CITIZENSHIP AND RESIDENCY BY INVESTMENT PROGRAMMES
See below a selection of countries offering residency and citizenship investment programmes.
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands, a British Overseas Territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean does not have its own distinct citizenship. Instead, residents of the Falkland Islands are classed as British Overseas Territory citizens. This citizenship status grants them certain rights, such as the right to live and work in the United Kingdom. Individuals who have lived in the Falkland Islands may be eligible to apply for British citizenship through naturalisation.
FALKLAND ISLANDS CITIZENSHIP BY INVESTMENT
The Falkland Islands does not offer a direct citizenship by investment (CBI) programme as it is a British overseas territory and not a country. For CBI programmes investors would need to look elsewhere. There are a number of citizenship programmes in the Caribbean that may be suitable, including Antigua’s Citizenship by Investment Programme. Antigua offers excellent visa free access through its strong passport allowing freedom of travel for foreign investors.
FALKLANDS RESIDENCY BY INVESTMENT
The Falkland Islands does not offer a direct residency by investment programme for international investors. Further afield, there are established residency by investment programmes in Europe such as Hungary’s Golden Visa Programme. Through residency of Hungary applicants would gain visa-free travel throughout the EU Schengen zone. There are several other options including Spain, Portugal, Greece and Malta.
FALKLANDS PASSPORT STRENGTH AND RANKING
As the Falkland Islands is a British Overseas Territory, British citizenship can be obtained by birth, or through the birth of any parents or grandparents, in the Falklands. This is due to Britain’s relationship with the Falkland Islands as well as Britain’s Colonial history.
The UK has a very strong passport ranking and is placed 28th on La Vida’s Comprehensive Global Passport Ranking. This placing is similar to other countries in the European Union that offer citizenship via Golden Visa programmes, enabling international investors visa-free access across the world. For example, Spain (19th) and Portugal (25th) rank closely to the UK, offering visa-free access to 199 and 198 countries worldwide respectively.
For second passport solutions through a citizenship investment programme within the Caribbean, international investors could also consider St Lucia’s Citizenship Programme which offers visa-free travel to 158 countries.
