A second passport can give your family more freedom to travel, study, and live abroad, plus resilience against political or economic shocks at home. But family files are more complex than single-applicant cases. Here’s a practical guide to getting a second citizenship by investment for you and your loved ones—what to consider, where costs creep in, and how a regulated adviser like Premier Consultancy keeps everything moving.
Start with goals, not a country
Before you pick a programme, write down your top three priorities. Typical goals include: fast approval, broad visa-free access, minimal day-count, property ownership, or a fully passive route with no asset management. When your goals are clear, it’s easier to compare programmes on a like-for-like basis and avoid paying for benefits you won’t use.
Pro tip: If two adults travel frequently for work, prioritise visa-free reach and predictable timelines. If you want a holiday base, a real-estate route might make sense, provided the exit plan is solid.
Who can you include—and when?
Family composition drives cost and eligibility. Most programmes let you include:
- Spouse/partner
- Children (often up to 18; in many cases up to 25 if in full-time study and financially dependent)
- Parents/grandparents (usually above a set age and dependent)
Rules vary by country and change over time, so check the fine print for age limits, proof of study, and dependency tests. If you expect a marriage or a newborn in the next 12–24 months, plan now. Adding relatives later can be pricier and slower than including them from the start.
Donation vs property: which suits families?
Two broad routes are common in second citizenship by investment programmes:
- Contribution (donation) options keep things simple. There’s no asset to manage, and timelines are often more straightforward. For larger families, some schemes offer bundled pricing that can beat the total outlay of a property route.
- Real-estate routes add a tangible asset and potential rental income, but you’ll face a hold period, service charges, insurance, and market risk at exit. Families who want a seasonal base sometimes accept these trade-offs, provided the developer, title, and resale conditions check out.
Premier Consultancy will help you calculate the total cost of ownership for both paths so you can compare them clearly (government fees, due diligence, professional fees, closing costs, service charges).
Timelines and due diligence: what to expect
All reputable programmes run multi-layer background checks. Delays usually stem from missing documents or unclear source-of-funds trails, not from the programme itself. For family files, multiply that risk across every adult applicant.
Keep up the momentum with:
- Police certificates for every jurisdiction lived in (typically the last 10 years)
- Clear, bankable source-of-funds evidence (salary, business profits, asset sales, inheritance, etc.)
- Consistent names and dates across passports, birth/marriage certificates, and bank statements
- Certified translations, notarisations, and apostilles where required
Tax and reporting: don’t leave this to the end
A new passport does not automatically change your tax residence, but travel patterns and asset locations might. Property income, fund returns and remittance rules differ by jurisdiction. If any adult will spend time in the new country, get advice on day-count tests and double-tax treaties before you move capital.
Good practice: Map a simple plan for banking, currency, and reporting that works across every jurisdiction your family touches.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Choosing a programme because a friend used it rather than aligning with your family’s goals.
- Underestimating dependent rules (e.g., a 22-year-old who isn’t in full-time education may not qualify).
- Submitting weak money trails, like cash deposits, screenshots, or transfers without contracts and tax slips.
- Rushing property without title checks, escrow safeguards, or realistic exit assumptions.
- Booking travel before approval, since background checks can extend timelines.
- Ignoring future changes, such as marriage, newborns, or a child turning 18/25 can alter fees and eligibility.
- Working with unlicensed intermediaries.
Your family document checklist
- Passports and national IDs for all applicants
- Birth and marriage certificates (recently issued, where required)
- Police clearances per adult for relevant countries
- Bank statements (typically 12–24 months) and evidence for the funds used
- Proof of study/dependency for adult children, where applicable
- Medical forms and health-insurance confirmation (programme-dependent)
- Certified translations, notarisation, apostilles
Why work with Premier Consultancy
Premier Consultancy will take care of the full process from start to finish. They’ll begin with your objectives and budget, then deliver a short-list that makes sense for a second citizenship by investment with family inclusion. They’ll conduct forensic documentation and build an approval-ready file with money-trail index, apostilles, certified translations, and consistent civil records. They’ll also take care of investment vetting. For real estate, we check title, developer track record, escrow, and service charges; for fund or contribution routes, we review issuer terms and lock-ins. They’ll do cross-border tax coordination to ensure your new status works with your existing structure and reporting.
A second citizenship by investment can future-proof your family’s mobility and security. Premier Consultancy will handle end-to-end management of the entire process, from submission to tracking and responding to information requests, then assisting with passport delivery, renewals, and later family additions. Book a consultation with Premier Consultancy to get started.
