Strongest Second Passports for South African Applicants

South africa’s Low Ranking Passport

Whilst South Africa has one of the highest ranking passports in Africa, its global access is fairly limited. South African citizens have visa-free access to 112 destinations, that’s 49.3% of the 227 countries and territories worldwide. At first glance this may seem like a fair figure, but the true value of South Africa’s visa-free list equates to just 20.2% of the world’s GDP. It does not include access to key destinations such as Europe, USA, China, or the UK.

SECOND PASSPORT SOLUTIONS

When considering your second residency or citizenship options it is important to look at not only the number of visa-free countries to which you will gain access, but the “quality” of the countries included, taking factors such as GDP into consideration, as well as the combined value of countries with your current passport. La Vida’s unique Passport Value report does all of this and more.

La Vida has experience of dealing with many South African nationals. We understand that in addition to visa-free access benefits, a ”Plan B” is often the driving factor behind their desire for second Citizenship. Should political tensions rise, holding a second passport gives investors the options to escape at short notice and reside freely in the country they have chosen to become a citizen of.

There are several programmes to consider, but some of the most valuable options can be found below.

LA VIDA’S TOP 3 PASSPORT RECOMMENDATIONS FOR South African CITIZENS:

PORTUGAL

A Portuguese and South African passport combination will grant the holder access to 202 destinations in total. This represents 89% of the world’s GDP and includes the right to live, work and study anywhere within the European Union. Portuguese citizenship can be granted to golden visa investors after five years of residency.  It also grants travel access to Australia, Canada and the USA through their simple electronic visa authorisation systems, which take less than 20 minutes to complete online and is issued in around 24 – 72 hours. The initial Portuguese Golden Visa programme starts from $500,000 + fees.

GRENADA

Pair a South African and Grenadian passport and you gain access to 172 destinations worldwide. This includes the UK, EU Schengen zone, China and Russia. Now you have visa free access to 60.2% of the world’s GDP, a huge improvement on the 20.2% that a standalone South African Passport offers

There are also two additional attractions of Grenada Citizenship. Grenada holds an E-2 Visa treaty with the USA, which means Grenadian citizens can apply for a US residency visa by investing into a US business or franchise. Ordinarily, a South African passport holder would not usually have to right to apply for this option as South Africa does not hold an E-2 visa treaty with the US. Finally, Grenada is home to St Georges University, a top medical school affiliated with the USA and the UK. Grenadian Citizens are entitled to 90% fee reduction on their first year which has proven to be a huge draw to many Nigerian citizens looking to educate their children abroad. Processing time is fast, just four months on average and the entire application can be completed remotely.

DOMINICA

Similar to Grenada, a Dominican and South African passport gives the holder access to 174 countries worldwide. Although the number of visa-free countries is slightly higher than Grenada’s, this does not include China so the GDP access is slightly lower at 45.1%. As Dominica is part of the Commonwealth (like Grenada) passport holders can enjoy visa-free travel to the EU and spend up to six months a year in the UK. Dominica’s Citizenship by Investment programme has been established since 1993.

To receive your full passport value analysis, please contact our specialist consultants today.

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