by
Mark
Nestmann
The
Nestmann Group, Ltd.

Recently
by Mark Nestmann: Warning:
Avoid Black Market and Grey Market Passports!

The ongoing
economic crisis in the European Union has led the governments of
Ireland and Portugal to ease the path to residence – and eventual
citizenship – for well-heeled migrants. Spain is considering
a similar initiative, which is even more attractive due to lower
investment requirements.

Ireland has
introduced several initiatives to wealthy investors into its depressed
economy. In exchange, the government will give you and your family
a residence permit. And, if you donÂ’t mind spending at least
five years in IrelandÂ’s cold, damp weather, youÂ’ll eventually
qualify for Irish citizenship and passport.

The least expensive
option requires that you make a one-time contribution (not an investment)
of €500,000 (about US$650,000) to a qualifying public project.
Alternatively, you can:

• Invest
  €1 million in a new Irish business, including one that you
  establish
• Invest €2
  million in a five-year bond that pays 1% interest annually, or
• Invest €1
  million in an investment that consists of €500,000 of real
  estate and €500,000 in government securities. A single €1
  million investment in distressed property may also qualify. You
  cannot invest in rental property; you must either live in the
  property or invest in real estate that will clearly benefit Ireland.

You need not
actually live in Ireland to maintain legal residence under any of
these initiatives. However, to prove entitlement to Irish citizenship
and passport, you must demonstrate five years of physical residence
in Ireland over an eight-year period. You must also demonstrate
good conduct and some level of integration of fluency in English,
but this latter requirement will be easy for most of our readers
to meet.

Ireland is
a member of the European Union, so an Irish passport entitles you
to live and work in any EU country. For non-U.S. citizens, it also
provides visa-free access to the United States and Canada. Unlike
numerous other EU countries, Ireland also permits dual citizenship.

For more information,
click
here. The Nestmann Group, Ltd. does not currently assist with
acquiring Irish residence.

The rules to
acquire a “golden residence permit” in Portugal require
you to make one of the following investments in Portugal and maintain
it for five years or longer:

• Acquire
  real estate valued at €500,000 or more
• Transfer
  €1 million or more of capital to a bank in Portugal or investment
  in shares on the Portuguese stock exchange
• Create a
  business in Portugal resulting in 30 or more full-time jobs for
  Portuguese residents.

As with Ireland,
you must be lawfully resident in Portuguese territory for an extended
period to qualify for residence. The minimum period of physical
residence to qualify is six years. In addition, you must demonstrate
substantial integration into Portuguese life, including proven proficiency
in the Portuguese language

Like Ireland,
Portuguese citizens may live and work in any other EU country and
enter the United States and Canada visa-free.

For more information,
click here.
You can download a brochure describing the options for the golden
residence permit here.
The Nestmann Group, Ltd. does not currently assist with acquiring
Portuguese residence.

IÂ’ve saved
the best for last. Spain is considering granting residence permits
to foreigners who invest €160,000 more in a Spanish home. The
proposal is now before the Spanish parliament, so itÂ’s unlikely
to come into effect before the end of 2012. With nearly 670,000
unsold dwelling in Spain, there are plenty of homes to choose from
to qualify.

Unfortunately,
you must reside in Spain for 10 years to qualify for Spanish citizenship
and passport. In addition, you must give up previous nationalities
when you become a Spanish citizen.

I believe the
initiatives taken by Ireland, Portugal, and possibly Spain are a
harbinger of developments to come. As the global economic crisis
slowly grinds forward, more and more countries will begin competing
for well-heeled foreign investment, and offer legal residence as
part of the package. Keep reading our blog – we’ll keep
you posted.

December
6, 2012

Mark
Nestmann [send him mail]
is a journalist with more than 20 years of investigative experience
and is a charter member of The
Sovereign Society’s Council of Experts. He has authored over
a dozen books and many additional reports on wealth preservation,
privacy and offshore investing. Mark serves as president of his
own international consulting firm, The
Nestmann Group, Ltd. The Nestmann Group provides international
wealth preservation services for high-net worth individuals. Mark
is an Associate Member of the American Bar Association (member of
subcommittee on Foreign Activities of U.S. Taxpayers, Committee
on Taxation) and member of the Society of Professional Journalists.
In 2005, he was awarded a Masters of Laws (LL.M) degree in international
tax law at the Vienna (Austria) University of Economics and Business
Administration.

Copyright
© 2012 Mark
Nestmann

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