The vocabulary of citizenship and investment migration, defined precisely: what each term means, and the distinctions that change outcomes.
Citizenship vocabulary is used loosely in marketing and precisely in law, and the gap between the two costs people money. "Second citizenship" and "dual citizenship" are not synonyms. A residence permit is not citizenship. A golden visa is not a passport.
This glossary defines the terms the way the documents use them, with the distinctions that actually change outcomes.
The legal bond between a person and a state, carrying full rights — including the right to a passport, to vote and to return — and full obligations. It is the strongest status a state grants.
Often used interchangeably with citizenship, and in most contexts the two are the same. In some legal systems nationality is the broader international-law concept, while citizenship describes the domestic bundle of rights. On forms and passports, "nationality" means the country that issued you.
The process by which a foreign national acquires citizenship after satisfying the state's conditions — typically lawful residence, language and integration requirements, good character and, in most countries, an oath.
The document evidencing that naturalisation took place. It is proof of how citizenship was acquired; it is not a travel document and does not replace a passport.
Status recognised by two states at the same time. Both regard you as their own citizen, with rights and duties in each.
Holding another country's citizenship, without any implication that your original country recognises it. Where the home state prohibits multiple nationality, a second citizenship may quietly extinguish the first.
Three or more nationalities held simultaneously. No international rule caps the number; national laws do.
"Right of the soil" — citizenship acquired by being born on a state's territory. Applied broadly in the Americas, rarely and conditionally in Europe.
"Right of blood" — citizenship inherited from a parent, and in some countries from a grandparent or further back, regardless of place of birth.
The practical application of jus sanguinis: a claim proved through documented, unbroken lineage, usually processed by a consulate.
Citizenship granted under a statute in exchange for a qualifying contribution or investment, subject to due diligence. The legal basis is an act of parliament, which is what distinguishes it from the schemes described in can you buy a passport.
Journalistic shorthand for citizenship by investment. Not a legal term, and not a different kind of passport — the document issued is an ordinary passport.
A residence permit granted for investment. It is residency, not citizenship: no passport, no vote, and it must usually be maintained and renewed. Some golden visas lead to naturalisation after years of residence; most do not convert automatically.
The right to live in a country indefinitely without being its citizen. It can normally be lost through prolonged absence, and it carries no passport.
The background investigation a programme country runs on every applicant: identity, criminal record, sanctions and watchlist screening, media checks and verification of wealth. The fee is usually non-refundable and is charged whether or not the application succeeds.
Evidence showing how the money used for the investment was earned and that it entered the applicant's hands lawfully. The most common reason applications are delayed.
A formal declaration of loyalty, required by most countries to complete naturalisation. Where and how it is taken varies by programme.
Formally giving up a citizenship. Distinct from automatic loss, which happens by operation of law without any act on your part.
Having no nationality at all. It is why most states refuse to let a person renounce their only citizenship, and why renunciation normally requires proof of another nationality first.
Entry without a visa obtained in advance. Distinct from visa on arrival, where the visa is issued at the border, and from an electronic travel authorisation, which must be obtained online before departure. Passport ranking tables usually combine all three, which is why the same passport is described with different numbers by different sources.
A second passport is a fact about your documents. Dual citizenship is a fact about the law of two countries. If your home state prohibits multiple nationality, you can hold the second document and still not be a dual citizen — you may simply have stopped being a citizen at home. Country rules are set out in our guide to dual citizenship.
Residency is permission to stay, granted and withdrawn by an administration. Citizenship is a status that a state cannot ordinarily take away, carries a passport, and passes to your children. Golden visas belong firmly on the residency side of that line.
The practical difference appears at the airport: visa-free means you board and enter, visa on arrival means you queue, pay and may be refused. Both appear in the same column of most ranking tables.
A short conversation usually settles whether you are looking at residency, descent or an investment programme — and whether any of them is realistic for you.