How to travel with two passports

You need to show your second passport, for example, a Maltese one. Usually, along with the ticket, the passenger must present a visa allowing entry to the European Union. However, the Maltese passport is a document that allows you to move around the Schengen Area without a visa.

Therefore, in this case, the passport of a citizen of the European Union gives permission to enter the country.

You cannot refuse to show your passport to airline employees. It is the carrier that is responsible for boarding the flight of passengers with valid documents. The airline must be sure that upon arrival the passenger will accurately pass the border control. If it is deployed by the border guards of another country, the airline will have to carry it back at its own expense.

After that, you can safely put the Maltese passport in your pocket: you will not need it until you arrive in the European Union.

A citizen must leave their home country with their first passport. Even if the border guards ask for a visa, the passenger is not obliged to show it. Together with the passport, you only need to present a boarding pass.

Permission to enter the destination country. Passport control officers do not have the right to check the availability of permission to enter another state. And its absence does not give them the right to detain a passenger.

The second passport is presented upon arrival in an EU country. Citizens of the European Union do not need any visa to go through passport control, so you can safely go through control in the corridor for EU citizens.

A Maltese passport will also suffice when travelling in Europe and crossing the internal borders of the European Union.

The first passport must be shown upon returning from Europe. The carrier is responsible for having a valid entry permit and, if refused, will bear the costs of deportation.

Vladlena Baranova,

Head of Legal & AML Compliance Department, CAMS, IMCM

When crossing the border with a second passport, for example, with one of the Caribbean nation of St Kitts and Nevis, you may be asked how you obtained citizenship. You should answer honestly that you participated in a citizenship-by-investment program.

At passport control in Turkey, you need to present a Turkish passport. The border guards do not care with which document the passenger travelled around Europe.

The second passport can be put away and not used until a new trip.

It is important to follow the rule: you must present the same document at the entrance to and exit from the country. There are only two of them, so it’s hard to get confused.

Flight tickets can be bought using any document. For the airline, both documents, a Turkish passport and an EU citizen’s passport, are equally legitimate.

The traditional way to acquire new citizenship is through naturalisation. This requires living in the country for a long period, knowing the language and history, having a job, housing, and a good reputation.

Some countries looking to attract foreign investment offer faster and more convenient methods.

Malta grants citizenship by naturalisation for exceptional services by direct investment. Depending on the contribution amount, the timeframe for getting a second passport is one or three years. The minimum investment is €690,000.

Vanuatu offers citizenship by investment starting at $130,000. It is the fastest option for investors: a second passport can be issued in just 1 to 4 months.

Five Caribbean countries provide second citizenship to investors under similar conditions. The minimum investment amount is $200,000, with the passport obtainable within 6+ months.

Turkey citizenship is popular among real estate investors. One can qualify for a Turkish passport by purchasing one or more residential or commercial properties with a total deal value of at least $400,000.

Portugal offers an option for those willing to first obtain a residence permit and then, after 5 years, become citizens through naturalisation.

Suppose the residence permit is obtained by investment. In that case, the foreigner is not required to relocate to Portugal: spending 7 days per year in the country to maintain residency and be eligible to apply for citizenship is enough.

The minimum investment for Portugal residency by investment is €250,000. However, to have the opportunity to recoup investments after a few years, one must invest at least €500,000 in shares of investment funds.