GARANT.in Emigration Center: Life with two passports. Explicit and hidden benefits.

GARANT.in Emigration Center: Life with two passports. Explicit and hidden benefits.

“Another language is another vision of life.” These words are attributed to Federico Fellini. And although they are said about language, their idea can be applied to getting a second passport. It consists in the fact that a person receiving a second citizenship significantly expands his possibilities; he begins to see life in a different way, and can live in a different way.

Why does this happen, what benefits does a second passport open up, what makes people spend very decent sums for this purpose?

Dual and second citizenship. Sounds similar - the meanings are different.

To answer the above questions, it is worthwhile to briefly turn to the theory. There is such an intricate word - bipatrizm, which came into our speech from Roman law. It means the status of a person who is simultaneously a citizen of two states. Each of them has the right to impose on him all the requirements that it imposes on its citizens. 

Such a status is called dual citizenship in international law.It is relatively rare, because for its legal justification it is necessary for two countries to sign an agreement between themselves. The authorities of these states are aware of the presence of two passports and officially recognize his rights and obligations in relation to the other country.

Very many states of the world do not recognize dual citizenship at all. In turn, an excellent example of dual citizenship in action are the treaties between Great Britain and the countries of the British Commonwealth.

Interesting! The Russian Federation, for example, has an agreement on dual citizenship signed only with Tajikistan. And Ukraine in general belongs to the countries that do not recognize dual citizenship as a matter of principle.

But the second citizenship is much more common. It is acquired by wealthy people using special investment programs. There are no agreements on legal regulation of this issue between the countries whose passports such people have. Moreover, often the authorities of one of the countries do not even know that its citizen has a second passport. A person with a second citizenship independently decides for himself those or other legal conflicts arising in his life. He acts at his own discretion, according to his goals and principles.

Nowadays, the term “bipatrist” has received an expanded interpretation, and now it can be applied in the case of both dual citizenship and second citizenship.

Attitudes of different countries towards bipatrists. Who admits it, who does not recognize it?

The official attitude of different states to this issue differs significantly. And if with dual citizenship everything is clear - it is necessary to have a bilateral state agreement, then with second citizenship everything is more complicated. In fact, all countries of the world can be divided into three groups in this matter:

• allowing second citizenship for their subjects (#1);
• not allowing a second citizenship, but not prosecuting for having one;
• prohibiting second citizenship and prosecuting for having a second passport (#3).

What benefits does a person with dual citizenship receive?

Now, armed with theoretical knowledge, let's return to our main question. For the sake of what benefits people seek to obtain a second passport for themselves, and why did we initially write that it is able to radically change the life of the investor?

All the benefits can be divided into two parts, each of which has its own characteristics.

Social benefits

1. Wide opportunities for free, visa-free travel to other countries, which are not guaranteed by the native passport.
2. Enjoyment of various social guarantees and rights that are not available in one's home country.
3. The opportunity to receive better medical care, as well as the prospect of educating one's children in prestigious universities.
4. Additional protection of personal freedoms and constitutional rights, especially if they are poorly respected in the home country.
5. The opportunity to escape criminal or other prosecution in one's home country.
6. The prospect of legally residing in two countries of one's choice.
7. The possibility of choosing citizenship for one's children.

Economic benefits

• The enhanced ability to open deposits abroad.
• The prospect of expanding the geography of your business. Better opportunities to open companies in other countries, not only in the home country. The opportunity to work in another country.
• This applies to bi-patriate family members as well.
• Increased ways to raise capital from other countries. 
• The ability to choose a more favorable taxation system. Using this right, it is possible to become a resident of a country where taxes are lower or even absent.

Situational benefits of bipatrism

In addition to these permanent advantages, there are many others that can be called situational. For example, you have lost your native passport, or it is temporarily missing for some reason, and you need to travel abroad urgently for business or family reasons. At such times it is convenient to use a second passport.

Another example - you have taken a bank loan in one country (where the interest on loans is lower), but you use the money in another country.

When you are in a third country and find yourself in a difficult situation, you can seek diplomatic support from the embassy of the country you think is more influential in the situation.

Conclusion

In the text, we have constantly talked about having two passports. It is clear that there can be more, while all the benefits and advantages remain in force. There are many wealthy or simply famous people who have three or four passports! Their number is not limited by any laws.

To summarize, we can state that bipatrism is convenient, profitable and prestigious. In addition, it is farsighted towards one's children, it is a guarantee of their freedom and well-being.