Don’t Fall for a Bogus Passport

When I was a teenager, I was a fan of the Rolling Stones. I bought their 1971 album, Sticky Fingers, immediately after its release.

Unfortunately, the record was unplayable. The slider of a working zipper on the cover had pressed into the vinyl – making the third track, “Wild Horses,” skip. As a result, when Mick Jagger sang, “Wild horses couldn’t drag me away,” the record went no further. “Wild horses couldn’t drag me away” played over and over again until I physically picked up the tonearm and moved the needle beyond the indentation in the vinyl.

I thought of this episode in my life when preparing today’s article, because it may sound like a broken record. That’s because the topic I’m writing about – passport scams – is not a new one for me. Indeed, I just did a Web search with my name on this topic and found that I’ve written at least three warnings on the subject in the last few years.

Is buying a shady second passport worth the risk? I don’t think so, but the companies dealing in these documents continue to flourish, so they’re obviously finding a ready market.

Like it or not, if you’re looking for a second passport, there are only a few legitimate options. The best way to qualify for one is through your ancestry. If your parents (sometimes grandparents) were born in another country, there’s a good chance you qualify for citizenship there. Ireland is the best known example, but there are many others. To find out, do some research on the Internet or contact the nearest consulate of that country to see if you qualify.

Another route to a second passport is your spouse. If he or she has a citizenship other than the one you have, there’s likely a procedure in place where you can acquire it as well. Again, do some research to find out.

The best option is ordinary naturalization in another country. In most cases, that requires that you first qualify for residence. You must then live in that country for at least two years (more commonly, 5-10 years) until you qualify for citizenship. Once you do, you can then apply for a passport. Argentina, Peru, and the Dominican Republic are probably the easiest countries to qualify for citizenship after a relatively short period of legal residence.

Finally, there are a handful of officially recognized programs that provide a 100% legal path to citizenship and passports in a reasonably short time. The most affordable of these programs are in the Caribbean: the Commonwealth of Dominica, St. Kitts & Nevis, and most recently, Antigua & Barbuda and Grenada. In the EU, both Cyprus and Malta have much more expensive citizenship-by-investment programs.

Depending on your family situation (and whom you want to join you), these programs range in price from under $150,000 to well over $1 million.

Like it or not, in the world of second passports, there’s really no such thing as a “free lunch.” Anyone who says anything to the contrary is either a fool or just trying to take your money.

Reprinted with permission from Nestmann.com.