BEWARE: SCAMS TO WATCH OUT FOR
There are a lot of myths about second passports.
Unfortunately, the increasing desire for second passports has created a cottage industry of scammers and misinformation peddlers. There are several second passport scams to watch out for:
Diplomatic passports. No, not even some banana republic is not going to make you part of their diplomatic corps. Diplomats are subject to certain standards around the world, and even second-passport countries with looser standards wouldn’t want to give away such a high honor in their country. And certainly not for $7,000.
Canceled economic citizenship programs. While there are new second-passport countries starting to offer citizenship by investment programs, others no longer exist. For instance, Ireland once offered citizenship in exchange for investment in the country. While Ireland now offers residency and the potential for future naturalization to those who invest in Irish businesses or government bonds, they don’t have an instant passport program. Belize also used to have a program that no longer exists.
“Camouflage passports”.Camouflage passports were initially offered to Americans working in high-risk places. They are passports from countries that no longer exist, like British Honduras or Rhodesia. However, some scam websites claim you can become a citizen of a country that changed its name years ago – and never offered second passports.
Gray market passports.This is where someone bribes a guy in the immigration department to take some passports and put their clients’ names on them. Promoters will refer to their “special friend” at some passport agency or other passport offices. Sure, the passport itself is “real”, as much as a framed photograph of the Mona Lisa is “real”. Gray market passports may or may not be entered into the official system, and they may be canceled if the government official taking bribes is found out, or if a future government decides to take action against “foreigners”.
Black market passports.Black market passports are always illegal. They are the domain of scammers and are not legitimate in any way. They could be stolen or counterfeited. They could also be as simple as cutting people’s passport photos and information out and putting yours in.
“Banking passports”.Some promoters offer “banking passports” which they advise you not to travel on; the idea is that immigration officials would discover their fraud and throw you – the passport holder – in jail, while a bank would not.
Using an illegitimate passport could cause you a world of trouble.
Not only are these scam passport renewal is difficult or impossible, but you’d be silly to think you could get away with using a fraudulently issued passport forever.
Governments use linked systems to determine which passports are legitimate, and an illegitimate passport could be canceled at any moment, leaving you in hot water the next time you cross a border.
My advice: always fill out a passport application and go the official and legitimate route to obtain passports. You stand everything to gain and nothing to lose.
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
When in doubt, consider that you can only ever expect to have two of the following when getting a second passport: cheap, easy, or fast.
If someone is offering all three, it’s too good to be true.
Now, which combo of cheap, easy, or fast will be the right one for you?
If you need someone with their ear to the ground – that’s the Nomad Capitalist team.
Few will successfully navigate the scam-filled world of obtaining second citizenship without any help at all.
Doing it yourself will cost more in the long run, too. Maybe you didn’t expect a tax curve-ball that you got served?
Consulting someone knowledgeable beforehand can help avoid this, and worse scenarios too.
