In an era of political volatility and rising global uncertainty, a growing number of Americans are seeking second passports as a safety net against future instability.
According to citizenship and residency advisory firms such as Latitude Group and Arton Capital, demand from United States citizens for second passports or long-term residency in other countries – often through investment schemes offered by those countries – has surged dramatically in recent years. The election of Donald Trump as US president appears to have turbocharged that trend.
Arton has reported a 400 percent increase in the number of its US clients in the first three months of 2025 compared with the same period in 2024, while Latitude said US applications for second citizenship or residency have risen by 1,000 percent since 2020, right after the COVID pandemic hit and travel restrictions were at their peak.
There are no official records of the number of American citizens seeking second passports.
However, industry estimates shared with Al Jazeera suggest that of roughly 10,000 global applications for second passports in the past few years, about 4,000 have come from Americans. While the overall number of applications has remained consistent for many years, the proportion of them coming from US applicants has increased significantly since the pandemic.
What was once considered the domain of billionaires and business owners is now increasingly attracting professionals and politically concerned citizens seeking a “Plan B” – an exit route if, as they fear, they find it harder to live in the US.
“It’s better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it,” said Christopher Willis, managing partner at the Latitude Group, which helps clients secure second citizenship and residency through investment schemes.
What are passport-for-investment schemes?
These programmes, often called “golden visas” or “citizenship-by-investment” schemes, allow individuals to obtain long-term residency or even citizenship in exchange for a financial contribution – usually via real estate investment, a donation to a national development fund or the purchase of government bonds.
Investment requirements vary by programme and location, ranging from as little as 10,000 euros ($10,800) to more than one million euros ($1.08m).
Not all programmes necessarily lead to full citizenship or a passport, but they do offer the right to residency.
Residency-by-investment schemes, such as…