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.
Citizenship by investment
| # | Program | Route | Figure · source | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02 | #02Sao Tome and Principe | RouteCitizenship by investment | Figure · source $90,000 NTF 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 Verifying Verifyingecrcp.gov.nrchecked Jul 2026 | TimeVerifying |
| 04 | #04Dominica | RouteCitizenship by investment | Figure · source $200,000 EDF donation from US$200,000; real estate from US$200,000 Confirmedcbiu.gov.dmchecked Jun 2026 | Time~6 months |
| 05 | #05Grenada | RouteCitizenship by investment | Figure · source $200,000 NTF donation from US$200,000; real estate from US$270,000 Confirmedcbi.gov.gdchecked Jun 2026 | Time~8 months |
| 06 | #06Saint Lucia | RouteCitizenship by investment | Figure · source $240,000 NEF US$240,000; real estate US$300,000; NAB US$300,000 Confirmedcipsaintlucia.comchecked Jun 2026 | Time~4 months |
| 07 | #07Antigua and Barbuda | RouteCitizenship by investment | Figure · source $230,000 NDF from US$230,000; approved real estate from US$300,000 Confirmedcip.gov.agchecked Jun 2026 | Time~6 months |
| 08 | #08Saint Kitts and Nevis | RouteCitizenship by investment | Figure · source $250,000 SISC 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 Verifyingdsp.gov.vuchecked Jun 2026 | TimeVerifying |
| 11 | #11Egypt | RouteCitizenship by investment | Figure · source Verifying Verifyingcseparegistry.gov.egchecked Jun 2026 | TimeVerifying |
| 12 | #12North Macedonia | RouteCitizenship by investment | Figure · source Verifying Verifyingvlada.mkchecked Jun 2026 | TimeVerifying |
| 14 | #14Turkey | RouteCitizenship by investment | Figure · source $400,000 real-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 Non-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 EUR 250,000 in approved real-estate fund certificates (5-year maturity) Confirmedoif.gov.huchecked Jun 2026 | Time~4 months |
| 13 | #13Greece | RouteResidence by investment | Figure · source €400,000 EUR 400,000 / EUR 800,000 tiers by zone; 120 sqm minimum; short-let ban ConfirmedLaw 5100/2024checked Jun 2026 | Time~6 months |
| 15 | #15Thailand | RouteResidence by investment | Figure · source $500,000 Wealthy Global Citizen: ≥US$1,000,000 assets plus US$500,000 Thai investment Confirmedltr.boi.go.thchecked Jun 2026 | Time~2 months |
| 16 | #16United Arab Emirates | RouteResidence by investment | Figure · source AED 2,000,000 Property or fund deposit ≥ AED 2,000,000; held three years; no minimum stay Confirmedu.aechecked Jun 2026 | Time~2 months |
| 17 | #17Portugal | RouteResidence by investment | Figure · source €500,000 EUR 500,000 CMVM-regulated fund route (real-estate route removed 2023) ConfirmedLaw 56/2023 (Mais Habitacao)checked Jun 2026 | TimeVerifying |
| 18 | #18United States | RouteResidence by investment | Figure · source $800,000 TEA 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 Jun 2026
United Kingdom passport mobility
Visa-free or visa-on-arrival to 186 destinations
Ranked 2 of the 44 nationalities pass2port currently covers
Confirmeden.wikipedia.orgchecked Jun 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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