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Visuals · Routes · 22 October 2026

Routes: 66 passports and the years to hold one, 2026

Key figures

  • 7 of the 66 passports are granted by investment, in months.
  • Switzerland: 10 years of residence and a C permit.
  • The United States: 5 years as a green card holder, 3 if married to a citizen.

Source: the Patrician.ch board, an original ranking of 100 residence addresses across 47 countries and territories. Tax rates, thresholds and routes are sourced. Cost, safety, schools, sun and beauty are Patrician.ch editorial indices. Figures current to October 2026. Updated . Cite as: Patrician.ch, Routes: 66 passports and the years to hold one, 2026, patrician.ch/visuals/routes-years-to-citizenship-2026/, October 2026.

66 passport flags grouped by the years each standard path to citizenship asks for, from months by investment to 30 years.
Source: Patrician.ch passport pages, the standard path to citizenship. As of 22 Oct 2026. Free to share unchanged, with credit to patrician.ch.

Each passport page on Patrician.ch names the standard path to citizenship. The picture groups the 66 passports by the years of residence that path asks for, read as the page states it.

7 passports come by investment, in months rather than years: St Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Dominica, St Lucia, Vanuatu and Nauru. Switzerland asks 10 years of residence and a C permit. The United States asks 5 years as a green card holder, 3 if married to a citizen.

Some paths start only after permanent residence, and marriage, descent and language change the clock. Every row below quotes its page, and each page names its own exceptions.

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The data

Every row in the picture.

#PassportThe path to citizenship
1🇸🇬 SingaporePR first
2🇯🇵 Japan10 years of residence in practice since April 2026, 5 by statute
3🇦🇪 UAENo standard path
4🇰🇷 South Korea5 years of residence
5🇸🇪 Sweden8 years of residence since June 2026
6🇳🇴 Norway8 years of residence in the last 11
7🇧🇪 Belgium5 years of legal residence
8🇩🇰 Denmark9 years of residence, tests required
9🇫🇮 Finland8 years of residence since the 2024 reform
10🇫🇷 France5 years of residence, 2 with a French degree
11🇩🇪 Germany5 years of residence since 2024
12🇮🇪 Ireland5 years of residence, 1 continuous before applying
13🇮🇹 Italy10 years of residence, 4 for EU nationals
14🇱🇺 Luxembourg5 years of residence, language test
15🇳🇱 Netherlands5 years of residence
16🇪🇸 Spain10 years
17🇨🇭 Switzerland10 years of residence and a C permit
18🇦🇹 Austria10 years, 6 in some cases
19🇬🇷 Greece7 years of residence, language test
20🇲🇹 Malta5 years in the last 7, discretionary
21🇵🇹 Portugal10 years of residence, 7 for EU and CPLP nationals, since May 2026
22🇬🇧 United Kingdom5 years to settlement, 1 more to citizenship
23🇭🇺 Hungary8 years of residence
24🇵🇱 Poland3 years as a permanent resident
25🇲🇾 Malaysia10 years of residence, rarely granted
26🇨🇦 Canada3 years of residence within 5 as a permanent resident
27🇦🇺 Australia4 years of residence, 1 as a permanent resident
28🇨🇿 Czech Republic5 years as a permanent resident
29🇱🇻 Latvia5 years as a permanent resident, language test
30🇸🇰 Slovakia8 years of residence
31🇸🇮 Slovenia10 years of residence, 5 continuous
32🇳🇿 New Zealand5 years as a resident
33🇭🇷 Croatia8 years of continuous residence
34🇪🇪 Estonia8 years of residence, the last 5 permanently
35🇱🇹 Lithuania10 years of residence, language test
36🇱🇮 Liechtenstein30 years, or 10 with a community vote
37🇺🇸 United States5 years as a green card holder, 3 if married to a citizen
38🇮🇸 Iceland7 years of residence
39🇧🇬 Bulgaria5 years of permanent residence
40🇷🇴 Romania8 years of residence
41🇲🇨 Monaco10 years of residence, then a sovereign decision
42🇨🇾 Cyprus8 years of residence, 4 or 5 for highly skilled workers
43🇭🇰 Hong Kong7 years of residence for permanent residency, nationality is Chinese
44🇧🇷 Brazil4 years of residence, 1 if married to a Brazilian
45🇦🇷 Argentina2 years of residence
46🇦🇩 Andorra20 years of residence, 10 for some
47🇮🇱 IsraelLaw of Return
48🇰🇳 St Kitts and NevisCitizenship by investment, months not years
49🇲🇽 Mexico5 years of residence, 2 if married
50🇦🇬 Antigua and BarbudaCitizenship by investment, months not years
51🇬🇩 GrenadaCitizenship by investment, months not years
52🇩🇲 DominicaCitizenship by investment, months not years
53🇱🇨 St LuciaCitizenship by investment, months not years
54🇺🇦 Ukraine5 years of residence
55🇹🇼 Taiwan5 years of residence, renunciation usually required
56🇷🇺 Russia5 years of residence
57🇶🇦 Qatar25 years of residence, rarely granted
58🇹🇷 Turkey5 years of residence, or citizenship by investment
59🇿🇦 South Africa5 years as a permanent resident
60🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia10 years, discretionary, Premium Residency is the realistic prize
61🇻🇺 VanuatuCitizenship by investment, months not years
62🇨🇳 ChinaAlmost never granted to foreigners
63🇳🇷 NauruCitizenship by investment, 3 to 4 months
64🇹🇭 Thailand5 consecutive years of domicile in Thailand
65🇮🇩 Indonesia5 consecutive or 10 non-consecutive years of residence
66🇮🇳 India12 years of residence, renunciation required

Source: Patrician.ch passport pages, the standard path to citizenship. As of 22 Oct 2026. The page behind every figure: patrician.ch/passports/.

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Where do the figures come from?

Patrician.ch passport pages, the standard path to citizenship. As of 22 Oct 2026.

Every figure in the picture and the table is computed from the page it comes from, patrician.ch/passports/.

Is this advice?

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A qualified adviser confirms any individual position.

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Income tax on the published 2026 rules. Social contributions, most deductions and treaties are not modeled. Figures are for a non-US single filer. Wealth tax, an exit and your passports are added when you run the engine on your own numbers. Not advice. Residence rules change often. Verify before acting.

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