that will confiscate your passports from countries other than the one you entered on if they find them on you. Stupid and expensive to get replacements, but as we know you can't beat the system and have to work with it.

There are those whose hobby is to collect passports like confetti and I once met one person who had fifteen nationalities. He did have the same date of birth on them all and the total cost caused me to have a sharp intake of breath. But that's a hobby for you.

precisely there is NO SOUTHERN IRELAND, laddie. It's REPUBLIK OF IRELAND, and I'm proud of it to be independant from those basterds on the eastern island...!

Am sure the feeling is mutual!

[Brit_Doggie]

Simple answer Paraguay

No need to visit cost as in 2014 US$3,900

$2,000 USD into a Paraguay bank (this can be wired and deposited for you to prove financial status)

[fang37]

To seek new citizenship one must be a fugitive - a wanted man?

[Brit_Doggie]

No it looks like another of those posts that says I don't have resources to go home or I want the easy way out to stay in Thailand blah blah, correct me if I wrong by all means.

[MobileContent]

Let me guess the friend of OP might be from Pakistan or Bangladesh and the doors might be closing for the friend in Thailand.

Many countries in South America do not give citizenship to Muslims. This is not an attack against a religion but according to a friend of mine at the immigration a lot of Pakistani and Bangladeshis are trying to bribe Amphurs 'to issue ID cards to them.

It might be a good idea if OP posts here the nationality of his friend.