The cost to buy land in the Yucatan could run from around US $20 up to $2 million. The price depends on the size of the land, the location, whether there is electricity connected or not, if it’s located in a town of any proportion, and what the access is like – whether it has a paved road coming in or not. Other factors that affect the price of land here is if there is water connection, if it is walled in or not, what kind of vegetation is on it – whether it has mature...

The cost to buy land in the Yucatan could run from around US $20 up to $2 million. The price depends on the size of the land, the location, whether there is electricity connected or not, if it’s located in a town of any proportion, and what the access is like – whether it has a paved road coming in or not. Other factors that affect the price of land here is if there is water connection, if it is walled in or not, what kind of vegetation is on it – whether it has mature trees or not. So depending on these factors, you could buy land that is very cheap or very expensive.
 
Merida is the principle city in the state of Yucatan.  If you are going to buy land in the better neighborhoods in the north side of Merida, which are mostly pure Mexican neighborhoods, you could pay up to $200,000 per ¼ acre. If you buy way outside of town, and if you buy something that isn’t walled in or doesn’t have any electric service or doesn’t have any mature trees, you might be able to buy land for as low as $1,000 per ¼ acre.
 
In the end, the cost to buy real estate here is not that expensive because the taxes on it are what is the real bargain. You can have a house that you paid $1 million for but your taxes are going to be just around $200 to $300 a year.

 

(Home with a pool surrounded by the jungle, Yucatan, Mexico, pictured.)

 

The cost of moving to Nicaragua varies depending on what you are moving and where you are moving. It also depends on whether you are moving as a permanent resident or if you are a retiree. If you are a retiree, there are some incentives. There are many factors that affect the cost to moving into Nicaragua.
 
If you are just coming to Nicaragua to see what it is like, you can come to Nicaragua with your passport and you will be given a 90-day visa, which costs US $12. If you want...

The cost of moving to Nicaragua varies depending on what you are moving and where you are moving. It also depends on whether you are moving as a permanent resident or if you are a retiree. If you are a retiree, there are some incentives. There are many factors that affect the cost to moving into Nicaragua.
 
If you are just coming to Nicaragua to see what it is like, you can come to Nicaragua with your passport and you will be given a 90-day visa, which costs US $12. If you want to stay for more than 90 days, you can do one of two things. You can leave the country and cross over the border to Costa Rica, spend a couple of days there, and then return to Nicaragua on another 90-day visa. The other thing you can do is go to the immigration department and ask for an extension on your visa, in which case you have to explain to them a very good reason why you want to extend your visa. On account of it being easier, a lot of people choose the option of crossing the border to Costa Rica and coming back on another 90-day visa.
 
You cannot accomplish the same thing by going to Honduras (which is closer to us here in Leon, in the northern part of Nicaragua) because Honduras is part of an agreement with other Central American countries including Nicaragua, so if you go to Honduras, it is not considered an exit from Nicaragua. There is absolutely no hassle if you just want to come to Nicaragua and make no commitments of staying on a long term.

 

(Bird's Eye view of Leon, Nicaragua, pictured.)

• The weather is superb. The Algarve has than 3,000 hours and 300 days of sunlight. The Algarve has more sunlight and more sunny days than California. The weather is very similar to Southern California—San Diego, Santa...

• The weather is superb. The Algarve has than 3,000 hours and 300 days of sunlight. The Algarve has more sunlight and more sunny days than California. The weather is very similar to Southern California—San Diego, Santa Barbara—that kind of area. The Algarve also receives very little rainfall. It doesn’t get very hot, and it doesn’t get very cold. Whatever heat we get in the summer is moderated by the Atlantic, which keeps things moderate.

• The cost of living is very reasonable, if not low—certainly low in European standards.

• The healthcare is good. We have a great public healthcare system, and one in which, under certain circumstances, expats can participate.

• The Algarve is very safe.

• Most people in the Algarve speak English.

• There’s a huge range of activities to do in the Algarve even in the winter, whether it be sporting, wellness, or cultural.

• There is an existing expat population in the Algarve so it’s quite easy to integrate and you’ll probably easily find someone of your nationality. And if you don’t like your own nationality you’ll find someone with somebody else’s nationality. So there are plenty of options there.

• Generally speaking, people just like living here. They like the Portuguese people and the way that they are; the friendly nature of the local folk. 

• Portugal is probably the most tax efficient country in Europe at the moment. It has no income tax on pensions for most pensioners. It has no inheritance tax. It has no wealth tax. So there are a number of advantages from a taxation perspective that draws many people to Portugal and to the Algarve in specific.

• Portugal is a fairly bureaucratic country, so as a retiree even though the system is being simplified, initially come prepared for a little bit of bureaucracy. It will take a little bit of time to get things organized.  Dealing with public bodies is not easy at all. I’m someone who lives most of my time outside Portugal and therefore when I’m here I always feel a little bit frustrated by having to deal with public sector bodies that take too long and many times they don’t give you the right answer at the first go, so you have to be very careful about the advice that you take from them and double check it. It helps to have someone on the ground to help you along if you’re moving to the country just to make sure you avoid any mistakes and make sure that the transition goes smoothly.

• Getting Internet connectivity may be a bit of an issue. Once it’s working, it’s great. But it just takes a little bit of time to get things set up and organized.

• If you are thinking of building, planning, or constructing something, there may be challenges. If you have a passion to buy a piece of land and build a house, take great care because it’s a fairly long process and you need to make sure that planning is in place that you are authorized and build and develop what you want. And it’s something to be handled very, very carefully.

• Another challenge here in the Algarve for some people is that there are certain items that are not competitively priced, for example, electronics, motor vehicles, and fuel. So shop around. This is not necessary a negative point. In every country there are expensive or less expensive things. When you move and retire to the Algarve, make sure that you shop around because by doing so you can cut your cost of living tremendously.

There are only six (6) countries in the world which currently offer "economic citizenship" programs, which are:

Numerous countries offer citizenship by "naturalization" including, but not limited to, Costa Rica,...

There are only six (6) countries in the world which currently offer "economic citizenship" programs, which are:

Numerous countries offer citizenship by "naturalization" including, but not limited to, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Panama and Paraguay.

 

So, to best answer the question "What are the least expensive countries in which to obtain dual citizenship?" the answer would rely heavily on whether you have the financial means to afford an 'economic citizenship' program or the time to wait for a 'naturalization' program to come to fruition.  Generally speaking, economic citizenship programs make second passports available within 3 to 12 months while naturalization programs can take 5 to 7 years.

 

If the case is the former, then the Commonwealth of Dominica offers visa-free access to 76 countries with a charitable contribution starting at $100,000 for individuals and $175,000 for married couples.

 

The Dominican Republic offers visa-free access to 40 countries with a $200,000 business investment which "furthers the overall economic value of the Dominican Republic".

 

And St Kitts and Nevis offers access to over 125 countries through either a charitable contribution to the SIDF (Sugar Industry Diversification Foundation) which runs $250,000 for an individual and begins at $300,000 for married couples, or through the purchase of real property (the minimum investment is $400,000) with government fees running $50,000 for the head of household, $25,000 for the spouse, and an additional $25,000 or $50,000 per child depending on their age.

 

If the case is the latter, then prices and residency or visitation requirements can vary dramatically.  Although your options are more abundant for 'naturalization' programs so too is the demand for you to thoroughly do your research before making a decision.  Unfortunately the length of this article will not permit for a comprehensive answer to the least expensive countries in which to obtain dual citizenship by way of naturalization.  I would suggest speaking at length to someone qualified to get more details if interested.

 

Regardless of which jurisdiction best meets your needs, you must be pointed to the specific underlying legal foundation upon which the dual citizenship program is being made available to the public.  Meaning, if you are not provided with a section from the constitution, a constitutional amendment or piece of current legislation validating the program then you are likely to become involved in a scam.

 

Be leery of anyone who tries to sell you a second passport based on adoption, the death of a citizen, or 'special activities' such as an involvement in the film industry, etc.  The use of a fraudulent passport is a serious international crime and punishable with long prison sentences in most every participating country.

 

Lastly, whomever you choose to provide your dual citizenship services, the actual work should be performed by legal counsel on-the-ground in the country wherein you are seeking your second citizenship.  Under no circumstances whatsoever should you consider attempting to procure a second passport without competent and reliable legal counsel.