10 Ways to Get Citizenship: A Complete Guide to Paths Through Yandex Search

Almost every citizenship a person can obtain goes through one of ten legal mechanisms. The marketing around this topic may vary—"golden visas," "passports of freedom," "certificates by descent," "digital nomad routes"—but the legal framework almost always fits one of the models described below.

At the same time, two scenarios sit formally to the side: state succession when countries break up or merge, and honorary/functional citizenship (for example, when citizenship is tied to a position). In practice, this is not the path people typically "open" by applying.

It also matters how you check your options: some grounds are established before your decisions (parents, place of birth, marriage, an existing passport, etc.), while others are "earned" statuses (residence, naturalization, services). Below are the ten doors through which citizenship is most often actually obtained.

1. Citizenship by Descent (by blood, jus sanguinis)

Citizenship passes from parents to a child regardless of where the child is born. In most countries, it applies automatically at birth and is considered the most common way citizenship is acquired worldwide.

However, there is also a strategic version: sometimes the right can be proven through more distant ancestors. For example, Ireland uses the Foreign Births Register and grants citizenship to those who have an Irish ancestor born in Ireland (including cases through grandparents). In several European countries, claims may also be recognized through great-grandparents.

Potentially, there are many applicants, but real numbers are constrained by paperwork: birth, marriage, and naturalization records of ancestors, etc. Often, the decisive factor is when the ancestor naturalized in another country—before or after the birth of the next generation.

The door is narrowing: Italy, which long recognized descent-based transmission without strict generation limits, in 2025 limited transmission to two generations, and in 2026 the Constitutional Court confirmed the restriction (Decision No. 63/2026, published April 30).

Canada moved in the other direction, but partially: amendments to Bill C-3 removed the first generation in some situations, and for births after December 15, 2025, proof of the Canadian parent’s physical presence in Canada is required for 1,095 days before the child’s birth.

Bottom line: you will usually need to work with documents—not “buy time.” The basis is paper-based, and the rules often tighten.

2. Citizenship by Birth on Territory (jus soli)

The idea is simple: children born on a country’s territory receive citizenship regardless of their parents’ status. Today, only 33 countries apply jus soli automatically, and most of them are in the Americas.

The United States confirmed its approach: on June 30, 2026, the Supreme Court struck down an executive order that limited citizenship for children of parents present in the U.S. illegally or temporarily. The Court held that children born in the United States are citizens under the 14th Amendment.

In Europe, unconditional jus soli has largely become a thing of the past. Remaining options are more conditional—for example, Ireland requires that a parent be a lawful resident for a certain period before the child is born; Germany requires several years of legal residence and also provides a separate route tied to permanent residence.

In some countries, tightening continues. Starting May 2026, Portugal increased requirements for a parent’s lawful residence and added an element of the child’s will (automatic grant ends).

At the same time, some countries build “family-friendly” combinations. For instance, Brazil allows foreign parents of a child born in Brazil to obtain permanent residence immediately, and then pursue naturalization on accelerated timelines.

3. Citizenship Through Adoption

In almost all places, citizenship extends to children adopted by citizens—either automatically or via registration. In the U.S., a mechanism applies once the child enters the country as a permanent resident; a separate “application for citizenship” may not be required.

But the door closes at adulthood: age thresholds are among the most actively changing areas of regulation. For example, Malta first limited adoption for individuals older than 10 (from August 1989), then raised the threshold to 18 in 2025 amendments (for adoptions after August 1, 2020).

Timelines also matter: the rule is tied to the date of adoption, not the date of filing. That’s why older cases may still be assessed under earlier rules.

For planning a “second passport,” this route is usually relevant only for international families that need to document the child’s status as part of the adoption process.

4. Citizenship Through Marriage and Family Ties

Marriage to a citizen almost never grants citizenship instantly. But it often shortens the path to naturalization by reducing the waiting period and/or simplifying conditions.

For example, in Brazil, a citizen’s spouse may be eligible after one year of permanent residence, while Turkey provides a different timeline based on the duration of the marriage.

Some smaller jurisdictions in the Caribbean also offer “fast” registrations without long residence histories.

Family grounds are broader than just marriage: parents of citizen children, and minor children are often included in “family” mechanisms. In some countries, rights may extend to widows/widowers and even to adult children of citizens.

Two common risks: authorities verify whether the relationship is real, and in some systems there are differences based on spouse status (sometimes the wife’s route can be faster than the husband’s).

5. Naturalization Through Lawful Residence

This is the most “standard” earned route: legally reside in the country for a certain period, meet language and civic knowledge requirements, pass a good conduct / security check, and submit an application.

Many “golden visas,” “digital nomad visas,” and long-term work permits lead here: first you build the residence basis, then you naturalize.

Timeframes vary widely. In some countries, ordinary naturalization takes about two years, but these regimes often require strict proof of physical presence. For example, in Argentina, there was discussion about a requirement that the applicant must remain in the country for the entire period in practice—any departures could “reset” the count.

Practice can change through courts. In 2026, court decisions in Argentina expanded the effect and raised doubts about certain naturalization timeline provisions. So when calculating a “fast window,” it’s important to verify which exact regime applies in that court.

Most often, the benchmark is around 5 years. Some countries require 10 years for most applicants. At the same time, the overall trend is cautious tightening: Portugal increased the standard timeline and set stricter conditions, while some countries adjusted rules on when new requirements take effect.

Key point: “paper” residence under permits and “actual” residence measured by days are different tests. The difference between them is often what determines whether a “short timeline” is truly achievable.

6. Accelerated Naturalization (fast-track)

States sometimes shorten naturalization timelines for groups they prioritize. Legally, it is still naturalization, but the “waiting” period is reduced.

In practice, four recurring scenarios show up.

6.1. Acceleration by Preferred Nationality

For example, Spain shortens timelines for citizens of certain countries (including Ibero-American countries and some other categories). In Portugal, shortened timelines are available for EU citizens and citizens of Portuguese-speaking countries; in Brazil—for citizens of CPLP countries; in Mexico—for citizens of certain regions.

6.2. Acceleration by Military Service

France allows applications for citizenship after a defined period of service in the Foreign Legion. For cases with severe consequences of service, additional special mechanisms may apply.

In the U.S., there is also acceleration for service members and specific residence rules during declared military actions.

6.3. Acceleration by Language and Cultural Affinity

Some regimes rely on language and cultural closeness. This can also affect exams—for certain categories, partial exemptions from language requirements may be available.

6.4. Acceleration by Refugee Status or Stateless Person Status

The grounds are based on international treaties: the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. Domestic rules differ: in some places, recognized refugees may be exempted from part of the residence requirements, but stateless persons are not always covered the same way.

Important: this is not a “universal strategy,” but a path tied to an officially recognized protective status.

7. Investments and Donations (jus pecuniae)

This is the “youngest” principle on the list: citizenship is linked to money. The first scalable example appeared as early as the 1980s—the St. Kitts and Nevis Citizenship by Investment program.

Today, direct CBI programs operate in several countries (including Caribbean and some other jurisdictions). Costs vary—from relatively low donation thresholds to sums of tens/hundreds of thousands and above.

Many programs do not require long residence: applications are processed over months, and citizenship is granted after the conditions are met.

However, the Europe trend is toward closure. In 2025, the Court of Justice of the EU effectively put an end to the “transactional” approach to citizenship within the Union, affecting existing programs.

At the same time, money is “moving” elsewhere: in some countries, agencies are created and CBI procedures are formalized.

One more note: “golden visas” are usually not a standalone door. They provide a residence basis, while citizenship comes later—through naturalization (Door No. 5) in either a standard or shortened regime.

8. Merit and Exceptional Contribution

In many countries, there is a mechanism that allows the head of state/government or parliament to grant citizenship outside “ordinary” requirements. The grounds are exceptional value to the country: athletes, scientists, artists, entrepreneurs, philanthropists, etc.

In practice, this is one of the least used doors. It is designed for rare cases and often depends on political discretion.

Some countries used this approach instead of a full investment program, and after European changes they expanded “merit potential” categories.

Pros: no fixed price and sometimes no fixed timeline. Cons: no right to a guaranteed outcome, and the lack of transparency makes oversight and standardization difficult.

9. Ethnicity and Repatriation

Repatriation laws invite a “certain people” to return home. This differs from citizenship by descent: here, the central concept is group belonging, not an obligatory citizen-ancestor chain.

The best-known example is Israel’s Law of Return: it extends rights to Jews, their children, and grandchildren, as well as spouses—without requiring that an ancestor had Israeli citizenship.

Armenia recognizes Armenians by ethnicity regardless of the number of generations before returning. Kazakhstan applies a formal status for ethnic Kazakhs returning from the diaspora.

In some countries, the mechanism sits between repatriation and descent. For example, Hungary eased naturalization but kept the requirement that a Hungarian-citizen ancestor existed, along with additional language conditions. So for many applicants, it still looks closer to “ethnicity-based descent.”

Sometimes ethnicity works as a filter: for instance, in Liberia citizenship is restricted for people of certain backgrounds, and while naturalization may be formally “short,” in practice the majority cannot access it.

10. Restoration and Reacquisition of Citizenship

Restoration returns citizenship to those who lost it, and often to their descendants. Losses are usually tied to historical circumstances: naturalization in another country during a period when dual citizenship was prohibited, loss of citizenship upon marriage to a foreigner, persecution.

In Germany, there are special mechanisms for victims of Nazi persecution and their descendants: no generation limits, no residence requirement, and no language test.

Austria has a similar rule. It was expanded over time in both the time period and the group of eligible persons (including direct descendants), and it was clarified across different periods.

But windows close. Spain, under its “grandchildren law” (within the democratic memory framework), accepted applications up to a certain date after a sharp rise in case volume. Portugal’s route for descendants of Sephardic Jews also closed to new applications after a large number of approvals.

There are also quieter cases of reacquisition: former citizens who lost citizenship upon naturalizing elsewhere may sometimes restore it via a declaration. Such rules often affect women who lost citizenship under older marriage-based provisions.

If you have a “hidden” right to restoration, treat the window as perishable: deadlines can close suddenly after an application surge or legal changes.

How to “Audit” Your Ten Doors

Broadly, these ten mechanisms fall into three groups. Facts that exist before you—descent, birth, adoption, family ties, ethnicity, and restoration. Facts that happen after you—residence, accelerated naturalization, merit. Money—investments and donations.

Start with the group where everything has already happened: by descent or restoration, you most often need to collect documents and prove the chain. Costs there are usually measured in hundreds of dollars for certificates and fees, while investment routes can start at much larger sums.

Next, quickly check “latent” rights that may be closing. In the 15 months before June 2026, different countries changed descent restrictions and closed restoration windows, while naturalization rules were tightened or clarified through court decisions.

A practical market tip: once your eligibility is confirmed, don’t delay—legal changes may narrow or close a route with short notice.

Often, investors and families spread applications across multiple jurisdictions and routes, treating citizenship and residency as not a one-time step, but a long-term strategy. For family offices, this usually means planning ahead as part of a broader inheritance and asset-management approach.

The final principle is simple: doors you get “at birth” tend to narrow in many countries. The door that opens through money tends to widen. Plan with this asymmetry in mind and check options you didn’t choose yourself—before you’re forced to pay for a route you already picked.

Our Telegram channel about various types of Greek residence permits, digital nomad programs, and the Greek Golden Visa: @digitalnomadgr