3 Easiest And Hardest Countries In The World For Obtaining Citizenship

Most of us that belong to one place always dream to go somewhere else. The sense of belonging is a primal necessity and it is hard to negate it.

Being a citizen of one country is your way of belonging somewhere. Whether by birthright or by any other chance you do belong to a certain place for whatever reason. Now we all know that world migrations are possible and constantly happening which is why most of us tend to change our citizenships over and over again. Some do it once in a lifetime some do it more often, it all depends on your circumstances.

When it comes to gaining citizenship in a new nation, some requirements must be met, and without a doubt, some countries offer citizenship for free, while others need you to wait and work hard for it. This, too, is dependent on your circumstances and the reasons you are transferring citizenships, although certain countries are more difficult to enter than others. Today, we’ll talk about the easiest and toughest nations in the world to get citizenship in, and if you’re thinking about changing yours, CitizenshipTestAustralia offers free citizenship exams. If you want to know where you stand and where you need to progress, this is a fantastic thing to do.

Hardest countries

1. Switzerland

Switzerland is one of the most infamously hardest places to get citizenship. They do not place that much importance on you as a foreigner knowing about their country but they try to ensure that you are fully integrated into the society. Most prospective citizens are eligible for citizenship after living in Switzerland for 10 straight years. During this time, you must fully adopt Swiss culture and traditions. Integration is overseen by local officials who are known to go to a grave and arguably intrusive length to monitor applicants, including regular checkups to make sure you are interacting with their community.

2. Austria

When it comes to societal integration, Austria has similarly stringent criteria. Anyone wishing to stay in Austria for more than two years must sign an “Integration Agreement,” a six-month program designed to enhance your German language abilities as well as your ability to “participate in the social, economic, and cultural life of Austria.” When applying for citizenship in Austria, time is often an issue. To be eligible for citizenship, you must live there for 30 continuous years, but if you can demonstrate that you have completely assimilated into their society, you can do so in 15 years. Austrian citizenship candidates must also renounce any other citizenships they may hold, as dual citizenship is prohibited by Austrian law.

3. Japan

Japan, believe it or not, is the hardest country to naturalize in. Prospective citizens must remain in the nation for five years, obtain Ministry of Justice clearance, and fill out a slew of paperwork that includes intimate inquiries about their personal lives. Some applicants have also stated that immigration authorities have investigated their homes and businesses to authenticate all of the information you provided in your application and all of the papers. If you are granted Japanese citizenship by chance, you must renounce all previous citizenship since they do not allow dual citizenship. What’s more intriguing is that obtaining permanent residency there takes longer and is more difficult than becoming a full Japanese citizen. Residents receive all of the privileges of citizens, but they are not required to pledge loyalty to the Japanese constitution, resulting in all of the inconvenience.

Easiest countries

1. Ireland

Ireland is one of the countries that has made a citizenship program so simple that it is laughable. What sets Ireland apart from the other two nations we’ll discuss is that they all chose to avoid the inconveniences of paperwork, long wait times, and continuous inspections by immigration officers. In Ireland, you may become a naturalized citizen by just staying in the country for a year and then spending at least four years in the country during the next eight years. Even more intriguing is the fact that the residence requirement can be eliminated if you can demonstrate that you have Irish heritage.

2. Peru

Another advantage is that it is simple to enter the nation and gain citizenship. If you stay in Peru for at least two years, you will become a citizen. The sole disadvantage of Peru is that there is a monetary transaction involved in the procedure, which costs roughly $25,000.00 and must be paid if you wish to become a Peruvian citizen. However, they are conscious of this as well, and they strive to make it less of financial hardship for you by allowing you to pay the money in great installments. You must obtain a residence visa to live in Peru, and applications for these visas are normally accepted in three months or less. Once approved, you will have six months to complete your visa.

3. The Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is, without a doubt, the simplest country to become a citizen of. To become a citizen, you must fulfill a few easy conditions. We should also mention that seniors who seek Dominican Republic citizenship must have a monthly retirement income of at least $1,500.00. If you are seeking citizenship and are still working, you must have a monthly income of at least $2,000.00 to be eligible for citizenship. After obtaining permanent residency, you are allowed to seek citizenship after only two years. You must undergo an interview in Spanish and pass a medical exam to become a full citizen. The complete procedure takes around three years on average. You can buy citizenship if you want to go faster, but it will set you back more than $200,000.00.

As you can see there are several ways and several routes you can take if you want new citizenship. Depending on your time, money and life demands you can opt the hard way, with a good life quality or the easy way in countries that are ranked ok but with lower life quality. It all comes down to your preference, necessity and your funds. Think good and make an educated decision. These are just some of the countries from both spectrums, there are plenty more so if your desired country is not on this list, search for it online and try to find the requirements you have to fulfil in detail.