Why Is Everyone Getting Double Passports? Expert Says Dual Citizenship 'No-Brainer For Those Who Are Eligible'

With the world in a period of political crisis, economic instability, and the increase in travel bans, the dual citizenship movement has taken off in the world as people demand more freedom, stability, and intercultural connections.

Since stars such as George Clooney have gained French nationality granted through legality and 'distinguished service', the second passport race has become a hallmark of the 21st century.

The increasing phenomenon of dual citizenship

Although exact numbers are impossible to estimate, it can be seen that there is a considerable rise in dual citizenship across the globe. Census data published in the UK in 2021 shows that in England and Wales alone, 2.1% of the population had a number of passports in 2021, compared to 2% in 2011.

Likewise, a survey in the US indicates that 6% of the citizens consider themselves as dual citizens, with different groups becoming curious.

This tendency cuts across different categories: permanent immigrants who want not to lose connection with their countries, international elites who want to increase their mobility rates and average citizens who simply want to find a safety net in times of political unrest.

In late 2025, a Gallup poll indicated that one out of every five Americans said they wished to emigrate, particularly women in the age bracket of 15-44, indicating stronger global mobility desires.

Who has more passports now?

Traditionally, dual citizenship has been a favourite among immigrants who naturalise in the new countries but still retain their reputed nationality. The rich have in more recent times adopted it as a business, investment and travelling tool. But the present geopolitical situation has extended this appeal.

Increasingly high-net-worths are seeking second passports, not to travel, but as insurance policies against political instability, financial shocks or anti-democratic policies.

The British citizens, particularly after Brexit, have also flocked into the top 5 nationalities seeking second passports, driven by limited movement and taxation issues.

Tropes to second citizenship

There are three major ways through which individuals may obtain dual nationality, which are descent, investment, and naturalisation. By descent, citizenship is established by demonstration of ancestry, country to country. Inclusion of naturalisation must be based on legal residence, which is five to ten years, language and cultural and background checks.

Golden passports, or investment-based citizenship, involve hefty contributions to the economy of a particular country, which allow one to have residency or citizenship privileges.

These pathways are evolving. Some countries, such as Italy, which traditionally passed on and even allowed several generations to do so, made their regulations stricter in 2025 and limited the number of generations of descent to two, as well as suggested new charges to expatriates.

Portugal is weighing up tightening its residency requirements, whereas Sweden and Poland are thinking of prolonging naturalisation.

In the meantime, citizenship by investment is still controversial. Malta, Cyprus and Spain are European countries that have reduced or ended their programmes due to the scrutiny of the EU, which is concerned about the commodification of citizenship.

On the other hand, such Caribbean countries as Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, and St. Kitts and Nevis still provide investment options, where rich investors can apply to obtain visa-free travel and to avoid politics.

Advantages and disadvantages of being a dual citizen

Dual passports are offering real benefits: they include an easy life of travelling, employment and education, ownership of property and even start-up of businesses in foreign countries. They also promote emotional connection with the homelands of ancestry, which strengthens cultural identity, a phenomenon which is experienced among the Irish and Italian diasporas.

Nevertheless, there exist significant risks.

Taxation may be complicated; the US and Eritrea, as an example, require the citizens of the country to be taxed as long as they are not residents of other countries.

Other countries, such as Italy, have suggested charging expats using the healthcare system, and the obligation to serve in the army can make renunciations challenging, especially in a country such as Russia or Turkey, where military service is mandatory even for dual citizens.

There is also a legal restriction. Others, such as Iran, Cuba and North Korea, disallow dual citizenship. It does not have official status in other countries, including China, India and Japan, but India grants limited Overseas Citizenship status.

The renunciation is frequently required when a country such as Spain or the Netherlands acquires a new nationality and, in some instances, is automatic.

The politics of dual citizenship: limitations and suggestions

The political events in 2025 were similar, as the scepticism increased. Some of the European nations made citizenship regulations stricter, limiting descent and increasing the residency standards. The new Italian legislation, being questioned in court, restrictions on citizenship by descent and the threat to take rights away retroactively generate questions about constitutional protection of the law.

On the side of the United States, an Exclusive Citizenship Act proposal by Ohio Senator Bernie Moreno tried to deprive Americans of dual citizenship and claimed that they should be loyal to the US.

Analysts have ruled the bill as a meaningless piece of legislation, and it is unlikely to survive needed constitutional scrutiny at a time of high rates of dual citizenship among Americans, including the high-profile ones.

It seems like the golden passport is phasing out

European countries have taken a strong step toward abolishing so-called gold-passport programmes, which is due to the security, transparency and integrity of citizenship. The programme in Malta was abolished by the EU decisions in 2025; another programme was limited by Cyprus and Bulgaria. The termination of the Spanish golden visa programme was a trend across Europe.

In the meantime, smaller states, such as Nauru, started to introduce creative programmes, e.g., the 2024 Climate Resilience Citizenship Program, where investments in environmental initiatives are required. Such specific plans focus on luring politically neutral investors, which is a sign of a transition towards strategic, mission-orientated citizenship services.

Should you act now?

To professionals, it is best to act immediately. The laws and programmes of citizenship are changing quickly, and in most cases they are being tightened or even made costlier. To the financially endowed or those with family history, a second passport may make good insurance against international turmoil.

The advantages of having plenty of travel options, cultural connectivity and a safety net are strong even to those who are not intending to emigrate. What is agreeable is easy to guess: take what you can get, as the terrain of global citizenship is increasingly more complicated and competitive.