A guide for Americans that want to get out of America
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If you are reading this, you are probably an American who wants to leave America and move abroad for a better life. Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as just getting your passport and hopping on a plane. You need the legal right to live in another country, as well as the legal right to work there. Unless you are lucky enough to have or qualify for a 2nd citizenship, this process usually starts with getting a visa. This guide goes over common visa types, ways to acquire a 2nd citizenship, and some frequently asked questions. While this guide is geared primarily towards Americans, most of the options provided are available to people with other nationalities as well. This is designed to be more of a starting point for your own research rather than a step by step guide, so if you see something that looks interesting or at least possible for you, you'll need to put the work in to research it in depth yourself. If you can't handle that, you probably aren't ready to be moving to another country just yet. Moving abroad is expensive, stressful, and often isolating; so I strongly encourage you to make sure you cant find a better fit for yourself within the USA first. MoveMap lets you search for your ideal county in the US by a variety as factors, and has great advice for people who want to move to a different area within the same country.
Citizenship by Birthplace / Jus Soil
Some countries will give you citizenship simply for being born there, provided your parents were not foreign military or ambassadors. A few countries may have additional requirements such as requiring your parents to have live there for a certain number of years beforehand. For a list of countries with jus soil, see here.
Citizenship by Descent / Jus Sanguinis
Most countries will grant citizenship to people whose parents or grandparents were citizens, and some let you go back even further than that. As a bonus, passing a language or citizenship test is usually not required with this method. Family Search is a good free website to start building your family tree and see where your ancestors come from, though you will need to make an account. If you get stuck, visit for help. Once you know what countries your ancestors were from, search “[country] citizenship by descent/ancestry” to see if you can qualify for citizenship.
For German ancestors, there is a great guide on that will be extremely helpful. If you have Italian ancestors, is a good resource along with this flowchart. Hungary will let you trace your lineage back to ANY Hungarian ancestor via simplified naturalization, provided you can speak the language. Croatia has a similar program, though the language test is currently waived.
Those from Latin American countries are eligible for a fast track citizenship process in Spain, which allows you 2 naturalize after two years of residency (+ processing times) instead of the usual 10. You will still need to find a way to legally live in the country for those initial 2 years. This is open to nationals of Andorra, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Philippines, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, Venezuela and persons of Sephardic origin (non-naturalized citizens). Do note that Spain does not allow dual citizenship with the US via naturalization.
Honduras also has a fast track citizenship process for Central Americans by birth who reside in Honduras for at least one year, as well as Spaniards and Spanish Americans by birth who have resided in Honduras for at least two years. Do note that dual citizenship is generally not allowed in Honduras except by birth or marriage. Dual citizenship with Spain is allowed via a reciprocity agreement.
Marriage / Partner Visa
While most countries don’t give immediate citizenship through marriage anymore, marriage does put you on a fast track to permanent residency and thus citizenship. Regardless, if you are married to a citizen, you will usually be able to live and work in their country as long as you reside there with them. Some countries have partner visas for couples who are not married but having been together for at least 2 years, though this is not necessarily common. Do note that most countries disallow marrying purely for citizenship purposes, and you should make sure you really like and trust the person you’re marrying as marriage carries very real legal consequences.
Jewish Pathways
Israel’s Right of Return law allows anyone who is Jewish, has a Jewish parent or grandparent, or is married to someone Jewish to apply to obtain Jewish citizenship upon moving to Israel. Dual citizenship is allowed under this method. Do note that there is a mandatory draft in Israel and though expatriates are generally exempt, it may apply to any future children you have there.
Other countries may also have special paths to citizenship for people whose Jewish ancestors were forced to flee the country due to persecution. Germany and Austria are two examples, though they do require that your ancestor was a citizen at the time.
Portugal also has a pathway specifically for descendants of Sephardic Jews, though new requirements necessitate proving ties to Portugal.
African Descent in the Diaspora
Ghana's Right of Abode is available to persons of African descent in the diaspora, as well as Ghanaians who have lost their citizenship because they have acquired another nationality. You are required to be of good character, able to financially support yourself, and not have been imprisoned for 12 months or more.
Sierra Leone also has a similar pathway for people who can prove ancestral dies via DNA. You must pass a background check, provide two notarized character references from professionals / professional institutions in your state, and travel to Sierra Leone to complete the process.
Citizenship by Investment / Golden Visas
Some countries let you buy citizenship, though this can cost you $100K to $1 million depending on the country. If you just want to buy a residency permit and not citizenship this can often be a lot cheaper, though residency can be lost if you do not spend enough time in the country and getting citizenship from residency usually requires mastery of the local language. The cheapest residency I have been able to find is in Paraguay, which will cost you $5,000.
Retirement Visas / Passive Income
Many countries will give you residency if you can prove you can support yourself through passive income or savings. These are usually called retirement visas and they generally forbid you from working, even remotely or via freelancing. You may also be interested in checking out for more information.
Fight for Ukraine
Supposedly, those that go to Ukraine to fight against Russia will receive citizenship once the war is over. However citizenship is of little use if you’re dead, and if Russia wins this offer is obviously moot. Think carefully about if this is worth it for you.
French Foreign Legion
You can join the French Foreign Legion if you are a male under age 39.5 and meet specific physical, medical, and administrative requirements. The first contract you sign is mandatory for 5 years. A foreign legionnaire can apply for French nationality after three years of service. It appears you are also required to change your name with this method.
Student Visa
Going to school overseas can often be cheaper than doing so in the US, and many countries will let you stay afterwards for a limited time (6 months - 5 years depending on country and degree type) to look for an employer to sponsor you for a work visa. You can occasionally find programs taught entirely in English even in countries that don’t have it as an official language, though this is usually at the Masters or PhD level.
Keep in mind that many countries do not count years spent as a student towards residency for citizenship requirements, though there are exceptions. For Czechia, Estonia and Spain, your student time counts for half – so, for instance, four years of study would count as two years towards the residency requirement. For more information see here and here.
Do note that many countries do not consider American High School diplomas as proof of college readiness without several Advanced Placement credits, so it may be a good idea to do an associates degree in the US first. However an associates often isn't recognized as a proper degree in other countries, so there is a trade off. If you do choose to study within the US, doing a study abroad program can be a great way to check a country out to see if you would like to start planning a more permanent move there. You may even be able to do this in high school if your school has a foreign exchange program.
Language Learning Visa
This visa allows you to enter the country for the express purpose of enrolling in a language emersion school. You are required to attend a certain number of hours per week, and prove that you have enough money to support yourself for the duration of your stay. If you have a country that you are considering, this is good option to see if you would like it long term.
Work Visa
One of the easier ways to get into a country is to have a job on their skills shortage list, and usually at least 2 years of professional experience in that field. These occupations are often in healthcare, education, or STREAM (science, technology, research, engineering, architecture, mathematics). Having an occupation on the skills shortage list will often enable you to go that country to look for work without first having a sponsor. Search "[country] skills shortage list" to find out if your job qualifies.
If your occupation is not on the skills shortage list for your desired country, you will need to find and employer to sponsor you. This can be difficult as most countries require companies to prove that they could not find a qualified local candidate first. You will also likely be subject to salary thresholds to ensure you will not be reliant on welfare.
Some countries also have an ineligible occupations list of professions they will not issue a work visa for under any circumstances, as those fields are already oversaturated there. If you have a profession on this list you will need to emigrate through your spouse, change careers, or change your target country.
