How to Get a Second Passport – Our Law Firm receives many inquiries from clients around the world for 2nd passports and second citizenship. Generally these programs require a person to have a large amount of money that can be invested.
The Panama Instant Passport Program requires a person to deposit approximately $175,000 in a bank in Panama for five years in exchange for $750.00 a month in bank interest paid monthly and a five-year passport, including five years of residency.
Not everyone has that kind of money to invest, although they can refuse to renew the program after five years and just take their money back so the program is practically free.
The concern with this program is what if it isn’t available in five years? What if the program needs more money at the end of five years for renewal?
Obtaining a Second Passport
Do I need to present another passport to renew this passport at the end of five years or can I renew based on the Panama Passport? We don’t know what the renewal terms will be in five years.
This encourages us to take alternative steps for those who wish to leave their home country and start a new life with a new residence, citizenship, passport, driver’s license, bank account and Visa card. It’s basically a new beginning.
South America Passport-Free Travel – In the European Union one can travel around various countries based on a National Citizenship or Permanent Resident Identification Card.
This eliminates the need for a passport unless one is traveling by plane or outside the EU. Some air travel may be possible without a passport in the EU. Many don’t know if South America also operates this way.
Why South America – A number of reasons. The most affordable real estate. Good, cheap medical care with insurance is available to most people. The hospital may be better than usual. The doctor called home.
Dentistry is affordable for almost everyone. The food is basically pure like organic and cheap. Car prices are almost the same. The governments are stable, some of them more stable than others, except for the homeless; most people living in cars, etc. not present. Domestic helpers earn $120 to $250 per month.
Full-time drivers earn $150 to $325 per month. Crime is lower than in North America or Europe. Gun ownership is very easy in some countries. Prescriptions can generally be purchased without a doctor’s prescription with a few exceptions such as severe pain medication and sleeping medication.
Most of the countries we deal with will not tax money coming in from outside their country. Some have some kind of banking secret. Freedom is high; taxes for most of you will be non-existent in the new country.
These countries have criminalized business and their governments tend to focus on real crimes. South America generally has poor relations with many countries with high taxes and invasive privacy.
South America even established its own IMF and World Bank called Bank Sur, Bank of the South. Actually it’s open. South America is the place to make a new beginning. It has everything you have now and in the future. You will probably live calmer and better.
Differences between the European Union and South America – Some of you may be thinking why don’t I go to the EU to get residency. Most of the things clients want to avoid will happen in the EU and even more so. There is a serious loss of privacy.
Bank secrets and company secrets are generally just a memory. Taxes have reached 80% in several European countries, there are indeed some social services available, but for those of you with high incomes, taxation like this will be torturous.
Plan that foreign income will be taxed and at a high rate. Plan for very invasive filing requirements. Plan to pay a high VAT rate in addition to other taxes, think 25%. Real estate prices will be at least four times higher than in South America and in some cases much higher than that.
Lawyers can hang around there because actions related to events in one country can be collected in any EU country. Forget asset protection in the EU. The cost of living is generally higher than where you come from.
Weather conditions are generally not tropical or even semi-tropical but are suitable for snow skiing and ice skating. Crime is present in significant levels. I understand that not all countries implement all of these factors simultaneously.
Andean Community of Nations – This is basically a trading bloc in South America consisting of: Bolivia, Colombia, Peru and Ecuador. These countries allow cross-border travel if one holds a residence identity card from one of these countries and they also grant privileges to those holding a residence identity card from any Mercosur country including associate members. (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela).
Mercosur – Mersocur is another trading bloc in South America that allows those holding resident ID cards to cross the border without a passport. Mercosur consists of Paraguay, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Venezuela.
South America Passport Free Travel- This means one can travel passport free in these 10 countries – Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, Venezuela, Bolivia, Colombia, Peru and Ecuador.
Housing Allowance – Obtaining a residence identity card from several countries takes only 30 days. Typically a temporary card is issued and becomes permanent in about six months.
A letter with a temporary card is usually required stating that a permanent card has been used to allow cross-border travel with a temporary residence card. This is easy to get. Obtaining a Passport generally takes time with the exception of Panama’s Instant Passport Program, which requires 60 days.
Many economic Citizenship programs take six months or more to obtain a passport and the investment required is usually over $350,000 and this is not money you get back someday like the Panama Instant Passport Program.
Time of Residence Requirement in Country
It usually takes about 30 days to register when you must remain in the country. Please note that this may vary from country to country. Usually you have to come back for a few weeks to collect your permanent residence card. You should plan to spend a few weeks a year in the country until you get your passport. Then two to five years later.
Getting a Passport – This can vary from country to country. The shortest period is that a person must have a permanent residence permit for two years and in other countries three years or five years. REMEMBER you can always get a Panama Passport, valid for five years in sixty days. Then you have a five-year passport, which will take you until the South American country issues your passport.
Time Spent in Other Participating Countries – You are allowed to stay for very long periods of time, months or even years. You are free to come and go just by showing your identity card. You can live in other countries listed, working is a different issue that each country needs to address with legal counsel in that country as there may be many variables involved.
Banking as a Resident – Once you have your permanent residency card which takes about six months, opening a bank account in the country without having to show your old country’s passport won’t be difficult at all. If the residence is temporary, the bank will want a passport from somewhere.
When you have a permanent resident card, opening a bank account will be easy without you needing to show your passport at the bank that registers the account to citizens of whatever country your passport comes from. It will help to obtain a driver’s license in that country, which usually only requires showing an existing driver’s license. You should be prepared with a local address and phone when opening a bank account with just your residence ID.
Civil Debts in Your New Country – Generally existing civil debts will not carry over to your new country. We always recommend banking in Panama through the Panama Private Interest Foundation or anonymous bearer shares of the Panama Corporation. Panama Foundation has excellent asset protection features.
The banks in Panama are world class, which may not be the case in the country that gives you residency. Panama has no tax treaties or civil judgment collection agreements with other countries.
The right thing is to bank in Panama and transfer money to live on a few times a year to your new country of residence if you choose to live there year-round. After all, civil judgments, lawsuits, etc. which most likely will not take you to your new country of residence.
How do creditors know where you are, you do banking transactions with anonymous foundations in Panama, right. These countries are intolerant of cross-border civil proceedings.
Which Countries – We work with 10 countries and can vary countries to suit clients’ needs. Some clients want a country that is cheap to live in, safe, with good food, weather and health. Some want more of a metropolitan type environment with lots of nightlife. Some look for beaches. Some want to go snow skiing. Talk to us; tell us what you need, that’s what we’re here for.
Uruguay – This is our favorite. This is the easiest and most direct way to get this residence for cross-border travel. There are several residency requirements that are easy to meet. You can start a business in the duty-free trade zone and employ yourself.
You can show proof of income such as bank statements, this is not retirement income, but rather any income such as self-employment income, house rental income, investment income etc. You can buy or rent a house. You can deposit the money in the bank ($5000.00). It’s easy to qualify with several different options available.
General Requirements – You need police permission. You must undergo a thorough physical examination in Uruguay. You will need a passport, birth certificate, and marriage certificate. You will need birth certificates for minor children and spouses. You must be able to obtain a Visa to travel to Uruguay.
Name Change – We are not involved with name changes. If you really want to draw attention to yourself, this is the way to do it. This is the biggest red flag you can wave. Many institutions and governments around the world are embracing name changes.
If you need a name change, consider applying after you have had permanent residency for some time, not as a new applicant, but again we are not involved in name changes so you will have to do it yourself or hire a local lawyer. for help.
Police Record – If you have a police record, you may be eligible to apply. This depends on a number of variables such as time of offense, sentence, offense, and country. Items that are difficult to agree on are criminal sentences of more than one year in prison, sentences for drugs, money laundering, arms trafficking, terrorism, sexual offenses involving coercion or minors, and violent crimes.
Feel free to discuss this with us if you wish. No one knows what will happen until a complete application is submitted to immigration authorities and a decision is made. We can’t ask for their opinion without them seeing the full implementation. A criminal record may result in application denial.
Immigration Office
Will You Appear Personally at the Immigration Office – The answer is yes. They will take your fingerprints and photograph you. They will check with Interpol. You will be accompanied by a local attorney who speaks English and Spanish so you don’t have to worry about translations.
Your identity card will be collected by you and a local attorney at the immigration office. You will pose for photos at the immigration office. These are the programs above that are all run through the country’s immigration department. It will all be done in a large official government building in the country.
Extradition Considerations
If you are detained, charged or criminally charged, released on bail or bond, or already convicted and attempting to flee before reporting a conviction, these programs are NOT for you. We can’t help you at all. You will fail a police record check and Interpol will flag you.
This will result in your being handed over to authorities in the country of origin of the violation. You will only have tourist status in the country where you apply, as the application has not been approved and tourists do not get special consideration in these circumstances.
No country in the UN wants to provide safe haven to fleeing or wanted criminals. If one country does this, many countries will do it and the result will be a wave of cross-border crime. This did not happen.
Exceptions or extradition protections generally only apply to citizens or permanent residents AND they must have had that status BEFORE the crime was committed. Usually there are exceptions for drug cases and narcotics cases can also be extradited. When a country refuses extradition, it usually offers to try the person for crimes in their own country using their own justice system.
This is often a joke as other countries have to mobilize lawyers to prepare for and attend trials, plus bring witnesses and evidence to the country. Even so, a court or jury may be very reluctant to hand down a guilty verdict.
However, the extradition request is based on agreements called Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties between countries. So we have to read the individual agreements that the two countries have signed to begin to understand some of the factors that influence this.
Then comes publicity, the severity of the crime, and so on, which also seem to have an impact on things at times. Some of these agreements have elements of double criminality in them. This generally means that the crime in question must be a crime in both countries.
This prevents claims from occurring for things such as religious, political and racial discrimination that the person would not experience in their own country. Remember, if the crime occurred before a residence permit or citizenship was granted, usually the door to extradition is still open, but again this is not absolute. We do not specialize in extradition cases nor do we handle them.
Cost – This will vary from country to country. Plan on a $14,000 fee for Uruguay. You will be charged additional fees for document certification, photos, travel, housing, filing fees (generally under $500) and so on. These additional costs are usually not a major consideration.
What is the easiest country to get dual citizenship in Europe? Portugal, Spain, and Greece offer more accessible citizenship options, especially through investment or Europe Golden Visa programs. Malta and Cyprus also have investment citizenship alternatives.
Which country is best for dual citizenship? Citizens of the United States may apply for dual citizenship with New Zealand. Dual citizenship with New Zealand is one of the best dual citizenship for US citizens. The process usually involves meeting residency requirements, filling out an application, maybe taking a citizenship exam, and paying related expenses.
What Are the Requirements for buy a Second Passport? · Have a clean criminal record. · Show the legal source of the investment funds.
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