The Worst Second Passport to Buy 

The 2 Key Points to Know About Getting Citizenship by Investment…

When it comes to passports, not just any will do. 

Hundreds of people who acquired passports by “investment” in Dominica and Vanuatu learned that the hard way. 

This week, the Home Office—the department of the U.K. government responsible for immigration and security—confirmed that it’s imposing visa restrictions on travel to the U.K. for nationals of Dominica and Vanuatu, including transit visas. Both countries run low-cost citizenship by investment programs. In Dominica, for example, it’s possible to acquire a passport for as little as $150,000. 

The U.K. accuses both governments of failing to conduct appropriate due diligence on prospective citizens. Immigration authorities discovered that individuals who had previously been denied visas to enter the U.K. had attempted to do so on those countries’ passports.  

The action on Vanuatu is unsurprising.  

In South Africa, where I’m based, the Vanuatu program is infamous for having sold citizenship and passports to the Gupta brothers, Indian nationals who engineered a massive program of state corruption that cost South African taxpayers billions. They managed to escape extradition from the United Arab Emirates to South Africa by claiming Vanuatu citizenship, which they had acquired whilst on the run from an Interpol Red Notice.  

Investigators have documented many similar cases. Early last year, the European Union withdrew visa free travel benefits to holders of Vanuatu passports. That means such persons are now excluded from all of Europe unless they can acquire a visa. 

The action against Dominica, on the other hand, was unexpected.  

The program has been popular over the years, and respected immigration and citizenship specialists I know have worked with it closely. I personally visited the Caribbean island country some years ago to interview immigration specialists and government officials and considered the program above board.  

In Dominica’s case, immigration consultants in the Middle East had advised applicants to hide the fact that the U.K. had previously denied them visas. The Dominican authorities failed to confirm this and granted them citizenship. Even though the Dominican program isn’t accused of Vanuatu-style corruption, this breakdown in its due diligence systems was enough to earn them a sanction from the U.K. 

This is a particularly serious blow to Dominica, a Commonwealth country formerly part of the British Empire. Authorities there are moving aggressively to address the issue, by withdrawing citizenship from individuals identified as having obtained it fraudulently by withholding information.  

Given the importance of the program to the country’s finances—as well as the possibility that the EU could join the U.K. in suspending visa free access—I expect the country’s time in the diplomatic sin bin to be brief and the government to rectify the situation. The six Caribbean countries that offer citizenship by investment have already been taking steps to establish common norms and standards.  

Nevertheless, the sanctions will have a significant impact on anyone who has acquired a Dominican passport in the past—especially if the EU follows suit. Innocent individuals traveling on the country’s passport will face lengthy and expensive visa applications and extra attention from immigration authorities if they manage to acquire one.  

These developments illustrate two critical points about acquiring citizenship by investment. 

First, even if your own purchase of a passport is completely above board, your ability to use it will depend on the future operation of the country’s program. Changes in government and in bureaucracy could lead to withdrawal of the travel privileges you were after when you acquired the passport.  

Second, it’s critical to investigate citizenship consultants carefully before submitting an application using their services. There are dozens of consultancy operations on the internet offering citizenship-by-investment services. Acquiring a second passport via a consultancy with a track record of misbehavior could end up tainting your own application, and even your new citizenship. 

Citizenship by investment is a perfectly legitimate way to get a second passport… but the due diligence process must work both ways.  

That’s precisely why my team and I are working to develop a new service aimed at people looking to acquire second citizenships or long-term visas. Amongst other things, it’ll be your first line of due diligence!