Moving Overseas: The Foreign Passport Myth And The 1% Lie
- Sonia Leger
- Feb 25
- 6 min read
Updated: Feb 27
A Reality Check for Americans Considering Life Abroad in 2026
It's hard to go more than a couple of days without an article about moving overseas popping into your feed. They tend to further two main narratives:
“Get a passport/citizenship from another country--easy!”
“You have to be in the top 1% of US income to live overseas.”
Both are wrong. These ideas persist because of social media hype, misleading relocation influencers, and sensationalized headlines. The truth — backed by current global immigration law, 2024–2026 migration data, and consultations I’ve completed — is very different. This article is your reality check, your strategy guide, and your invitation to work with us at Wayfinder International if you want the real deal.
Yes, Americans Are Thinking About Leaving — In Record Numbers
This isn’t imaginary--if you've considered leaving the USA and moving overseas, you are definitely NOT alone. 2025 data from The Harris Poll shows that a meaningful percentage of Americans have actively considered relocating abroad — and interest has risen sharply compared to a decade ago. Surveys cited in outlets like CNBC, Travel + Leisure, and Forbes show that tens of millions of Americans have explored the idea in the past year alone.
The number of Americans living overseas is now estimated at roughly 9 million (U.S. State Department estimates referenced in 2025 reporting). That’s significantly higher than estimates from the mid-2010s.
Search data cited by Travel + Leisure and CNBC shows spikes in “move abroad” and “second passport” queries in 2025 that are dramatically higher than 2015 levels. But interest is not the same thing as execution--and execution is where reality hits.
Myth #1: “I Can Get a Passport in Under a Year”
Let me be blunt: If you are not claiming citizenship by descent, you are almost certainly NOT getting a foreign passport in under a year. Naturalization requires residency, and residency requires time. Except for Sao Tome and Principe's citizenship-by-investment (CBI) late 2025 program, the fastest legitimate routes — like Dominica or Grenada’s CBI aka "Golden Visa" programs — still average 12–18 months to complete background checks, source-of-funds analysis, and compliance reviews.
Here's a realistic picture of some of the fastest timelines in 2026. These are legal, legitimate (and expensive) CBIs.
Sao Tome & Principe
Donation Route: $90,000 to the National Transformation Fund
Total realistic cost: $100,000 (additional fees for family members)
No residency requirement
Timeline: 2-6 months
Note: While this passport will grant you visa-free access to around 60-70 countries, that does not include the Schengen area or the UK.
Dominica
Donation route: $100,000+ to government fund
Total realistic cost: $150,000–$200,000
No residency requirement
Timeline: 6–12 months
Grenada
Donation: $150,000+ or real estate investment
Total realistic cost: $200,000–$300,000+
Entire process can be handled remotely
Timeline: 6–12 months
Malta
Investment threshold: ~$700,000–$900,000 contribution + property + fees
Total realistic cost: $900,000–$1.2M+
No full-time residency required (but physical presence minimums apply)
Timeline: ~12–36 months
Other "Fastest" CBI Options: Turkey (12–18 months), Saint Kitts (per revised 2024–2025 regulations, 15–20 months), and Vanuatu (rapid approval is advertised, but realistically it takes 9–14 months).
Every other country— including popular ones like Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, and Panama — requires years, not months.
This is the part most Americans don’t realize: Residency ≠ citizenship and, aside from some very specific circumstances, a country will only issue you a passport if you are a citizen. Don't get me wrong--you can definitely obtain residency status and live overseas, and that process is almost always significantly faster than obtaining citizenship. But a residency card is not a passport.
And yet, media coverage often blurs these distinctions, reinforcing unrealistic expectations.
So What's A Realistic Timeline for Citizenship? Here are the ones for some popular options:
Portugal
Residency route: D7 (passive income), D8 (digital nomad), CBI "Golden Visa" (investment)
Time to temporary residency approval: 6–12 months (realistic processing delays)
Time to citizenship eligibility: 5 years of legal residency
Realistic passport timeline: 6–7+ years
Spain
Residency route: Non-Lucrative Visa, Digital Nomad Visa
Time to residency approval: 3–9 months
Citizenship eligibility: 10 years of legal residence (for most Americans, 2 for some Latin American ancestries)
Realistic passport timeline for most Americans: 11+ years
Italy
Residency route: Elective Residency Visa (passive income)
Time to residency approval: 3–8 months
Citizenship eligibility: 10 years
Realistic passport timeline: 11–12+ years
Panama
Residency route: Friendly Nations Visa (professional/economic ties), Pensionado Visa (retirees), Qualified Investor Visa (real estate or capital investment)
Time to residency approval: 3–9 months (longer if documentation or banking setup delays occur)
Citizenship eligibility: 5 years of permanent residency
Realistic passport timeline: 6–8+ years
Ecuador
Residency route: Pensioner Visa, Rentista (passive income), Investor Visa, Professional Visa, Digital Nomad Visa
Time to residency approval: 2–4 months (one of the faster Latin America processing systems)
Citizenship eligibility: 3 years after obtaining permanent residency
Realistic passport timeline: 4–5+ years
Colombia
Residency route: M Visa (Pensionado, Rentista, Investment), transitioning to R Visa (permanent resident)
Time to residency approval: 1–3 months (relatively fast adjudication once documents are filed)
Citizenship eligibility: 5 years after permanent residency
Realistic passport timeline: 9–11+ years
Myth #2: “Only the Top 1% Can Live Abroad”
When CNBC, Business Insider and Forbes write about “passport shopping,” they're usually describing the wealthy. This narrative gets amplified because billionaire flight makes headlines. In the last 12 months, a lot of major publications have discussed ultra-wealthy Americans seeking tax havens. It creates the impression that expatriation is in the luxury asset class.
The reality? When adjusted for cost of living, middle-class Americans have far greater purchasing power in many countries than they do at home.
Consider this: According to the 2025 Harris Poll, 27% of Americans said they were considering moving abroad within five years — a sharp rise from just 8–10% a decade earlier. This is an increase of roughly 200–230% in expressed interest. That’s not a niche group of millionaires. That’s a broad middle-class awakening. Why? Because for many everyday Americans, the math is compelling.
Here's the 2026 budget reality for the countries I listed in the first section:
Portugal
Residency process costs: $8,000–$20,000, depending on legal help
Monthly cost of living (couple, comfortable but not luxury): $2,800–$4,200 outside Lisbon; $3,500–$5,000 in Lisbon
Spain
Residency process: $7,000–$18,000
Monthly living: $2,700–$4,500, depending on city
Italy
Residency process: $8,000–$25,000
Monthly living: $3,000–$5,000 in major cities; lower in southern regions
Panama
Residency process: $2,000–$8,000, depending on visa type and legal support
Monthly living: (couple, comfortable but not luxury): $2,000–$3,200 interior/highlands; $2,800–$3,800 Panama City or Coronado corridor
Ecuador
Residency process costs: $1,000–$3,000 depending on legal assistance
Monthly living: (couple, comfortable but not luxury): $1,800–$2,800 Cuenca/Loja; $2,200–$3,200 Quito or coastal areas
Colombia
Residency process costs: $2,000–$6,000 depending on visa category and legal support
Monthly cost of living (couple, comfortable but not luxury): $1,800–$2,800 Medellín/Cali; $2,200–$3,500 Bogotá/Cartagena
Most of my clients are not mega-wealthy, and they're not looking to move to "protect assets". They are regular, every-day people, who tell me their motivations are political fatigue, lowering daily stress levels, cost of living, better healthcare options, or overall better quality of life for their children. And I am here to help them meet their goals.
The Final Takeaway
1) Headlines exaggerate. Social media simplifies. Moving abroad is not instant; second passports take time — and that’s normal.
2) Living overseas is NOT just for billionaires. The truth is simple: Millions of Americans are now considering relocation. Residency is achievable for a lot of Americans, including middle-class families, remote workers, and retirees.
If you are serious about relocating, you need:
A country-specific strategy
A tax and residency plan
Predictable income
Healthcare planning
A realistic housing budget
Liquidity during residency processing
And.... patience. Or starting the process earlier.
The right strategy beats shortcuts every time. You don’t need vague headlines, hype, or misinformation. You need a plan, a timeline, a budget, and an expert in your corner. This is exactly why Wayfinder International exists. Book a consultation if you’d like to build a realistic, sustainable, and legally sound path to the life you want overseas.
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