English
For United States citizens
Dual citizenship for US citizens: what is allowed and what stays the same
United States law permits its citizens to hold another nationality. What a second passport does not change is US tax filing. This page separates the two clearly before you spend anything.
Americans are the fastest-growing group of applicants in investment migration, and almost every enquiry we take from the United States opens with the same two questions: is it legal, and does it change my taxes. The short answers are yes and no.
A second citizenship adds options: another place your family can live, a second travel document, and, in Grenada's case, eligibility to apply for a United States E-2 investor visa. It removes nothing. Your United States passport, your filing obligations and your reporting duties all continue exactly as before.
This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Confirm your own position with qualified United States counsel and a US tax adviser before you commit funds.
What changes, what does not
The honest before and after
Changes: where your family can live
A second citizenship or residency gives your household a lawful base outside the United States, without renouncing anything you already hold.
Changes: how you travel
A second passport widens visa-free access and gives you an alternative document if one is lost, expired or being renewed.
Does not change: US tax filing
The United States taxes citizens on worldwide income wherever they live. A second citizenship has no effect on that, and foreign accounts may add FBAR and FATCA reporting.
Does not change: your US citizenship
None of the programmes we advise on require renunciation, and obtaining another nationality by investment does not by itself end United States citizenship.
Routes
What Americans actually apply for
Indicative entry costs before fees. Each links to a full cost breakdown.
| Route | Why Americans choose it | Entry cost |
|---|---|---|
| Grenada citizenship | The only citizenship by investment country with a US E-2 treaty | From USD 235,000 contribution |
| St Kitts & Nevis citizenship | Longest-running programme, accelerated 60-day option | From USD 250,000 contribution |
| Antigua & Barbuda citizenship | One contribution covers a family of up to four | From USD 230,000 contribution |
| Dominica citizenship | Lowest entry cost, no visit ever required | From USD 200,000 contribution |
| Portugal residency | European base with a long-term path, residence first | From EUR 250,000 |
If the United States E-2 route is your objective, start with our E-2 treaty country guide. For a side-by-side view of every programme, use the comparison tool or the cost calculator.
Speak to the US office
Leave a number and an adviser in our Sugar Land, Texas office calls you back.
Questions
What US citizens ask us first
- Can a United States citizen legally hold dual citizenship?
- Yes. United States law does not require a citizen to choose between US nationality and another one, and the State Department recognises that a US citizen may hold another nationality. Acquiring a second citizenship through investment does not, by itself, put US citizenship at risk.
- Do I have to tell the United States government?
- There is no general requirement to report simply holding another citizenship. Tax and financial reporting is a different matter: US citizens file US returns on worldwide income regardless of where they live, and foreign financial accounts can trigger FBAR and FATCA reporting. Confirm your position with a qualified US tax adviser.
- Does a second passport reduce my US taxes?
- No. A second citizenship changes nothing about US tax filing. The United States taxes on citizenship, not residence, so obligations continue until citizenship itself ends. Anyone telling you a second passport is a US tax strategy is selling you something.
- Which programmes do Americans use most?
- Caribbean citizenship for mobility and family security, with Grenada singled out because it is the only citizenship by investment country holding an E-2 treaty with the United States. For a European base, Portugal and Greece residency routes are the usual starting points, since they are residence rather than citizenship at the outset.
- Will I need to give up my US passport?
- No. None of the programmes we advise on require renouncing United States citizenship, and we do not advise on renunciation. If a provider requires it, that is a material fact you should be told before, not after, you pay anything.
- How long does a second citizenship take for an American applicant?
- Caribbean citizenship files typically run four to nine months depending on the country, with St Kitts offering an accelerated option. European residency routes grant residence first, usually within months, with citizenship eligibility years later and conditions attached.
Next step
Get a written plan built around your household
Tell us who is applying and what the second citizenship is for. You receive a costed shortlist with our fee shown separately from every government charge.