• Jo Miran@lemmy.ml
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    7 months ago

    There’s no downside if you can do it and extreme wealth is only a requirement if some of the many offers don’t apply to you. Spain was basically giving away citizenship a few years back. Bulgaria is pretty open.

    • DevCat@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      I’ve lived in the US for quite a few decades, but I’m still a German citizen. When asked why I don’t take US citizenship, I give a three-part answer:

      1. I don’t believe you can owe allegiance to two different entities at the same time.
      2. Between a German EU passport and a US Green Card, I can travel almost anywhere in the world.
      3. I f I ever run into legal troubles, first call is to the wife, second goes to the embassy.
      • donio@lemmy.world
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        7 months ago

        This is a personal decision but I think it’s better to be pragmatic about it. If your country of origin permits dual citizenship I’d do the naturalization simply because it gives you more flexibility. It’s a more secure status, no need to worry about renewing or spending longer periods abroad. And you get to vote of course.

        Citizenships and passports are bureaucracy and they don’t define who you are, that comes from your heart. I’d look at it as a practical matter.

        My understanding is that Germany is looking to start permitting dual citizenship later this year.

        • afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world
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          7 months ago

          Citizenships and passports are bureaucracy and they don’t define who you are, that comes from your heart. I’d look at it as a practical matter.

          You sound like my wife before I gave in and we got a marriage license. I don’t need a fucking shaman or some civil servant in a black weird dress to legitimize our relationship.

          • VelvetStorm@lemmy.world
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            7 months ago

            I felt/feel the same way. Still got married to my wife for legal reasons. Her mother is insane and if something happened to my wife, we don’t want her getting power of attorney, nor do we even want her in the hospital if it can be avoided.

          • whoreticulture
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            7 months ago

            They’re not legitimizing your relationship, they’re granting accesss to legal rights.

            • afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world
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              7 months ago

              They are saying you get X rights if you have Y status. Where Y is your legally recognized relationship with a person.

              It is understood that if my wife can’t make a medical decision and one has to be made I can repeat what her wishes would have been. Why is that? Because we are married? Why does being married matter? Because it is a relationship? Why does that differ from any other relationship? Because it is a legitimate one.

              This whole process is the government or some religion saying this relationship between two people is a special exception from the rules governing regular relationships.

              • whoreticulture
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                7 months ago

                Other relationships are legitimate, they just aren’t legally recognized by the government. You can make a contract that gives anyone rights to medical decision-making.

                • afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world
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                  7 months ago

                  Cool. So there was never once in history laws that regulated say unmarried people living together? Remind me what was going on in Loving v. Virginia.

                  How about immigration? Do you think you are going to sponsor a person you aren’t legally married with just because you two are in love?

      • Breve@pawb.social
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        7 months ago

        Another thing to consider is that US citizens must pay taxes on all foreign income and investments even if they leave to live outside the US. This is why the US has made renouncing US citizenship expensive and complicated, like even after you renounce it you still have to pay US taxes for 10 more years despite losing the rest of your citizenship privileges immediately.

      • catloaf@lemm.ee
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        7 months ago

        Is that a personal belief, or a legal one? Because the US does recognize dual citizenship. Germany does too, in certain conditions.

          • catloaf@lemm.ee
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            7 months ago

            So if you believe they’re separate, I don’t see how believing you can only have one allegiance affects your citizenship(s).

    • bdonvr@thelemmy.club
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      7 months ago

      There is a downside to US Citizenship for some though, as one of the only countries on earth yo demand you pay taxes on income earned outside the country

      • Billiam@lemmy.world
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        7 months ago

        demand you pay taxes on income earned outside the country

        Good thing the super wealthy don’t have legally-defined income to be taxed!

        …No, wait. Not good. The opposite of good.

        • bdonvr@thelemmy.club
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          7 months ago

          True, but iirc also some banks outside the US refuse to open an account for you if you’re a US citizen due to some weird compliance rules that the US requires

    • Regrettable_incident@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      I think Portugal will basically sell you a passport for a €250,000 investment. I don’t know about Spain. I had Spanish residency years ago but moved away and let it slip, residency was pretty easy to get back then. I’d fuckin love to have an EU passport.

      • sparky@lemmy.federate.cc@lemmy.federate.cc
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        7 months ago

        Portugal will give you a residence visa for a €500,000 investment but you have to actually spend time in Portugal and learn Portuguese if you want to become a citizen one day (5-6 years later).

        Some Caribbean islands will sell you immediately citizenship and passport for like $300,000 though.

    • cm0002@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      These are all lame countries anyways, now I would love to have a Denmark or Sweden passport or something but last I looked it was pretty hard (For us lowly plebs anyways…)

        • Cosmonauticus@lemmy.world
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          7 months ago

          They are if they’re just giving it passports to rich ppl. Imagine welcoming in ppl who are collectively fucking up the world and somehow thinking you’ll be exempt if you let them into your country?

          • afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world
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            7 months ago

            It isn’t like they are supervillains. The system allows bad actors. Look at all the issues these companies have had trying to branch outside the US and slamming into labor laws, regulations, culture, taxes, etc.

        • Billiam@lemmy.world
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          7 months ago

          Yeah, because it’s full of British ex-pats complaining about all the Spaniards and how much the Brexit they voted for is kicking their dicks.

          • areyouevenreal@lemm.ee
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            7 months ago

            Brexit was sold using lies and lots of us (especially expats) didn’t vote for brexit. It was close to 50-50 vote.