The main grounds for obtaining citizenship are birth within the requisite territory, descent from a citizen parent, marriage to a citizen and naturalization. The first three are rather self-explanatory, however the definition of naturalization is unclear; it is the legal process by which a non-citizen acquires their citizenship. However, there is now an alternative method of acquiring citizenship and it is called citizenship-by-investment. Essentially, it is a program that offers one the opportunity to legally (and quickly) secure citizenship by investing in the interests of a Nation State. Sources suggest that there are currently only seven nations that offer a citizenship-by-investment scheme. One of these nations is Cyprus.
Aristo developers are a well-known property development company in Cyprus who offer/support the citizenship-by-investment program. They currently have 250 offers island wide, as well as 50 new projects that are entering the market. The scheme in Cyprus requires investors to buy property worth €2 million in order to gain citizenship. Moreover, there are many benefits to such a system. For example, it does not require residency (one must merely visit Cyprus once every seven years). Furthermore, it allows one to acquire voting rights and to pass on citizenship to future generations since it is valid for life. In sum, the citizenship-by-investment scheme seems to be a hassle-free method of acquiring citizenship in another country.
