Ranking · 76 countries · updated 2026-10-08
The fastest countries to get citizenship, 2026
Years of legal residence before you can usually apply for citizenship by naturalisation. Many countries have shorter routes for spouses or nationals of partner countries; see each country guide.
The top three are the Dominican Republic, Argentina and Peru. Click any country for its full guide to visas, costs, safety and citizenship.
| # | Country | Citizenship | Permanent residence | Dual citizenship |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Dominican Republic | 2 yrs | Day 1 | Allowed |
| 2 |  Argentina | 2 yrs | 3 yrs | Allowed |
| 3 |  Peru | 2 yrs | 3 yrs | Allowed |
| 4 |  Canada | 3 yrs | Day 1 | Allowed |
| 5 |  Ecuador | 3 yrs | 2 yrs | Allowed |
| 6 |  Paraguay | 3 yrs | 2 yrs | Limited |
| 7 |  Australia | 4 yrs | Day 1 | Allowed |
| 8 |  Singapore | 4 yrs | 2 yrs | Not allowed |
| 9 |  Brazil | 4 yrs | 4 yrs | Allowed |
| 10 |  Uruguay | 5 yrs | Day 1 | Allowed |
| 11 |  Chile | 5 yrs | 2 yrs | Allowed |
| 12 |  Panama | 5 yrs | 2 yrs | Limited |
| 13 |  Ireland | 5 yrs | 2 yrs | Allowed |
| 14 |  Germany | 5 yrs | 2 yrs | Allowed |
| 15 |  New Zealand | 5 yrs | 2 yrs | Allowed |
| 16 |  Taiwan | 5 yrs | 3 yrs | Limited |
| 17 |  Mexico | 5 yrs | 4 yrs | Allowed |
| 18 |  Morocco | 5 yrs | 4 yrs | Limited |
| 19 |  Colombia | 5 yrs | 5 yrs | Allowed |
| 20 |  France | 5 yrs | 5 yrs | Allowed |
| 21 |  Netherlands | 5 yrs | 5 yrs | Limited |
| 22 |  Belgium | 5 yrs | 5 yrs | Allowed |
| 23 |  Luxembourg | 5 yrs | 5 yrs | Allowed |
| 24 |  Malta | 5 yrs | 5 yrs | Allowed |
| 25 |  Albania | 5 yrs | 5 yrs | Allowed |
| 26 |  South Korea | 5 yrs | 5 yrs | Limited |
| 27 |  Indonesia | 5 yrs | 5 yrs | Not allowed |
| 28 |  South Africa | 5 yrs | 5 yrs | Limited |
| 29 |  Rwanda | 5 yrs | 5 yrs | Allowed |
| 30 |  Cape Verde | 5 yrs | 5 yrs | Allowed |
| 31 |  Turkey | 5 yrs | 8 yrs | Allowed |
| 32 |  United States | 5 yrs | No route | Allowed |
| 33 |  Vietnam | 5 yrs | No route | Limited |
| 34 |  United Kingdom | 6 yrs | 5 yrs | Allowed |
| 35 |  Costa Rica | 7 yrs | 3 yrs | Allowed |
| 36 |  Mauritius | 7 yrs | 3 yrs | Allowed |
| 37 |  Iceland | 7 yrs | 4 yrs | Allowed |
| 38 |  Greece | 7 yrs | 5 yrs | Allowed |
| 39 |  Cyprus | 7 yrs | 5 yrs | Allowed |
| 40 |  Ghana | 7 yrs | 5 yrs | Allowed |
| 41 |  Kenya | 7 yrs | 7 yrs | Allowed |
| 42 |  Norway | 8 yrs | 3 yrs | Allowed |
| 43 |  Hungary | 8 yrs | 3 yrs | Allowed |
| 44 |  Thailand | 8 yrs | 3 yrs | Limited |
| 45 |  Sweden | 8 yrs | 4 yrs | Allowed |
| 46 |  Poland | 8 yrs | 5 yrs | Limited |
| 47 |  Slovakia | 8 yrs | 5 yrs | Limited |
| 48 |  Croatia | 8 yrs | 5 yrs | Limited |
| 49 |  Romania | 8 yrs | 5 yrs | Allowed |
| 50 |  Estonia | 8 yrs | 5 yrs | Not allowed |
| 51 |  Serbia | 8 yrs | 5 yrs | Limited |
| 52 |  Finland | 8 yrs | 6 yrs | Allowed |
| 53 |  Denmark | 9 yrs | 8 yrs | Allowed |
| 54 |  Philippines | 10 yrs | Day 1 | Limited |
| 55 |  Japan | 10 yrs | 1 yr | Not allowed |
| 56 |  Portugal | 10 yrs | 5 yrs | Allowed |
| 57 |  Spain | 10 yrs | 5 yrs | Limited |
| 58 |  Austria | 10 yrs | 5 yrs | Not allowed |
| 59 |  Italy | 10 yrs | 5 yrs | Allowed |
| 60 |  Czech Republic | 10 yrs | 5 yrs | Allowed |
| 61 |  Slovenia | 10 yrs | 5 yrs | Limited |
| 62 |  Bulgaria | 10 yrs | 5 yrs | Limited |
| 63 |  Latvia | 10 yrs | 5 yrs | Limited |
| 64 |  Lithuania | 10 yrs | 5 yrs | Not allowed |
| 65 |  Montenegro | 10 yrs | 5 yrs | Not allowed |
| 66 |  Georgia | 10 yrs | 6 yrs | Limited |
| 67 |  Switzerland | 10 yrs | 10 yrs | Allowed |
| 68 |  Namibia | 10 yrs | 10 yrs | Not allowed |
| 69 |  Oman | 20 yrs | No route | Not allowed |
| 70 |  Qatar | 25 yrs | 20 yrs | Not allowed |
| 71 |  Bahrain | 25 yrs | No route | Not allowed |
| 72 |  Hong Kong | Very rare | 7 yrs | Not allowed |
| 73 |  United Arab Emirates | Very rare | No route | Not allowed |
| 74 |  Saudi Arabia | Very rare | No route | Not allowed |
| 75 |  Kuwait | Very rare | No route | Not allowed |
| 76 |  Malaysia | Very rare | No route | Not allowed |
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