There’s a way, but it’ll cost you: buying a second passport. Or you could consider a long-term visa option to a Caribbean island.
Many countries around the world have imposed travel restrictions to contain the spread of coronavirus. These limits apply to foreign travelers, either banning travel altogether or imposing a 14-day quarantine requirement. Because of these restrictions, the United States passport has dropped from 7th to 19th place on the World Passport Index, just before Malaysia and behind countries like Albania, Bosnia, and Moldova. A country’s WPI score reflects how many countries its passport holders can visit visa-free, visa on arrival, and with a visa requirement.
One way for an American to get around these restrictions is to obtain a second passport. This can be done via applying for long-term residency (and then citizenship after a certain number of years) or obtaining a passport by descent. (If you can prove you’re descended from someone born in a given country—usually a parent or grandparent, but sometimes a great-grandparent—you can be entitled to citizenship in that country. Dozens of countries offer heritage-based citizenship programs, including Italy, Ireland, Poland, Greece, Spain, and Portugal.)
Don’t want to take the time to establish residency and don’t have an eligible relative? Some countries will sell you a passport, albeit for a hefty sum (and often coupled with a requirement to invest in local real estate or business).
Right now several Caribbean countries are offering discounts due to high demand. According to Business Insider, Saint Kitts and Nevis are selling a four-person family package for $150,000, down from $190,000. In addition to paying the fee, you have to make a real-estate purchase of at least $200,000, and hold it for at least seven years.
Saint Kitts and Nevis’s passport ranks 28th on the World Passport Index, same as Mexico. Currently it allows travel to the European Union and the UK without a visa. Other Caribbean countries such as Saint Lucia, Antigua & Barbuda, Grenada, and Dominica offer similar citizenship programs.
What if you want to get away right now and stay there for up to a year? Barbados has an option. Called the “12-month Barbados Welcome Stamp,” the new program would allow travelers to move to the island nation for a year and work remotely. Details are still being finalized, but it’s scheduled to commence August 1. Barbados is already one of the countries currently open to American tourists; JetBlue is expected to begin flights by the end of July and American Airlines to resume flights the beginning of August.
So if you’re dreaming of an international getaway, now might be the time to seriously consider if you should head abroad for weeks, months, or more, especially if you’re already working from home.
Twist’s Take: There are advantages to having a second passport; if you’ve got the money or the right grandparents, you could qualify. Or just take a year off and WFB (Work From Barbados).
