Easiest countries to get citizenship in 2026

The easiest route to a passport depends on what you already have: money, time to live in a country, ancestry or a spouse. We compare the countries on each route: timelines, amounts and the main conditions.

In detail

The easiest country to get citizenship is the one whose route matches what you already have: money, time, ancestry or a spouse. By investment, Vanuatu, Nauru and the Caribbean states grant passports fastest, in 1-6 months from $90,000. Without investment, Argentina and Peru have the shortest wait: 2 years of living there.

Below we compare five routes: investment, residence, descent, marriage and special cases. For each one: where it is easiest, how long it takes and where applicants most often stumble. A Murblz manager will match the route to your family and take you through it.

Easiest countries to get citizenship: the short answer

Citizenship is easiest by investment in Vanuatu, Nauru and the Caribbean, after 2 years of residence in Argentina or Peru, or by descent in Latvia and Ireland. Which of these is easiest for you depends on your budget, your readiness to move and your family history.

Data for 2026.

The shortest timeline is not always the easiest route. An investment programme takes months but needs at least $90,000 and a clean background check. Naturalisation costs almost nothing but takes years of real life in the country. Descent gives an EU passport without moving, if your ancestor's records survive.

The easiest citizenship by investment

The easiest route for money is the programmes of Vanuatu, Nauru and the Caribbean states: no residence, no language and no exams, with a decision in 1-6 months. In most programmes the money goes to a state fund and is not returned; Türkiye, with its property route, is the exception.

Data for 2026. Amounts are per main applicant, before due diligence fees.

Vanuatu has the shortest stated timeframe, Nauru and São Tomé and Príncipe the lowest contribution, and St Kitts and Nevis the most visa-free destinations. Dominica is the cheapest of the Caribbean programmes. Only Türkiye leaves you with an asset: the property can be sold after 3 years.

The ease of these programmes ends at due diligence. Every applicant and the source of their money are checked thoroughly, due diligence fees run from $6,000 to $10,000 per main applicant, and they are not refunded after a refusal. That is why we prepare the income and source of funds documents before filing. All 14 programmes with family prices are in our review of citizenship by investment.

Countries that grant citizenship after 1-3 years of residence

Argentina and Peru grant a passport fastest for living in the country, after 2 years, and Kyrgyzstan does it after 1 year for former Soviet citizens. This route needs no investment: you need a residence permit and years of real life in the country.

Data for 2026.

Here the ease is in the cost, not the timeline. In Argentina the court charges no fee, and government fees for residence and the passport come to about $210 per adult. The Argentine passport opens 169 destinations without a visa, including the Schengen area, the United Kingdom and Japan.

The main condition is the same everywhere: the years must really be spent in the country. Courts and agencies count trips abroad, and in Paraguay the three years start only from the permanent residence decision, not from the move. We handle the whole route: we choose the ground for the residence permit, track your days in the country and prepare the application documents.

The easiest countries to get citizenship by descent

By descent, Latvia, Ireland, Lithuania and Bulgaria grant passports most easily: no language, no move, and a decision in 1 month to 1 year. You need documents linking you to an ancestor who was a citizen.

Data for 2026.

The most common obstacle here is paperwork, not the law. Ancestors' records often sit in archives of several countries, with names spelt differently in each. All 13 countries and how to find the documents are in our guide to citizenship by descent.

Where citizenship by marriage is easiest

By marriage, Spain grants citizenship fastest, after 1 year of living there, then Italy after 2 years, and Portugal and Türkiye after 3 years of marriage. Marriage alone gives a passport nowhere: the spouse first gets a residence permit or completes the required years of marriage.

• Spain: 1 year of lawful residence if the marriage has lasted at least a year, plus Spanish and civics exams.
• Italy: 2 years of living in Italy married, 1 year with shared children, Italian at B1.
• Portugal: 3 years of marriage; living in the country is not required, a connection to Portugal is.
• Türkiye: 3 years of marriage and living together, no language exam.

Timelines for 17 countries are in our guide to citizenship by marriage.

The easiest European countries to get citizenship

In Europe citizenship is easiest by descent or by marriage: the EU has not sold passports for investment since 24 July 2025. Through a residence permit the route takes 5 to 10 years.

• Germany - 5 years of residence, your previous citizenship is kept.
• Malta - about 5 years of residence after permanent residence for contributions and property.
• Greece - 7 years of residence after a residence permit for investment from $280,000.
• Portugal - since 19 May 2026, 10 years instead of 5, and 7 for citizens of the EU and Portuguese-speaking countries.
• Spain - 10 years, 1 year for spouses of citizens.

Next to the EU, Türkiye grants a passport for investment: from $400,000 in property, with a decision in 4-8 months. Every remaining route to an EU passport is in EU citizenship by investment.

Where you can get citizenship without living in the country

Without living in the country, citizenship comes by investment, by descent, and in Portugal by marriage. Every other route requires years of residence.

• By investment: Vanuatu, Nauru, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sierra Leone, the 5 Caribbean states and Türkiye.
• By descent: Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Ireland, Italy.
• By marriage: Portugal after 3 years of marriage.

Citizenship without a language test

All investment programmes and several descent routes grant a passport without a language test: Latvia, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania and Bulgaria. Naturalisation almost always requires the language.

Brazil requires Portuguese at intermediate level or higher, Ecuador Spanish and a test, Spain Spanish at A2 and a test, and Canada language and a test for ages 18-54. By marriage, Türkiye has no language exam.

Restrictions for some nationalities

For citizens of some countries the list of easy routes is shorter: the 5 Caribbean programmes do not accept citizens of Russia and Belarus, and St Kitts and Nevis also bars Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and North Korea.

• Nauru accepts citizens of Russia and Belarus only on extra conditions, such as a residence permit in the EU, the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or Switzerland.
• São Tomé and Príncipe has not accepted applicants who already hold 3 or more foreign nationalities since 10 April 2026.
• Türkiye and Vanuatu set no separate nationality bans.
• Naturalisation, descent and marriage follow the same rules for everyone.

Whether you can keep your first passport depends on the country that issued it, see which countries allow dual citizenship.

How to choose the easiest route for your family

Start with ancestry and family, then decide whether you are ready to live in the country, and only then budget for an investment programme. In order:

1. Check your ancestors and your spouse: descent and marriage often give a passport cheapest and fastest.
2. Decide whether your family is ready to live in the country for 2-5 years. If so, look at Argentina, Peru, Mexico and Uruguay.
3. If you do not want to move, compare investment programmes by contribution, timeframe and passport strength.
4. Check whether the country of your first passport allows dual citizenship.
5. Check the restrictions for your nationality before paying any fees.

If what you need is the right to live abroad rather than a passport, compare the easiest countries to get permanent residency. Our second passport quiz narrows the options to your budget, and a manager will build the exact route for your family.

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