PROGRAMMES
Related residency and citizenship investment programmes.
Indian passports holders have visa-free access to 75 destinations worldwide. Despite this figure being higher than most of its neighbours, with Pakistan at 46 and Bangladesh at 55, it is still low covering less than a third of the globe. India’s visa-free list includes countries such as Botswana, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Thailand and Hong Kong, but it does not include any European countries, USA, China, or the UK.
The reality is that when you consider the “quality” of those countries that Indian citizens have access to, they equate to a mere 8.8% of the world’s GDP.
There is however a solution through a second citizenship investment for those who can afford to invest. However, there is a lot to consider when weighing up your second citizenship options and there is no ”one size fits all” approach. Whilst every country’s passport comes with its own visa-free travel list, it’s important to consider the quality of those countries included, taking factors such as GDP wealth 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.
From La Vida’s experience of dealing with many wealthy Indian nationals, we know that global business links and education are some of the key driving factors behind their desire for second citizenship. Many Indian’s wish to educate their children in the world’s top schools or universities located in Europe, the UK or the USA. Holding a second passport in one of these regions makes this goal a lot more achievable.
In this case study, we have analysed some of the most popular choices for Indian citizens and explained why.
When you pair a Grenadian and Indian passport you gain access to 162 destinations worldwide, which includes the UK, EU Schengen zone, China and Russia. This is 59.7% of the world’s GDP. 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 around $120,000 into a US business or franchise. Ordinarily, an Indian passport holder would not usually have to right to apply for this option as India does not hold an E-2 visa treaty with the US. And 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 Indian citizens looking to educate their children abroad. Processing time is fast, just 4 months on average and the entire application can be completed remotely.
Similar to Grenada, a St Kitts plus Indian passport gives the holder access to 172 countries worldwide. Whilst the number of visa-free countries is slightly higher, this does not include China so therefore the GDP is slightly lower than with Grenada at 45.2%. As St Kitts 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. St Kitts is the longest standing Citizenship by Investment programme in the world and has been established since 1984, a major draw for many.
A Portuguese and Indian passport combined will grant access to 199 visa-free destinations in total, which represents 80.4% 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 are issued in around 24 – 72 hours. The initial Portuguese Golden visa programme starts from $500,000 + fees.
To receive your full passport value analysis, please contact our specialist consultants today.
Related residency and citizenship investment programmes.