What's The World's Most Valuable Passport?
According to a study by Henley & Partners, citizens of Finland, Denmark, and the United States have the world's most valuable passports. They can travel to 130 countries without a visa. The worst passport you can have is from Afghanistan, whose citizens can travel to just 12 countries without obtaining a visa. Wow!
Argentina ranks fairly high on the list, with an Argentine passport giving you the ability to travel to 101 countries visa-free. Argentina beats out most of Latin America, such as Brazil, Uruguay, and Mexico as well as much of Eastern Europe, such as the Czech Republic, Romania, and Slovakia. Only Western European passports and a few OECD countries such as Australia and Canada allow visa-free travel to more countries than Argentina.
This is another reason why I'm going to apply for my Argentine citizenship after I've lived here for 5 years. An Argentine passport actually lets you go to a few places visa-free that you can't go to as a U.S. citizen, such as Brazil. With the number of enemies that the U.S. is making in the world, I wouldn't be surprised if a few more countries decided to retaliate by making U.S. citizens apply for a visa. With only a few exceptions, Argentina has pretty good relationships with the rest of the world. I wouldn't be surprised if I found myself being able to travel to some places as an Argentine citizen easier than as an American citizen.
Labels: Current Events, Immigration
posted by SoyYo at 3/17/2006 11:38:00 AM
26 Comments:
Have you investigated what effect (if any) becoming an Argentine citizen and/or using an Argentine passport would have on your US citizenship? I don't know the answer; just curious.
Here is a good source of info on dual citizenship as it relates to your US citizenship. As it standds now you pretty much have to be a officer or senior official in a hostile armed force or government for the US to take away your citizenship. The ways the laws work now is that it is assumed that you intend to keep your US citizenship while taking on another. The problem is when laws are change or the relationship between the country changes. There is a risk....
http://www.richw.org/dualcit/faq.html#noway
As it stands, I believe Argentina currently only has conflicts with Great Britain (Falklands, Antartica), Iran (AMIA Bombing, expulsion of diplomats, no diplomatic relations besides commercial), and possibly Chile (Antartica). I also think Argentina doesnt recognize the Falkland Islands and the sourrounding exclusion zone, but I might be wrong.
The rest is minor stuff, nevertheless Argentina is a remote isolated country who keeps neutral in most conflicts. Good place to be in were there to be a nuclear holocaust.
There is no current conflict between Argentina and the UK. Argentine nationals can visit and remain in the UK for 6 months on a tourist visa. Same thing for British nationals visiting Argentina (Argentina only allows 3 months, but this is the norm for tourist visas, regardless of their country of origin)
Argentina does not recognise the exclusion zone surrounding Malvinas.
Argentine nationals do not need a passport to go to Chile. Only a DNI.
I really do not have any first hand information about the situation with Iran.
(I am an Argentine citizen,living in England. My fiance is a British national, and in two years time we will both go back and settle in Argentina.)
I once almost did just that. Living here since I was 9, at one time I became estranged from my motherland the USA, and I thought I may make a point to locals by becoming an Argentine. Fortunately I was wisely convinced otherwise by a US diplomat who warned me that adopting another nationality was (in the 80`s) seen as renouncing ones US citizenship, meaning I would lose it. Since then, I really haven`t found a law or rule that actually states this in writing but let me tell you that having my US passport in my safe and on me when I travel, even to Mar del Plata makes me feel safer. I was once detained during the dictatorship goint to San Luis with my cousin who was in the Fuerza Aerea, and my cedula showing I was American. We were gently let go but not before being harrassed and checked for "antecedentes". I´ll never know what would have happened if we were only 2 regular argies, I get the creeps when I imagine the worse. I feel safer that my cedula (and DNI) say I`m a foreigner.
.
You know, only a few months before the Malvinas war I was saying that Argentina would never get into a war. Then came 3 hiperinflations, renewed terrorist attacks (homegrown and foreign_La Tablada_2-car bombs), massive unemployment, total economic disaster, and now they are just starting to revive the dirty war, just as 40 years ago with kidnappings, killings, lawlessness plus the new crime and drug situation, and Hugo Chavez building up a Latin American "liberation Army" i.e. a new international terrorist squad, just like Castro seeded them in the 60`s.
My point is that the only thing predictable in this country is that "todo es posible". Let`s just say I´m keeping my "safe-conduct" pass always ready to escape out of here just in case if things get out of hand... AGAIN!!! Newcomers may find enjoyment in living through these new experiences but to me it would just be another "been there, done that", all over again.
BAJoe
WHAT???NICE ONE...
I am taking only a minute....
Being in Spain at present , coming from the only country (New Zealand)with a work visa agreement ...i have nowhere to land but Argentina.Even thinking in crazy ideas (marriage , refuge status , etc)...GOOOOOD LUCK
Hi:
Regarding keeping your citizenships, I have done the opposite, I mean...I am Argentinean who became a U.S. Citizen.
At the final ceremony, the U.S. immigration officer told us that we get to keep our old citizenship due to the fact that countries contradict with each other regarding this issue and even if we like to change it, the other side might say.."no, you are a citizen of this country" and viceversa
He stated though, that in a case of conflict, the U.S. citizenship will prevail among others.
So, the U.S. gov, will let you have both and the Argentina gov will let you have both as well. But as I said, each country have their own regulation, as an example, the last time I entered Argentina with an U.S. Passport, the Argen. Immigration Officer told me that I can get in but if I stay more than 60 days, I have to use my other passport to get out. No problem there!
Regarding the benefits of having an Argentinean Passport, well....you can work in any other country, member of Mercosur....and you can go to Cuba with no hassle.....and if you travel a lot, you never know, there are a lot of American haters out there, so you can always pull the Argentinean one
Just stumbled into this e-mail exchange...
Coming from the former Soviet Union and giving up my Soviet Citizenship for American-I cannot really think of a good reason why one would voluntarily create a chance of losing their American Citizenship. I am very proud of my navy blue passport. Especially on 9/11/01, while in Paris, felt so hurt for my new homeland-hard to describe...
I think one can really treasure his/her US citizenship if he/she had to fight for it. I am not trying to say that naturalized citizens are better/more americans than citizens who were born in the US.
Hold on to your American citizenship-it is a lot to be proud of!
Do you know how easy it would be to get an Argentine passport, considering my grandma is from there and I have both israeli and american citizenship?
I am thinking of getting it both for travel and research purposes.
Hello folks!!! I'm an Argentinean, born and raised in Buenos Aires... found this site doing some (unrelated) research for college, thought I'd give a hand.
As far as my understanding goes, Argentinean regulations on nationality state that, if you have an argentine nationality, you are free to add other passports. I'm at the verge of completing the process for getting my Italian nationality.
However, if you are a foreigner wanting to get a full Argenine nationality (right to vote, passport, etc.), they will require that you resign to you old nationality. At least that's how it went a few years back.
Just curious.My parents are both argentine/US citizens...they are natvie to Argentina.
I am a US citizen interested in getting an Argentine passport...do I have to still reside in Argentina for 5 years before I can apply for one?
no, if your parents are argentine citizens, you have both the rights to residence and citizenship.
I am from Argentina, I heard that dual citizenship is not allowed between Argentina and USA. If you get Argentinian citizenship, automatically you lost your USA citizenship and vice versa.
To go to Chile and Mercosur countries you only need to be an argentinean resident. With that you get your DNI, that is enough to go to that countries (you do not need a passport)
I have a friend from USA that got easily the residency paying no more than USD 300.
Although we do not need a visa to go to a lot of countries, in some of them we are exposed to answer questions asked by the migration officer when we arrive to the airport of destination (sometimes a lot, it depends on the country, for example one way and return ticket for a certain period, enough money to stay there and have a credit card does not help, they ask for cash...when I went to London, the migration officer asked for my money at the airport and he count all the money I was carrying, each note; furthermore, he asked a lot of things about my job, my parents, etc.) That is because a lot of young argentinians try to go to Europe to settle there illegally..
I hope this help
Regards.
My sister and I want to get an Argentine passport. We are British, though our mother is Argentine. Do both parents have to be from Argentina in order to get dual citizenship? Thanks for any help you can give.
My Daughter was born in USA & her mother carries dual citizenship with Argentina (born) & US (Sworn In). Does anyone know how I can get my daughter her Argentine Citizenship. My wife is lazy in this regard.
Thanks
Regarding dual citizenship: Marco is mistaken. It is very hard to loose your US citizenship and Argentina has an agreement with the following countries to recognize dual nationality: Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Italy, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Spain, Sweden and United States.
Wikipedia has a good article on US citizenship. Be sure to read both dual and loss of citizenship. Basically it's very hard to loose US Citizenship. Myths abound because laws change and sometimes it's expedient to proliferate the myth. Argentina has a very long history of recognizing dual citizenship, ie with Italy and Spain.
Singapore ranks really high - 8th; and it's also visa-waiver to all of Western Europe and the U.S.
Hello,
Here is the Henley Visa Restrictions Index 2008:
HENLEY VISA RESTRICTIONS INDEX 2008
==================================
(Rank. Passport[s] of Country/Countries, Number of Countries Accessible Without Visa / Visa on Arrival)
01. Denmark, 157.
02. Finland, Ireland, Portugal, 156.
03. Belgium, Germany, Sweden, United States, 155.
04. Canada, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Spain, 154.
05. Austria, Norway, 153.
06. France, United Kingdom (UK citizen passport), 152.
07. Australia, 151.
08. New Zealand, Singapore, 150.
09. Greece, Switzerland, 149.
10. Iceland, 146.
11. Malaysia, 145.
12. South Korea, 144.
13. Liechtenstein, 140.
14. Cyprus, Malta, Slovenia, 139.
15. Anguilla, San Marino, 134.
16. Poland, 132.
17. Czech Republic, Hungary, Monaco, 131.
18. Slovakia, 130.
19. Brunei, 129.
20. Andorra, Argentina, Chile, Estonia, Latvia, 127.
21. Lithuania, 125.
22. Hong Kong, 123.
23. Brazil, 122.
24. Israel, Uruguay, 118.
25. Bulgaria, 116.
26. Romania, 115.
27. Mexico, 114.
28. Venezuela, 111.
29. Costa Rica, Croatia, 108.
30. Paraguay, 104.
31. Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, 100.
32. El Salvador, 98.
33. Nicaragua, 93.
34. Barbados, 89.
35. South Africa, 88.
36. Macau, 87.
37. Bahamas, St. Vincent & Grenadines, 86.
38. St. Lucia, St. Kitts & Nevis, 84.
39. Trinidad and Tobago, 83.
40. Antigua and Barbuda, 82.
41. Grenada, 79.
42. Belize, Turkey, 75.
43. Solomon Islands, 73.
44. Dominica, Seychelles, 71.
45. Tuvalu, 70.
46. Guyana, Western Samoa, 69.
47. Vanuatu, 68.
48. Jamaica, Kiribati, Mauritius, 67.
49. Fiji, 66.
50. Bolivia, 65
51. Maldives, Nauru, Tonga, 65.
52. Gambia, Lesotho, Peru, 62.
53. Malawi, Russian Federation, Sierra Leone, 60.
54. Botswana, Papua New Guinea, Swaziland, Taiwan, 59.
55. Ecuador, Kenya, Namibia, 58.
56. Marshall Islands, Suriname, Zambia, 57.
57. Kuwait, 56.
58. Ghana, Tunisia, 55.
59. Tanzania, 54.
60. Bahrain, Qatar, Uganda, 53.
61. Palau Islands, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Zimbabwe, 52.
62. Philippines, Serbia and Montenegro, Ukraine, 50.
63. Belarus, Mauritania, Oman, (former ?) Yugoslavia, 49.
64. Colombia, Senegal, 48.
65. Benin, Cape Verde Islands, Côte d'Ivoire, Kazakstan, Mali, Niger, 47.
66. Armenia, Georgia, Guinea, Moldova, 46.
67. Nigeria, 45.
68. Azerbeijan, Burkina Faso, Kyrgyztan, Tajikiztan, 44.
69. Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Togo, 43.
70. Cuba, Guinea-Bissau, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, 42.
71. Uzbekistan, 41.
72. Bosnia and Herzegowina, Liberia, 40.
73. Bangladesh, Madagascar, Mongolia, 39.
74. Turkmenistan, 38.
75. Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, India, Mozambique, São Tomé and Principé, Timor Leste, 37.
76. Albania, Algeria, Bhutan, Congo (Brazzaville), Haiti, 36.
77. Gaboon, 35.
78. Egypt, Rwanda, 34.
79. China, Laos, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, 33.
80. Libya, Nepal, 32.
81. Angola, Comores Islands, 31.
82. Burundi, Equatorial Guinea, Jordan, Syria, Yemen Republic, 30.
83. Cambodia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, North Korea, 29.
84. Djibouti, 28
85. Lebanon, Myanmar, 27.
86. Sudan, 26.
87. Iran, Pakistan, Somalia, 25.
88. Iraq, 23.
89. Afghanistan, 22.
Many greetings,
Me
Hello there,
Useful information on this blog!
I have a question, I got married to an Argentinian, and we are living outside Argentina, and thinking of moving back to Argentina.
My question is, what's needed for me to get the Argentinian Passport? Number of years to live there if needed? etc...
Appreciate if someone has the right information about it, and can help.
Saludos,
Hi..I am an Armenian national but currently living in Argentina and married to an Argentine woman..Do you know how long I must wait to apply for citizenship after I receive my Residencia Precaria?
Thank You!!
Best Regards!
Anthony
Hi! My grandfather had duel citizenship between the US and Argentina and I'd like to acquire it as well. Does anyone know how I could go about doing this?
Does anyone know about having three citizenship, like Argentinean, Italian and American?
I was born in Argentina and I got the Italian cause my blood, I am living in United States where my daughters were born (they also have the Italian one), so in case I become a permanent resident I surely apply for the citizen that will allow me to get a better job, or in case we come back, my girls will need an argentinean one, so I am a little bit confused about it. Thanks
Most of you have concerns about getting a new nationality besides the American one. Dual citizenship depends on the agreements that exist between the country you are citizen and the one you want to become citizen. For example, I was born in Argentina, so I'm an Argentinean citizen, but my parents are from Spain. As a result, I also have Spanish citizenship. I'm living in the United States, and in case I wanted to become a US citizen, I can keep my Argentine citizenship but I would have to renounce to my Spanish one. On the other hand, my husband was born in Argentina, and became a US citizen last year, keeping his original citizenship. For the US he's American while for Argentina he's Argentine. There is no risk in having both passports. It could be rather useful. If you can have dual citizenship, do it!
Guys, don't confuse the terms as "second nationality" and "dual nationality". Basically, here you can find 3 situations:
a) the country of destination recognizes double nationality with your country. This means you can, for example, be free to chose in which army to serve, or where to pay taxes, and so on.
b) the country of destination does not recognize double nationality with your country, but does not make you mandatory to denounce your previous one. It means that both countries will not bothered at all about your deals in the other one: they will only consider you as own citizen. For example, this will be when I gain Argentine citizenship with my Ukrainian passport.
c) the country of destination does not recognize double nationality with your country and makes you mandatory to denounce your previous. For example, this works if I wanted to acquire Russian passport with any other, except a couple of countries.
What I want to say is in 90% of cases the b) case is actual: you just acquire some citizenship regardless of previous and without any international agreements regarding dual citizenship.
Also would like to add that there's no law which can ever let you lose Argentine citizenship (there were cases when people tried to do this in court, but could not). The single exception is when you has gained Argentine citizenship, and later it revealed you have provided some fake documents.
Yes , I am doing the same for my kids . My husband is us citizen I am Argentinian and green card holder .
Call the Argentina embassy . That's belongs to your area
Hola amigos.
I came across this interesting talk per say.
I just wana say that i've recently obtained my Argentina citizenship "DNI & Passport" by blood.
I think nowa days with all the crazy conflicts and problems around the world, middle east,S.Korea, Europe, Russia, USA ... ect
Being an Argentinean is a blessing.
As far as i can c, Argentina and may be Australia and new Zealand are more or less the safest places away from the crazyness of the world.
+ Argentineans are known to be very friendly ppl and they are loved almost everywhere they go.
I am Very PROUD to be from this country.
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