Why background check is needed when applying for second passport?

Nowadays, it is popular for individuals to have a second passport. It can be seen that in many countries, individuals are restricted to travel freely between countries. Typically, such nationals whom wish to travel abroad are required to apply for a visa which takes a lot of paper preparation for proof of financial status, legitimate reasons and waiting time.

The investment for second citizenship will help investors get a more powerful passport, less limited mobility, especially in European countries. This is also an invaluable advantage for those who wish to expand their business opportunities internationally. Different countries will have different citizenship investment programs, the most common forms of contribution to national funds and investing in real estate in that country.

However, in addition to the mandatory conditions for the investment, in order to be able to receive the passport, the investor also needs to go through a certain application review process. Normally, the countries that grant citizenship to foreign citizens will conduct judicial background verification, background check, criminal record, and the investor’s health status such as Cyprus, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Hungary. In particular, the applicant will have to be qualified for civil liability. There are countries that are particularly concerned about the investor’s health such as Malta, which requires the individual applying to have global health insurance, investors and families need to prove that they purchased health insurance in their immigration application. In Cyprus, in order to pass the document check, investors also need to provide proof of the investment money source. Similar in Malta, Montenegro the investors need to present documents proving that the money has legal origin. Sometime, there are needs to verify the legitimate of the documents provided by the applicants.

Further, verification of employment, salary, income, assets are also important for the review process. To some extents, the investors and their companies are also assessed for reputation and adverse media impact. In some countries, investors need to have documents certifying that they have resided there for a specific period of time at the request of the Government. In Malta, for example, the investor needs to reside here for 12 months before applying. In Bulgaria or Antigua & Barbuda, after being granted citizenship, investors need to reside in these countries for a certain period of time. For the citizenship by investment program in Montenegro, the application will only be accepted when it is submitted through a government-licensed agent under the program.