What methods do scammers offer to get a second passport?
Fraudsters offer to become a citizen of another country quickly and bypassing the law. Most often they promise to issue a passport from Romania, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Greece. If the standard citizenship procedure takes months or years, scammers ensure that their client receives the status in just a few months.
Fraudsters hint at connections with influential people, promise to bribe officials or falsify records in archives. These methods do not work and can cause big trouble.
States are tightening the rules and every year they are monitoring the procedure for obtaining citizenship more and more carefully. For example, in 2022, 370 criminal cases were opened in Hungary due to falsification of documents when applying for citizenship.
Typically, scammers use one of three schemes: identity falsification, non-existent relatives, or a fictitious marriage. Let's figure out why they are dangerous.
The website of the Slovenian Embassy in Moscow warns of increasing cases of fraud
Identity falsification. The company finds local residents who are willing to “sell their identity.” A fake person submits documents to obtain a passport. But the company’s client comes instead to submit biometrics or fingerprints. He also submits his photographs.
The deception is revealed during verification or when a person begins to use the document. This leads to administrative or criminal liability.
Through fictitious relatives. In some countries, it is possible to obtain citizenship using a simplified scheme - for this you need to prove that the applicant or his immediate relatives were born in the country. This is a legitimate method that scammers are trying to use.
The client is promised to “find” his Romanian or Bulgarian roots. After the money has been deposited and the process of collecting documents has begun, the “lawyers” stop communicating.
Sometimes foreigners are immediately asked to falsify a birth certificate in order to confirm non-existent family ties with a citizen of the country. This method is unreliable: all documents are thoroughly checked, and fake certificates and certificates are not difficult to identify.
The consequences for clients of such companies are serious: deportation from the country, a ban on visiting EU countries, fines and criminal liability.
Fictitious marriage.
Each country has its own procedure for obtaining a passport for those who marry its citizen. Most often, it will not be possible to obtain citizenship immediately: you will need to live together in the country for one to several years, pass an exam on your knowledge of language and history, and confirm integration into society.
Passport through a fictitious marriage and other myths about EU citizenship
For example, to apply for citizenship in Germany, you will need to have been married for three years. Officials check whether the spouses really live together and lead a common life. If the deception is discovered, the marriage is annulled and the offender may be deported from the country.
In most cases, workarounds to citizenship lead to loss of time and money, and in the worst case, to criminal liability and loss of the opportunity to come to the European Union. For example, in Romania, forgery of documents can result in up to three years in prison.
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How to get to the USA and the European Union without visas with a Russian passport?
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New times - new laws
In 1918, the previous passport system was liquidated. Any official document can prove your identity, up to a certificate from the volost executive committee or a trade union card. Some use photographic cards for this purpose, on the back of which the stamp of the authority is placed.
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This method (with photos) was more progressive, since there was no Photoshop then. But there have always been a great many jacks of all trades in Rus'. They skillfully forged seals. And the photographs were taken after they changed their appearance using hairstyles, makeup, false beards and mustaches. The documents of V.I. Lenin are widely known, in which the leader was practically impossible to recognize.
Legal ways to get a second passport
Citizenship can only be obtained in a legal way: for example, by confirming kinship with EU citizens, going through the naturalization process after receiving a residence permit, or investing in the country’s economy. The required package of documents, cost and terms depend on the legislation of a particular country.
100 000 $
minimum investment amount to obtain citizenship
Second passport through pedigree. In many countries, it is possible to obtain citizenship by descent - if the applicant's parents or grandparents have citizenship of the country. To do this, you need to confirm your relationship. Most often, you will need the original birth certificate and a copy of the relative’s passport.
Each country has its own conditions: some states allow only children and grandchildren to obtain citizenship, while others allow great-grandchildren and more distant relatives.
Where can you obtain citizenship by descent?
| A country | Who can obtain citizenship |
