Family Passport Planning: Extending Citizenship and Residency to Dependants
One of the most important considerations for any HNW individual pursuing second citizenship or residency by investment is how the programme applies to the wider family. For many applicants, the primary motivation is not personal — it is securing a better future for children, providing options for elderly parents, or ensuring a spouse has equivalent travel freedom and legal status.
The rules governing inclusion of family members vary considerably between programmes, between jurisdictions, and between different categories of family member. Understanding these rules before selecting a programme is essential — the cost differences, eligibility conditions, and downstream citizenship transmission rights can all be materially affected by family composition.
Eligibility rules for family members change regularly in most programmes. Age limits, income thresholds, and dependency definitions should all be verified with authorised advisers at the time of application.
Who Qualifies as a Dependant?
The definition of "dependant" for CBI and residency programme purposes is not universal. Most programmes share a common core — spouse, minor children — but differ significantly on the edges:
Spouse or civil partner: Virtually all programmes include a legally recognised spouse. A small number also recognise civil partnerships or registered domestic partnerships, though this varies by jurisdiction. Same-sex spouses are accepted in programmes operating under EU norms and in several Caribbean programmes; some jurisdictions do not recognise same-sex marriages at all.
Unmarried partner (de facto spouse): A growing number of programmes — including Malta and Portugal — will consider a long-term cohabiting partner as equivalent to a spouse where the relationship can be documented. Evidence typically includes a cohabitation certificate, joint financial commitments, and a statutory declaration. However, this is not universally available and should be confirmed for each programme.
Dependent children: The definition of "dependent child" typically includes biological children, legally adopted children, and (in many programmes) stepchildren where legal guardianship can be demonstrated. The age threshold is the most variable factor — see below.
Dependent parents: Many programmes allow the inclusion of parents and parents-in-law, subject to age thresholds and dependency criteria.
Dependent grandparents: Less commonly, some programmes — notably Antigua and Grenada among the Caribbean CBI options — allow the inclusion of grandparents, subject to additional due diligence fees and dependency evidence. (Malta, which historically allowed grandparents under its MEIN scheme, closed its citizenship-by-investment route in 2025.)
Siblings: Very few programmes extend to siblings. Where they do, the requirements are typically stringent.
Dependent Child Age Limits
Below 18: All CBI and residency programmes include minor children under 18 as standard dependants. No special conditions typically apply beyond documentation (birth certificate, passport).
18–21: Many programmes include young adult children aged 18–21 as dependants, typically without conditions. Some require only documentation; others require evidence of financial dependency on the main applicant.
21–30: The upper limit for adult children varies significantly. Several Caribbean programmes — including Antigua, Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts and St Lucia — now include financially dependent adult children up to age 30, and many have dropped the former full-time education requirement in favour of proof of financial dependency. (Malta's former MEIN programme, which included dependent children up to age 29, was abolished in 2025 and no longer offers a route.) This is one of the most frequently changed parameters — always verify current rules.
Adult children with disabilities: Many programmes make specific provision for adult children with qualifying disabilities, regardless of age, provided they are financially dependent on the main applicant.
Spouse Requirements
Spousal inclusion is standard but not without conditions:
Documentation: A valid marriage certificate (and, where relevant, an apostille of that certificate from the issuing country) is required. For individuals who have been married previously, divorce decrees from all prior marriages must be provided.
Language tests and residency obligations: Where a programme has language or minimum-stay requirements for citizenship (Portugal requires A2 Portuguese; Greece requires a basic Greek language and integration test; some Caribbean naturalisation processes require proof of time in-country), these requirements apply to the spouse as well as the main applicant.
Joint due diligence: All family members above a minimum age (typically 12 or 16, depending on the programme) are subject to independent due diligence. A family member with a criminal record, adverse political exposure, or sanctions-related history can affect the application — in some cases severely. This is important where the spouse has a more complex background than the main applicant.
Separate applications: In some programmes, a spouse who does not qualify as a dependant — for example, where they have their own independent income but the investment is being made solely by one partner — can apply as a principal applicant in their own right, with separate investment requirements.
Including Parents and Grandparents
Caribbean programmes (general): Most Caribbean CBI programmes allow parents to be included as dependants, subject to proof of financial dependency. Minimum ages vary by programme — commonly 55 (Antigua, St Kitts, St Lucia), 65 in Dominica, and no fixed minimum age in Grenada. Some programmes require evidence that the parent is financially dependent on the main applicant.
Malta historically allowed parents and grandparents under its MEIN citizenship-by-investment scheme, but that programme was abolished in 2025 and is no longer available.
UAE Golden Visa: Parents can be included in UAE long-term residency arrangements under the family sponsorship system, though this is a separate process from the investor golden visa and subject to separate income and accommodation requirements.
Portugal and Greece golden visas: Parents can generally be included in golden visa family reunification applications, subject to proving dependency and the sponsoring resident having sufficient income and accommodation to support them.
Key issue: Including parents or grandparents increases costs — additional due diligence fees apply in virtually all programmes. It also extends the timeframe for application processing, as additional people mean more documentation and more due diligence to conduct.
Children Born After Naturalisation
Where citizenship is acquired through CBI or naturalisation, children subsequently born to the citizen will typically acquire citizenship automatically by descent at birth — this is jus sanguinis (right of blood) transmission.
This is one of the most valuable long-term benefits of acquiring citizenship through investment: the citizenship passes to future generations, multiplying the value of the original investment across the family.
Conditions on jus sanguinis transmission: Many countries limit transmission to the first generation born abroad. For example, a child of a newly naturalised Grenadian citizen born outside Grenada will acquire Grenadian citizenship; but if that child then has children born outside Grenada without registering the descent citizenship, those grandchildren may not automatically acquire Grenadian citizenship without a formal application.
Registration requirements: In most CBI jurisdictions, citizenship by descent must be registered — it is not always automatic from birth. The process, timelines, and any requirements (e.g., language tests, residency periods) vary. Parents should register children's descent citizenship as early as possible.
Children Acquiring Second Citizenship from a CBI Programme
Where a child acquires citizenship through a parent's CBI application — either as a dependant included in the original application or through later descent registration — the impact on their existing citizenship should be considered.
Most countries accept dual nationality for children acquiring citizenship through descent or a parent's naturalisation without any requirement to elect or renounce upon reaching adulthood. However, a small number of countries (including Austria and some others) require election at adulthood, and the rules governing this can change.
If a child holds citizenship in a country that prohibits dual nationality, the acquisition of a second citizenship through a parent's CBI programme may technically trigger an obligation to renounce — though many countries do not actively enforce this against minors.
Planning the Full-Family Application
The most cost-effective and logistically efficient approach is to include all qualifying family members in the original application rather than making separate or subsequent applications. Adding dependants after the initial citizenship or residency is granted is possible in most programmes but is typically more expensive, slower, and involves duplicating due diligence.
The checklist for a full-family application includes:
- Marriage certificate(s) with apostille
- Birth certificates for all children (with apostille)
- Proof of dependency for adult children (student enrolment letters, financial dependency declarations)
- Medical certificates or disability documentation where applicable
- Proof of dependency for parents and grandparents (income and asset declarations)
- Police clearance certificates for all adult family members
- Passport-standard photographs
- Full biographical details and employment/residence histories
Assembling this documentation for a large family — particularly where family members live in different countries — takes time. Planning should begin four to six months before the intended application date.
How Global Investments Can Help
Global Investments has extensive experience managing complex family applications across multiple CBI and residency programmes. We coordinate documentation for all family members, identify potential issues in advance (criminal records, adverse due diligence profiles, incomplete documentation), and manage the application process through to completion.
We advise on the most cost-effective programme structure for families of different sizes and compositions, and help clients think through the long-term implications for children's citizenship status, descent transmission, and future planning.
Contact Global Investments to discuss how your family circumstances interact with your investment migration objectives.
This guide is for general information only and does not constitute legal, financial or immigration advice. Programme details change; verify current requirements with a qualified immigration lawyer before making any investment or application. Investment values can fall as well as rise.