How long until a new country is properly yours? These are the current paths to permanent residency and citizenship across the destinations we cover, from the same verified dataset behind our country guides. Timelines are the standard route for a US or UK applicant; marriage, ancestry and investment routes can be faster.
Fastest paths to citizenship
| Country | Citizenship | Permanent residency | Dual citizenship |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 2 years | 2 years | Yes |
| Peru | 2 years | immediate | Yes |
| Canada | 3 years | immediate | Yes |
| Israel | 3 years | varies | Yes |
| Australia | 4 years | immediate | Yes |
| Brazil | 4 years | 4 years | Yes |
| Barbados | 5 years | 5 years | Yes |
| Belgium | 5 years | 5 years | Yes |
| Belize | 5 years | 1 year | Yes |
| Bulgaria | 5 years | 5 years | No |
| Chile | 5 years | 2 years | Yes |
| Colombia | 5 years | 5 years | Yes |
| Ecuador | 5 years | 1.75 years | Yes |
| France | 5 years | 5 years | Yes |
| Germany | 5 years | 5 years | Yes |
Fastest paths to permanent residency
| Country | Permanent residency | Citizenship | Dual citizenship |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peru | immediate | 2 years | Yes |
| Canada | immediate | 3 years | Yes |
| Australia | immediate | 4 years | Yes |
| Panama | immediate | 5 years | Varies / case by case |
| Bahamas | immediate | 10 years | No |
| Philippines | immediate | 10 years | No |
| Belize | 1 year | 5 years | Yes |
| Ecuador | 1.75 years | 5 years | Yes |
| Argentina | 2 years | 2 years | Yes |
| Chile | 2 years | 5 years | Yes |
| New Zealand | 2 years | 5 years | Yes |
| Singapore | 2 years | 10 years | No |
| Venezuela | 2 years | 10 years | Yes |
| Jamaica | 3 years | 5 years | Yes |
| Morocco | 3 years | 5 years | Yes |
Every destination, A to Z
| Country | Permanent residency | Citizenship | Dual citizenship |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andorra | varies | 20 years | No |
| Antigua and Barbuda † | varies | immediate | Yes |
| Argentina | 2 years | 2 years | Yes |
| Australia | immediate | 4 years | Yes |
| Austria | 5 years | 10 years | No |
| Bahamas | immediate | 10 years | No |
| Bahrain | varies | 25 years | No |
| Barbados | 5 years | 5 years | Yes |
| Belgium | 5 years | 5 years | Yes |
| Belize | 1 year | 5 years | Yes |
| Bermuda † | 20 years | 5 years | Yes |
| Brazil | 4 years | 4 years | Yes |
| Brunei | varies | 20 years | No |
| Bulgaria | 5 years | 5 years | No |
| Canada | immediate | 3 years | Yes |
| Cayman Islands | 8 years | varies | Yes |
| Chile | 2 years | 5 years | Yes |
| China | varies | varies | No |
| Colombia | 5 years | 5 years | Yes |
| Costa Rica | 3 years | 7 years | Yes |
| Croatia | 5 years | 8 years | Yes |
| Cuba * | varies | varies | Yes |
| Cyprus | varies | 8 years | Yes |
| Czech Republic | 5 years | 10 years | Yes |
| Denmark | 8 years | 9 years | Yes |
| Dominican Republic | 5 years | 7 years | Yes |
| Ecuador | 1.75 years | 5 years | Yes |
| Egypt | varies | 10 years | Yes |
| Estonia | 5 years | 8 years | No |
| Finland | 6 years | 8 years | Yes |
| France | 5 years | 5 years | Yes |
| Germany | 5 years | 5 years | Yes |
| Gibraltar | varies | varies | Yes |
| Greece | 5 years | 7 years | Yes |
| Hong Kong | 7 years | 7 years | No |
| Hungary | 3 years | 8 years | Yes |
| Iceland | 4 years | 7 years | Yes |
| India | varies | 12 years | No |
| Indonesia | varies | 5 years | No |
| Ireland | 5 years | 5 years | Yes |
| Israel | varies | 3 years | Yes |
| Italy | 5 years | 10 years | Yes |
| Jamaica | 3 years | 5 years | Yes |
| Japan | 10 years | 10 years | No |
| Jordan † | varies | 4 years | No |
| Kuwait | varies | varies | No |
| Luxembourg | 5 years | 5 years | Yes |
| Malaysia | varies | 10 years | No |
| Malta | 5 years | 5 years | Yes |
| Mexico | 4 years | 5 years | Yes |
| Monaco | 3 years | 10 years | No |
| Morocco | 3 years | 5 years | Yes |
| Netherlands | 5 years | 5 years | No |
| New Zealand | 2 years | 5 years | Yes |
| Norway | 3 years | 8 years | Yes |
| Oman | varies | 15 years | No |
| Panama | immediate | 5 years | Varies / case by case |
| Peru | immediate | 2 years | Yes |
| Philippines | immediate | 10 years | No |
| Poland | 5 years | 10 years | Yes |
| Portugal | 5 years | 10 years | Yes |
| Qatar | varies | 25 years | No |
| Romania | 5 years | 8 years | Yes |
| Russia * | 1 year | 5 years | Yes |
| Saudi Arabia | varies | 10 years | No |
| Singapore | 2 years | 10 years | No |
| Slovakia | 5 years | 8 years | Yes |
| South Africa | 5 years | 5 years | Yes |
| South Korea | 5 years | 5 years | No |
| Spain | 5 years | 10 years | No |
| Sweden | 4 years | 8 years | Yes |
| Switzerland | 10 years | 10 years | Yes |
| Taiwan | 5 years | 5 years | No |
| Thailand | 5 years | 5 years | Yes |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 5 years | 8 years | No |
| Turkey | 8 years | 5 years | Yes |
| United Arab Emirates | varies | 30 years | No |
| United Kingdom | 5 years | 6 years | Yes |
| United States | varies | 5 years | Yes |
| Venezuela | 2 years | 10 years | Yes |
| Vietnam | 3 years | 5 years | No |
* Realistic access for US/UK applicants is currently severely restricted (sanctions or closed residency systems); timelines shown are paper rules only, and these countries are excluded from the ranked tables above.
† Read these rows with care:
- Antigua and Barbuda: citizenship figure is the paid citizenship-by-investment programme (from roughly USD 230,000), not a standard-residence route.
- Bermuda: citizenship timeline unverified; Bermudian status is in practice extremely hard to obtain and normally requires long-term PRC residence first.
- Jordan: the statutory 4 year rule is discretionary and rarely granted in practice.
Which of these routes could you actually qualify for? Try the visa route finder
How to read these numbers
Years count from taking up legal residence on a standard route, and ‘immediate’ means permanent residency is granted with the initial approval. ‘Varies’ means the country has no single statutory timeline. Dual citizenship reflects the general rule for naturalising adults; exceptions and treaty carve-outs exist. Rules changed in several countries this year alone, so treat this as a starting point, not legal advice, and check the official position before you commit. Verified from official sources, July 2026.