Second passport and EU options for UK citizens
Eligible pathways (generic ranking)
Ranked for a British passport holder with no personal budget or no personal budget or timeline assumed. Investment citizenship programs are included where eligible.
Entrepreneur residence
| # | Program | Route | Figure · source | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 08 | #08Mauritius | RouteEntrepreneur residence | Figure · source $50,000 Fee breakdownUS$50,000 fresh capital; turnover conditions apply ConfirmedMauritius Economic Development Boardchecked Jul 2026 | Time— |
| 17 | #17Japan | RouteEntrepreneur residence | Figure · source ¥30,000,000 Fee breakdownJPY 30,000,000 capital; additional staffing, language, and plan requirements apply ConfirmedImmigration Services Agency of Japanchecked Jul 2026 | Time— |
| 22 | #22Paraguay | RouteEntrepreneur residence | Figure · source Verifying Fee breakdownOfficial source remained unreachable; no threshold is asserted VerifyingParaguay National Directorate of Migrationchecked Jul 2026 | TimeVerifying |
Citizenship by investment
| # | Program | Route | Figure · source | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02 | #02Sao Tome and Principe | RouteCitizenship by investment | Figure · source $90,000 Fee breakdownNTF donation: US$90,000 single / US$95,000 family of 2–4, plus a US$5,000 submission fee. ConfirmedSão Tomé & Príncipe CIP — Investment Structure (official)checked Jun 2026 | Time~6 months |
| 03 | #03Nauru | RouteCitizenship by investment | Figure · source $115,000 Fee breakdownUS$115,000 standard contribution; limited-time US$90,000 offer for applications filed 3 Feb – 31 Dec 2026 (official first-anniversary discount) Confirmedecrcp.gov.nrchecked Jul 2026 | Time~4 months |
| 04 | #04Dominica | RouteCitizenship by investment | Figure · source $200,000 Fee breakdownEDF donation from US$200,000; real estate from US$200,000 Confirmedcbiu.gov.dmchecked Jun 2026 | Time~6 months |
| 05 | #05Saint Lucia | RouteCitizenship by investment | Figure · source $240,000 Fee breakdownNEF US$240,000; real estate US$300,000; NAB US$300,000 Confirmedcipsaintlucia.comchecked Jun 2026 | Time~4 months |
| 06 | #06Antigua and Barbuda | RouteCitizenship by investment | Figure · source $230,000 Fee breakdownNDF from US$230,000; approved real estate from US$300,000 Confirmedcip.gov.agchecked Jun 2026 | Time~6 months |
| 07 | #07Saint Kitts and Nevis | RouteCitizenship by investment | Figure · source $250,000 Fee breakdownSISC donation from US$250,000; approved real estate from US$325,000 Confirmedciu.gov.knchecked Jun 2026 | Time~4 months |
| 09 | #09Vanuatu | RouteCitizenship by investment | Figure · source Verifying Fee breakdownOfficial DSP portal (dsp.gov.vu) unreachable since Jun 2026 — 3 consecutive monthly checks (Jun, Jul, Aug 2026). Figure unconfirmed; no secondary source substituted. Verifyingdsp.gov.vuchecked Aug 2026 | TimeVerifying |
| 11 | #11Egypt | RouteCitizenship by investment | Figure · source Verifying Fee breakdownOfficial registry portal (cseparegistry.gov.eg) unreachable since Jun 2026 — 3 consecutive monthly checks (Jun, Jul, Aug 2026). Figure unconfirmed; no secondary source substituted. Verifyingcseparegistry.gov.egchecked Aug 2026 | TimeVerifying |
| 12 | #12North Macedonia | RouteCitizenship by investment | Figure · source Verifying Fee breakdownCBI figure not surfaced on official portal — confirm via enacting regulation Verifyingvlada.mkchecked Jun 2026 | TimeVerifying |
| 16 | #16Grenada | RouteCitizenship by investment | Figure · source $235,000 Fee breakdownNTF: US$235,000 single/family of up to 4 (US$200,000 government + up to US$35,000 commission), +US$25,000–US$50,000/extra dependent; real estate: US$270,000 + US$50,000 government contribution — confirmed via dated official circular, 2026-08-09 ConfirmedIMA Grenada Circular No. 3 of 2024checked Aug 2026 | Time— |
| 21 | #21Turkey | RouteCitizenship by investment | Figure · source $400,000 Fee breakdownreal-estate route; $500,000 for bank deposit / bonds / capital routes ConfirmedTürkiye Investment Office (Presidential Decree, June 2022)checked Jun 2026 | Time~8 months |
Residence by investment
| # | Program | Route | Figure · source | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | #01Malta | RouteResidence by investment | Figure · source €70,000 Fee breakdownNon-recoverable fees ~€70,000 (admin €40k + contribution €28k purchase route + donation €2k) plus qualifying property ≥€300,000 (South/Gozo) or ≥€350,000 elsewhere; lease route ~€100,000 fees plus rent ≥€10,000/yr over 5 years Confirmedresidencymalta.gov.mtchecked Jun 2026 | Time~7 months |
| 10 | #10Hungary | RouteResidence by investment | Figure · source €250,000 Fee breakdownEUR 250,000 in approved real-estate fund certificates (5-year maturity) Confirmedoif.gov.huchecked Jun 2026 | Time~4 months |
| 13 | #13Cyprus | RouteResidence by investment | Figure · source €300,000 Fee breakdownEUR 300,000; VAT applies to qualifying first-sale residential property ConfirmedCyprus Migration Departmentchecked Jul 2026 | Time~2 months |
| 14 | #14Malaysia | RouteResidence by investment | Figure · source $150,000 Fee breakdownSilver US$150,000; Gold US$500,000; Platinum US$1,000,000 fixed deposit ConfirmedMalaysia Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culturechecked Jul 2026 | Time— |
| 15 | #15Qatar | RouteResidence by investment | Figure · source QAR 730,000 Fee breakdownQAR 730,000 residence tier; QAR 3,650,000 enhanced-benefits tier ConfirmedQatar Real Estate Regulatory Authoritychecked Jul 2026 | Time— |
| 18 | #18Greece | RouteResidence by investment | Figure · source €400,000 Fee breakdownEUR 400,000 / EUR 800,000 tiers by zone; 120 sqm minimum; short-let ban ConfirmedLaw 5100/2024checked Jun 2026 | Time~6 months |
| 19 | #19Oman | RouteResidence by investment | Figure · source Verifying Fee breakdownOfficial public portal does not publish the threshold VerifyingOman Investor Residencychecked Jul 2026 | TimeVerifying |
| 20 | #20Panama | RouteResidence by investment | Figure · source Verifying Fee breakdownCurrent reduced-tier amount remains under verification VerifyingPanama Ministry of Commerce and Industrieschecked Jul 2026 | TimeVerifying |
| 23 | #23Panama | RouteResidence by investment | Figure · source $500,000 Fee breakdownUS$500,000 real estate or securities; US$750,000 bank deposit ConfirmedPanama Ministry of Commerce and Industrieschecked Jul 2026 | Time~1 months |
| 24 | #24Thailand | RouteResidence by investment | Figure · source $500,000 Fee breakdownWealthy Global Citizen: ≥US$1,000,000 assets plus US$500,000 Thai investment Confirmedltr.boi.go.thchecked Jun 2026 | Time~2 months |
| 25 | #25United Arab Emirates | RouteResidence by investment | Figure · source AED 2,000,000 Fee breakdownProperty or fund deposit ≥ AED 2,000,000; held three years; no minimum stay Confirmedu.aechecked Jun 2026 | Time~2 months |
| 26 | #26Italy | RouteResidence by investment | Figure · source €250,000 Fee breakdownEUR 250,000 innovative startup; EUR 500,000 company; EUR 2,000,000 government bonds; EUR 1,000,000 philanthropic ConfirmedInvestor Visa for Italy (MiSE)checked Jul 2026 | Time— |
| 27 | #27Bahrain | RouteResidence by investment | Figure · source BHD 130,000 Fee breakdownProperty valued at BHD 130,000 or more ConfirmedBahrain Golden Residencychecked Jul 2026 | Time— |
| 28 | #28Mauritius | RouteResidence by investment | Figure · source $375,000 Fee breakdownQualifying property must cost more than US$375,000 ConfirmedMauritius Economic Development Boardchecked Jul 2026 | Time— |
| 29 | #29Indonesia | RouteResidence by investment | Figure · source $350,000 Fee breakdownUSD 350,000 (5-year) or USD 700,000 (10-year) without a company; higher company and corporate tiers exist ConfirmedDirectorate General of Immigration (e-Visa)checked Jul 2026 | Time— |
| 30 | #30Portugal | RouteResidence by investment | Figure · source €500,000 Fee breakdownEUR 500,000 CMVM-regulated fund route (real-estate route removed 2023) ConfirmedLaw 56/2023 (Mais Habitacao)checked Jun 2026 | TimeVerifying |
| 31 | #31Saudi Arabia | RouteResidence by investment | Figure · source SAR 4,000,000 Fee breakdownQualifying residential property valued at SAR 4,000,000 or more ConfirmedSaudi Premium Residency Centerchecked Jul 2026 | Time— |
| 32 | #32Saudi Arabia | RouteResidence by investment | Figure · source SAR 7,000,000 Fee breakdownSAR 7,000,000 ownership share plus ten qualifying employees ConfirmedSaudi Premium Residency Centerchecked Jul 2026 | Time— |
| 33 | #33United States | RouteResidence by investment | Figure · source $800,000 Fee breakdownTEA projects; $1,050,000 outside a TEA ConfirmedEB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022checked Jun 2026 $800,000 (TEA); rises to ~$900,000 on 1 Jan 2027 under the RIA inflation adjustment. File by 30 Sep 2026 to lock the current amount. | Time~3 years |
The British passport is strong for travel (around 186 visa-free or visa-on-arrival destinations), so for most Britons "second passport" is not about tourism — it is about restoring the EU rights lost with Brexit: the ability to live, work, study, and retire across 27 countries. And for Britons that is overwhelmingly an ancestry question, not an investment one.
Start with what Brexit actually removed
A UK passport still gets you short visa-free visits to the Schengen Area, but living and working in the EU now requires a second EU nationality or a residence permit. (From 2026, short visits also require the EU's ETIAS travel authorisation.) An EU passport is the clean way back to free movement — and the UK allows dual citizenship, so you keep your British one.
The descent routes, best-fit first
- Ireland — the standout for Britons given shared family history. An Irish-born grandparent lets you register on the Foreign Births Register; an Irish passport is both EU and part of the UK–Ireland Common Travel Area. If children are involved, register before they are born to keep the line.
- Italy — a parent or grandparent born in Italy, under the 2025 two-generation rule.
- Poland — a parent, grandparent, or great-grandparent who was a Polish citizen after 1920, subject to continuity of citizenship.
- Germany — restoration routes (Art. 116(2) / §15 StAG) for descendants of people stripped of citizenship under Nazi persecution, with no generational limit.
If you have no qualifying ancestry
Then the routes are slower and costlier: EU residence programs (Portugal, Greece, Hungary) build a right to live in one country first, with citizenship only after years of residence. Citizenship-by-investment makes little sense for a Briton, whose passport is already strong.
Cost in context
Descent is cheap in money and expensive in patience — certificates, translations, and consular queues that can run a year or more. Against the alternative (a golden visa costing hundreds of thousands of euros), the document hunt is usually well worth it.
A tax note (informational, not advice)
An EU passport does not change your tax residence — that follows where you live and the UK Statutory Residence Test day-counts. It changes where you may live, which can have real tax consequences worth planning with an adviser before you move.
The pathways here use pass2port's deterministic engine for a generic UK passport holder. For a personalized ranking of investment and residence routes, the free quiz takes about three minutes. EU descent options are explained in our citizenship-by-descent guides — pass2port does not check whether you qualify.
Confirmeden.wikipedia.orgchecked Jul 2026
Top routes for United Kingdom passport holders
Three programs from the same neutral ranking shown above — ordered by the existing engine score, not hand-picked.
United Kingdom passport mobility
Visa-free or visa-on-arrival to 150 destinations
Ranked 5 of the 44 nationalities pass2port currently covers
Confirmeden.wikipedia.orgchecked Jul 2026
Citizenship by descent (informational)
Some United Kingdom holders may have a citizenship-by-descent route if a parent or grandparent was born abroad. pass2port publishes sourced guides to those rules — we do not check whether you qualify. For investment and residence pathways ranked to your passport, use the quiz below.
Tax context for United Kingdom holders
United Kingdom uses a residence-based tax system at the national level. Moving residence or acquiring another citizenship can change what you owe — this is a pointer, not advice.
Common questions
- What is the best way for a UK citizen to get an EU passport?
- For most Britons, citizenship by descent is the cheapest and most realistic route — especially Irish citizenship through an Irish-born grandparent. Italian, Polish, and German descent routes also lead to an EU passport without a six-figure investment.
- Do I still have EU rights after Brexit?
- A UK passport no longer grants EU free movement. You can visit the Schengen Area visa-free for short stays, but living and working in the EU now generally requires a second EU nationality or a residence permit.
- Does the UK allow dual citizenship?
- Yes. The UK permits dual citizenship, so you can acquire an EU nationality by descent without giving up your British passport.
Get your personalized ranking
These pages use generic passport assumptions. Your budget and timeline change the ranking — take the quiz for a personalized view.
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