Citizenship by investment is a path set out in law, with clear rules. Problems on this path usually come not from the path itself but from those who describe it. Checking a few things before you start prevents most later losses.
Three things before you start
- Read the conditions from an official source. The type and amount of the investment and how long it must be held are set by legislation and may change. Anyone who says "guaranteed" or "certain result" is wrong: investing does not automatically bring citizenship; the application is assessed separately.
- Check who you pay and where. Is the title deed issued in your name? Does the payment go to the institution that is a party to the transaction, or to an account opened in your name? A payment made to a person's private account or in cash is hard to recover. Keep the receipt and documents for every payment.
- Give authority in writing and verify who you give it to. A power of attorney is made at a notary, in a language you understand (with a sworn interpreter), and states the identity and authority of the representative. Whether someone is a lawyer can be checked in bar association records.
Who can do what?
Carrying out legal procedures on someone else's behalf before official bodies, and receiving a power of attorney for them, falls within the practice of law. People who present themselves as intermediaries, consultants or agents have no authority to represent you in this matter; they cannot run the file themselves, they can at most refer you. So before giving a power of attorney, check whether the person in front of you is a lawyer.
How does the process roughly work?
Making the investment, then documenting that it meets the conditions, the citizenship application, and the assessment of the application. Each stage has its own documents. A spouse and children under 18 may be included in the same application.
Special situations
- If you already paid someone and the process did not move, keep the receipts, messages and contract. This is a separate legal path and is strengthened by documents.
- If an application was made before or rejected, note the rejection decision and its date.
- If you have a past residence permit, entry ban or deportation record, say so from the start; it may affect the application.
- If you are proceeding through real estate, see the valuation report and the annotation on the title deed with your own eyes.
- The valuation must reflect the real value. Citizenship obtained through an inflated valuation or sham transactions can be annulled later.
Every file is different.
This text is general information, not legal advice.