Ways to get a passport

  • April 2025
  • Blog

A passport is a travel document that certifies an individual's membership in a specific country and is issued once citizenship of that country has been obtained.

In this article we provide some clarifications on the most common questions that arise on the topic of passports: How do you get a passport? Can I have multiple passports at the same time? Are there different rules for purchasing a passport in different countries?

Premise

As anticipated, having a passport of a State means being a citizen of that State, and Citizenship is the legal and political status of an individual that confers specific rights and duties within the state to which he or she belongs.

Citizenship, and therefore the passport, It is usually acquired by birth within the territory of the State or by naturalization, or after having spent a certain period of time as a resident in the country.

It is important to say that Each country has its own requirements and criteria for granting citizenship, which generally include criteria such as length of residence, knowledge of the language and culture.

Citizenship offers numerous advantages, such as the right to vote, unlimited travel on a passport, access to social welfare benefits and government protection internationally.

Being a citizen means having been officially recognized as belonging to a particular country, state or group of states; obviously Along with rights, specific duties are also acquired, including respecting the laws of the state and paying taxes.

Since the possibility of obtaining dual citizenship is now recognized in most countries around the world, albeit with some limitations, It is therefore permitted to request and possess more than one passport, with excellent advantages in terms of diversification.

Let's now go into detail and analyze the different ways to obtain a passport.

Citizenship by law of the soil

The principle of ius soli (from the Latin “right of the soil”) provides that citizenship is acquired by being born in the territory of the State, regardless of the citizenship of the parents. Citizenship, therefore, is linked to place of birth.

This method of acquiring citizenship is typical especially in countries on the American continent such as the USA, Canada, Mexico, Argentina and Brazil, while to date in no European country does the “pure” ius soli apply.: to obtain citizenship, in fact, it is not enough to be born in the territory of the State, but one must have other requirements or fall within particular cases or exceptions expressly provided for by law.

In these cases we speak of different forms of "tempered" or "conditional" ius soli, in force in countries such as Belgium, Germany, Portugal and Ireland. where citizenship is acquired at birth if the parents, even if foreign, have resided in the country for a certain period of time.

In other countries, however, such as France, Luxembourg, Spain and the Netherlands, the conditional ius soli requires that at least one of the two parents was born in the country in question. and citizenship can be acquired once one reaches the age of majority automatically or following a specific request.

However, it is good to remember that Each country has its own specific legislation on the matter with different requirements and timeframes for obtaining citizenship and a passport.

Citizenship by right of blood

Not in all countries, then, the ius soli rule applies to the acquisition of citizenship, by virtue of which anyone born in the territory of a State automatically acquires the citizenship of that country.

Species with reference to EU countries, the principle of ius sanguinis prevails, according to which an individual's citizenship is acquired through descent or filiation.

Citizenship based on ius sanguinis (or "right of blood") indicates the transmission of the parent's citizenship to the offspring, therefore on the basis of descent and not of place of birth.

More some countries that provide for the transmission of citizenship by law of blood also offer the possibility of obtaining it citizenship by descent in favor of those who can demonstrate that they have a direct ancestor who is a citizen of that country, by making a specific request for citizenship recognition with the required documentation attached as proof of kinship and satisfaction of the requirements set by the law of the country.

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Citizenship by Investment (CBI programs)

Some countries offer citizenship by investment programs (Citizenship by Investments programs) which allow people to obtain citizenship in a particular country by investing in that state's economy or real estate market.

Citizenship by investment programs are constantly changing under the supervision of the EU Commission, with changes in requirements or minimum amounts (as happened for the CBIs of the Caribbean countries) and in recent years some have been closed and new ones opened.  

CBIs cover the entire world from the Caribbean with St. Kitts and Nevis, El Salvador and Antigua and Barbuda, to Europe with Malta and Türkiye, to Oceania with Vanuatu and the very recent Nauru.

Each program has unique requirements, with investment amounts ranging from a minimum of $130.000 up to $2 million.

Most countries do not require you to spend a long period of time there to obtain citizenship. In Malta, for example, you only need to spend a few weeks with a residence permit before becoming a citizen.

Citizenship by naturalization

Generally Citizenship by naturalization is obtained following a long period of residence within the country.

This way of obtaining citizenship of a particular country does not depend on the place of birth or the citizenship of the parents, although these factors may cause variations in the time it takes to obtain a passport.

On average Citizenship by naturalization requires 5 to 10 years of residence in the territory in the case of European countries, while the average is shorter for overseas states, particularly in South America.

In some countries there is also an alternative route which consists of obtaining a temporary or permanent residence permit, without being forced to stay there, but with the only obligation to return at least once a year or once every six months according to the country's regulations.

After a certain period of time, which generally ranges from three to five years, and after passing a language or history test, it will be possible to submit the application for naturalization.

This possibility is offered in certain developing countries and is mainly of interest to entrepreneurs and investors who wish to obtain a second citizenship without having to move to another country for many years.

In most developed countries, as mentioned, you will still have to stay in the country for a longer period of time.

Citizenship by marriage

One of the options to speed up the timing related to obtaining a passport of a country by naturalization, It is represented by the possibility of applying for citizenship following marriage to a citizen of that country. 

In Italy, eg, the spouse, foreigner or stateless person, can acquire Italian citizenship when, after marriage, he or she has legally resided for at least two years in the territory of the Republic, or after three years if resident abroad.

There are many countries that offer this opportunity, particularly in South America, and the timeframes may be further reduced in the case of the presence of children born or adopted by the married couple.

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