Affiliate disclosure: some links on this site are affiliate links. If you buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. We only list tools we think are useful.
⚠️ Not legal or tax advice. Immigration rules change often, and several changed in 2025–2026. Every country guide links to its sources. Anything marked ⚠️ or ❓ is uncertain. Confirm with the official office or a licensed lawyer before you act.
Read the full disclaimer.
Leaving the US without a golden visa
You don't need $500k to build a life, and a second passport, outside the United States. This guide compares realistic residency and citizenship routes for US citizens, each under $100k and most far less. We put the countries that let you keep your US citizenship first, and list the ones that ask you to give it up in a separate section.
Compare: countries that allow dual citizenship with the US
| Country | Main route | Money test | Residence before citizenship | Realistic total (estimate) | Keep US citizenship? |
|---|
| Argentina 🇦🇷 | Rentista / pensionado temporary residence | 5× minimum wage ≈ ARS 1,956,000/mo (~US$1,275), passive income only | 2 yrs continuous, with no trips abroad | ≈ 2.5–4 yrs | Yes |
|---|
| Brazil 🇧🇷 | VITEM XIV retiree visa → indefinite residence | US$2,000/mo pension or regular income | 4 yrs from indefinite residence (1 yr with Brazilian spouse/child) | ≈ 6–7 yrs (≈3 with family tie) | Yes |
|---|
| Colombia 🇨🇴 | Visa M Pensionado → Visa R after 5 yrs | 3 SMMLV ≈ COP 5,252,715/mo (~US$1,630) pension | 5 yrs on R visa (after 5 yrs on M visas); 2 yrs if married to a Colombian | ≈ 10–11 yrs single; ≈ 5–6 married | Yes |
|---|
| Ecuador 🇪🇨 | Rentista temporary → permanent after 21 months | 3 SBU = US$1,446/mo (+US$250 per dependant) | 21 months temporary + 3 yrs permanent | ≈ 5–5.5 yrs | Yes |
|---|
| Peru 🇵🇪 | Own company → worker visa (Trabajador Residente), or Rentista | Rentista US$1,000/mo; naturalization needs 10 UIT ≈ S/ 55,000 (~US$16,000)/yr taxed in Peru | 5 yrs continuous (Ley 32421; 2 yrs was the old rule) | ≈ 6.5–7.5 yrs | Yes |
|---|
| Portugal 🇵🇹 | D7 passive-income visa → residence permit | €920/mo (~US$1,030) for one adult | 10 yrs (Lei Orgânica 1/2026, from May 19, 2026) | ≈ 10.5–12 yrs | Yes |
|---|
| Uruguay 🇺🇾 | Permanent residence from day one | “Sufficient” income; no official minimum | 3 yrs (with family in Uruguay) / 5 yrs | ≈ 3.5–6 yrs | Yes (legal citizen, not national; bill pending) |
|---|
Money tests and timelines come from each country guide (October 2026 exchange rates). “Realistic total” is our estimate from first visa to passport. Not included: golden visas and $200k+ investment routes. Honorable mentions not researched in depth: Panama (Friendly Nations) and Costa Rica (rentista/pensionado).
How to choose a country
- You want a second passport fast: Argentina (2 years, but no trips abroad at all) or Uruguay (3–5 years; note the legal-citizen passport issue).
- You live on a pension or passive income: Ecuador (US$1,446/mo, uses the US dollar), Argentina, Colombia or Brazil (US$2,000/mo).
- You work remotely or run a business: Peru's company route gives you a real work visa where no nomad visa exists yet.
- You want EU access: Portugal, but citizenship now takes 10 years.
- You must keep US citizenship: stick to the seven countries above and read the renunciation section before considering Mexico, Paraguay or Spain.
- You were born in, or have parents from, one of these countries: check descent or recovery routes in each guide first; you may not need to naturalize at all.
Recent stories from Americans who moved
Real, first-person accounts from around the web of Americans getting residency or citizenship abroad.
- 🇦🇷
Argentina · Reddit r/expats · 2025
Thread where residents describe the 2-year naturalization route in practice: about six months of paperwork after the two years, with no trips abroad allowed. (link checked via search results only)
- 🇨🇴
Colombia · Business Insider · 2024
A California couple on retiring early to Colombia, their monthly costs and why they rent before buying.
- 🇪🇨
Ecuador · Business Insider · 2024
A Las Vegas couple who moved to Cuenca after the Great Recession and still love it 14 years later.
- 🇵🇪
Peru · Business Insider · 2025
A retired American on getting Peru’s Rentista visa (“stressful, expensive and exhausting”) and healthcare in Iquitos.
- 🇵🇹
Portugal · B17 News (republished essay) · 2025
An American who got Portuguese citizenship through the now-closed Sephardic descent law; it took nearly three years.
- 🇺🇾
Uruguay · KRDO (CNN syndication) · 2025
A New York couple who moved to Montevideo in 2023 and became permanent residents two years later.
Read all 12 stories →
These are third-party stories we link to for real-world context. We don’t endorse them, and they may describe rules that have since changed. Check each country guide for the current rules.
📖 One real example: how one reader got a second passport
Every route in this guide is different. Here is one real, anonymous example of how it can play out in practice. The creator of this guide is a naturalized US citizen originally from Peru. After years in the States, he wanted a real alternative, so he built one.
- Built a business base. He co-founded a Peruvian company (a Sociedad Anónima Cerrada, SAC) with a local Peruvian lawyer. He owned nearly all of it and the lawyer held a small share.
- Hired himself as a foreign employee. The SAC hired him under a foreign-worker contract, which made him eligible for Peru's Trabajador Residente work visa.
- Funded it from US income. He kept earning in the US and paid himself through his US LLC into the Peruvian company, which ran his salary through local payroll.
- Lived city life. For two years he lived in Peru more than 6 months each year, mostly in an urban setting with ordinary city routines, coworking and local services.
- Naturalized. After two years of residence he applied for Peruvian citizenship and received it under the rule in force at the time. The whole process took about 4 years, including applications, waiting periods and redoing paperwork.
The rules have changed since. The 2-year rule he used is now
historical. Under Peru's new nationality law (Ley 32421) you need
5 years of continuous residence, and the income must be formally taxed in Peru. Applications already filed under the old rule were grandfathered. Plan on roughly 6.5–7.5 years from start to passport today. Details:
Peru naturalization rules.
The income figure, checked: he remembered needing about S/ 55,000/yr. That's correct: it's the naturalization solvency requirement of 10 UIT (UIT 2026 = S/ 5,500). At about S/ 3.43 per US$1 (Oct 9, 2026) that is about US$16,000/yr, a little under his estimate of about $20k. Naturalization fee: S/ 301.50.
Dual citizenship: Peru allows it and the US doesn't require renunciation, so he holds both passports.
Want the details of this route? See the step-by-step Peru company-formation route, or compare all countries.
Sources: gob.pe/12580 · Ley 32421 (El Peruano) · misderechos.pe · xe.com
⚖️ Want to try the company route? Rules change fast and details matter. A licensed immigration lawyer can check your situation before you spend money.
Book a consultation
Countries that require giving up US citizenship
These countries are fine for residency, but to naturalize they ask you to renounce your other nationality. Under US law, a renunciation formula alone usually doesn't end US citizenship, which requires intent (State Department). Most people still avoid these routes: you must sign a statement you don't mean, the new country can take its citizenship back if you keep acting as an American, and you still have to enter the US on your US passport. That makes the second passport fragile.
| Country | Main route | Money test | Residence before citizenship | Realistic total (estimate) | Keep US citizenship? |
|---|
| Mexico 🇲🇽 | Residente Temporal (economic solvency) | MXN 79,770.80/mo (~US$4,335) or MXN 1,344,372.60 (~US$73,000) balance | 5 yrs (2 if married to a Mexican) | ≈ 5.5–6.5 yrs | No: renunciation enforced |
|---|
| Paraguay 🇵🇾 | Temporary (up to 2 yrs) → permanent | No proof at temporary stage; solvency for permanent (Res. DNM 407/2026) | 3 yrs of permanent residence | ≈ 6–10 yrs | Renunciation by court practice |
|---|
| Spain 🇪🇸 | Non-lucrative residence | 400% IPREM ≈ €2,400/mo (€28,800/yr), unverified | 10 yrs | ≈ 11–13 yrs | Formal renunciation declaration |
|---|
Enforced. You sign a formal renunciation (Ley de Nacionalidad arts. 17, 19), and a naturalized Mexican loses Mexican nationality for using a foreign passport (Constitution art. 37.B.I). Since US law requires US citizens to enter the US on a US passport, keeping both is not realistic.
Read the Mexico guide →
By court practice, not by statute. Paraguayan courts ask naturalizing foreigners to renounce their nationality of origin even though no law requires it; a 2025 bill to end the practice is pending. No evidence was found that Paraguay demands proof of US loss. Naturalized Paraguayans can also lose nationality for an unjustified absence of more than 3 years.
Read the Paraguay guide →
Formal declaration, not enforced as loss of US citizenship. Spain requires a renunciation declaration (Civil Code art. 23.b) but asks for no proof, and the US does not treat a routine formula as intent to give up citizenship. The real risk: you can lose Spanish nationality after 3 years of using only your US nationality (art. 25.1.a). Use Spanish documents in Spain and the EU.
Read the Spain guide →
Frequently asked questions
Can I keep my US citizenship if I naturalize in another country?
Usually yes. Under US law (8 USC 1481) you lose US citizenship only if you naturalize abroad voluntarily and with the intention of giving it up. Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Portugal and Uruguay do not ask you to renounce.
Which countries make US citizens give up their citizenship?
Of the countries we researched, Mexico enforces renunciation (you can lose Mexican nationality for using a US passport), Paraguay requires renunciation by court practice, and Spain requires a formal renunciation declaration.
How long does Peruvian citizenship take now?
Five years of continuous residence under Ley 32421, plus at least 10 UIT (about S/ 55,000) a year of income taxed in Peru. The old 2-year rule is historical.
How long does Portuguese citizenship take for Americans in 2026?
Ten years of legal residence under Lei Orgânica 1/2026, in force since May 19, 2026, up from five.
Which country is fastest?
Argentina allows naturalization after 2 years of continuous residence, but you cannot leave the country at all during those 2 years. Uruguay takes 3 years with family in Uruguay or 5 without.
🇺🇸 US tax obligations don't stop when you leave
- US citizens are taxed on worldwide income. File every year (Form 1040).
- FEIE (Form 2555) excludes foreign earned income up to the annual limit if you pass the physical presence or bona fide residence test. The Foreign Tax Credit (Form 1116) is the alternative.
- FBAR (FinCEN 114) is required if your foreign accounts total more than $10,000 at any point. FATCA (Form 8938) has higher thresholds.
- If you own a foreign company: Form 5471 (and possibly GILTI). Penalties are steep.
🧾 Want help with FEIE, FBAR or Form 5471? Consider a US expat tax filing service. Learn more (affiliate)
Sources: IRS FEIE · IRS FBAR
⚖️ Not sure which country fits you? Rules change fast and details matter. A licensed immigration lawyer can check your situation before you spend money.
Book a consultation
📬 Get the free Move Abroad Checklist
A step-by-step printable checklist covering documents, apostilles, banking and taxes, plus email alerts when the countries in this guide change their residency or citizenship rules.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.