Since the pandemic started, the demand among Americans for a second passport has skyrocketed. This dramatic increase in applications is a testament to their hunger for more mobility and security around the globe. Arton Capital, a firm that specializes in citizenship planning, saw a record-breaking 400 percent spike of US clients. This increase happened just in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the first quarter of 2024. Similarly, Latitude, another prominent player in the field, noted an astonishing 1,000 percent rise in US applications for second citizenship or residency since 2020. Taken together, these trends demonstrate US nationals’ desire for openness and willingness to venture beyond the familiar. They are motivated by soaring political challenges and economic unknowns.
The Drivers Behind the Increase
This trend towards gaining second or alternate citizenships has been turbocharged by a perfect storm of factors, including the pandemic, political upheaval and economic anxiety. Donald Trump’s election as president appears to have stoked the fire for this movement. Whether to work, retire or study, a record number of Americans are looking beyond U.S. shores. Like other consulting firms, Toronto-based Arton Capital has seen a dramatic rise in inquiries. High-net-worth individuals and smart professionals are sounding alarms about the growing political tempest.
Train smart bi-directionally
Picture this. Concurrently, the US is unique in that it taxes its citizens and long term residents on their worldwide income, regardless of where they live. This has caused a number of people to look elsewhere to places with more attractive tax climates. Christopher Willis, an expert in citizenship planning, encapsulates this sentiment aptly:
“It’s better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.” – Christopher Willis
Citizenship by Descent: A Popular Pathway
Tens of thousands of US nationals are researching citizenship by descent as a practical way to obtain a second passport. Countries like Ireland, Poland, Germany and Italy have more permissive laws that allow people to apply for citizenship. To qualify, applicants have to demonstrate their ancestry from nationals of those countries. Italy’s policy is hard to beat. It’s a program that enables anyone who can prove their citizenship by following their family line back to an Italian citizen, even if that citizen is many generations removed.
Basil Mohr-Elzeki, managing partner at Henley and Partners, emphasizes the generational thinking among Americans:
“When a citizenship is obtained, it often passes down by descent.” – Basil Mohr-Elzeki
Since 2023, this new pathway has been subject to an amazing 500 percent explosion in application. Many of these applicants are uniquely retroactively qualifying under Italian ancestry.
Investment Schemes: A Fast-Track Option
If you want to get second citizenship as fast as possible, check out the investment schemes. Countries such as Portugal, Malta, and numerous Caribbean islands are rolling out attractive and in-demand programs. According to Latitude, among its US clients, more and more are selecting Portugal’s Golden Visa as their number one goto choice. Malta and the Caribbean nations are a distant second in popularity. These programs usually offer passports in as little as six months in return for large investments.
With all that in mind, the UAE’s Golden Visa looks like a dream offer. To become eligible, people must either purchase about $545,000 worth of property or deposit the equivalent in approved banks. Latitude’s clients are on the cutting edge—selling assets, reconfiguring their balance sheets, and committing lifestyle changes to seize and win these opportunities.
For all this sudden interest, nearly 80 percent of Latitude’s US clients are not yet looking to move in the near term. Rather, they prefer the dreams of having that option, and learn more about that with our “Are You Ready?” soccatch the future.
Political Climate and Safety Concerns
It’s not just Americans moved by the more than 500 mass shootings, and counting, this year. Second, they feel alarmed, not just by a rise in racism, which seems clear and palpable. Lesperance, a citizenship consultant, has observed:
“Mass shootings, a dramatic increase in … racism. And if you’re politically active, it means half the country doesn’t like you.” – Lesperance
These issues are inspiring people to move to safer communities where they feel safer. Lesperance predicts a continued rise in the number of Americans renouncing their US citizenship as they pursue these alternate options:
“We still believe there will be a sharp increase in the numbers of renouncing citizens.” – Lesperance
