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UK passports aren't as powerful as they used to be...
But fear not, there are many countries that will offer you a second passport (or citizenship) if you have grandparents, or in some cases, any family heritage, from said region. Read on...👇
To put it bluntly, Brexit has had a significant impact on the 'power' of the UK passport - this is according to the latest Henley Index, which measures how many countries you are entitled to visit without a visa or without obtaining any form of prior authorisation.
Britains ranking in 2024 has slipped from joint 10th to joint 14th place versus last year - indicating a clear change. And things are set to change even more once the new ETIAS rules come into place - which will require Brits to apply for ETIAS authroisation in 30+ countries, where previously no visa would be required. Not being part of the EU has also affected Brits freedom of movement, and ability to migrate elsewhere.
So it's pretty clear to us why you might fancy a new passport, even if it's just for bragging rights while your friends que up at the airport and you waltz through.
We've found 6 countries that are offering these second passports, read below for the details! 👇
Even if you were not born in Ireland, you are eligible for Irish citizenship if one of your grandparents was born on the island or was an Irish citizen at the time of your birth, according to the Irish Foreign Ministry. You'll have to apply for Foreign Birth Registration, which can take up to a year to process.
Global passport ranking: 4th
In Italy, descendants of Italian citizens are usually eligible to become citizens themselves — and the best bit is that there's no limit on how many generations ago your ancestors left the country as long as they maintained their own Italian citizenship until they had kids of their own! This can be proved with records like birth and marriage certificates.
Global passport ranking: 2nd
You can apply for Spanish citizenship if one of your grandparents was originally Spanish themselves, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of Spain. But theres a slight catch - you have to first live in Spain legally for one year.
Global passport ranking: 2nd
This one is super simple; Hungary considers most people with Hungarian grandparents to be Hungarian citizens, so all you have to do is apply to verify your citizenship and it doesn't even matter if you speak Hungarian!
Global passport ranking: 5th
If any of your ancestors lost their German citizenship during 1933 to 1945 due to the persecution of the Jewish people during this time, you may be eligible to have that citizenship restored.
Global passport ranking: 2nd
You may be eligible to obtain Lithuanian citizenship if one of your grandparents or great-grandparents (who had citizenship before 1940) left Lithuania before 1990, was deported, or made a political prisoner. In order to prove this lineage, you have to submit things like birth certificates prior to 1940.
Global passport ranking: 7th