The concept of citizenship has been around for millennia, as ancient Greek states, like Athens, pioneered the idea of giving individuals citizenship. Citizens in Athens had the right to own property, run for political office, vote on administrative affairs, and fully contribute to the economy. 

Citizens now have full rights within their country, but their status comes with responsibilities such as avoiding any criminal conduct, contributing to the economy, and respecting the rights of other citizens.

Many consider getting a second citizenship a complex process because most of the routes to becoming a dual citizen are quite long or demand extremely specific requirements. Here are the main routes to acquiring a second citizenship:

• Naturalisation – the most common, and longest, route to obtaining a second citizenship; naturalisation occurs when a person spends a specific amount of years as a resident of a nation until they can apply to become a citizen under the host country’s laws. 
• Citizenship by Marriage – in most countries, if you marry a citizen of that country then you are eligible to apply for citizenship, either directly or after obtaining a residence permit and then becoming a citizen through naturalisation.
• Citizenship by Descent – this route is fairly simple, but extremely exclusive. Countries such as Serbia, Ireland, and others offer people with ancestors who were citizens of a particular nation the chance to apply for citizenship. However, proving ancestry can be a complex process depending on the documentation required, and it is very specific to a small portion of the world’s population.
• Exceptional Citizenship – in some cases, a country can grant people Exceptional Citizenship. However, this option is an extremely rare occurrence and usually granted to high-profile people like Tom Hanks, who obtained Greek Exceptional Citizenship for his charity work in the country.
• Citizenship by Investment – this is the simplest option. Many countries offer investors the chance to obtain citizenship through investing in a nation’s economy; this topic is covered in detail below.

The idea of Citizenship by Investment also stems from ancient times, and the Roman Republic was the first nation to develop it into a route to citizenship.

Those who contributed to the Roman economy under specific requirements were granted citizenship and all the rights that came with it, and the concept holds true today.

Many countries now host what is referred to as Citizenship by Investment Programmes, which are routes to obtaining a citizenship certificate and passport of a nation through contributing to the economy.

The idea is that if a person contributes to a country’s economy, they have fulfilled part of their duty as a citizen and hence should be considered one. Their other responsibilities are avoiding criminal activities and respecting the laws and the rights of other citizens.