For decades, having a U.S. passport symbolized freedom, but as more countries tighten entry rules and reciprocity reshapes visa policies, and in the face of increasing political instability, a growing number of Americans are quietly preparing backup plans abroad, and new indices from Henley & Partners identify the most reputable programs in 2026.
More Americans Are Looking For New Passports
In 2025, the world of second passports and citizenship-by-investment pivoted, and for the very first time, residents of advanced economies, notably Americans, went hunting for a second passport.
Henley & Partners saw inquiries increase by 183% between the first three months of 2024 and 2025, and this translated into applications. 2024 was a record year, but by the end of September 2025, applications had increased by 67%, and Americans were the largest group, accounting for 30% of the company’s applicants.
New Indices On Golden Visas Rank Greece, Italy and Portugal Highly
In Europe, a big recipient was Portugal’s golden visa program. Portugal’s immigration agency AIMA reports that 50% more Americans became residents of Portugal in 2024 than in 2023. In Europe, other hotspots include Greece and Italy. Applications have doubled in Italy over the past two years. And Greece is additionally attractive because it doesn’t have the administrative backlog that Portugal's golden visa program is renowned for.
Henley & Partners recently published its 2026 edition of the Residence and Citizenship Programs report, which includes two indices for Americans seeking the best golden visa and citizenship programs overseas.
The Global Residence Program Index confirms these figures, with Greece in 1st place, with Italy, Switzerland, and the UAE in 2nd and Portugal in 3rd.
In terms of citizenship programs, Henley's Global Citizenship Program Index ranks Malta first, Austria second, and Grenada and St Kitts and Nevis in joint third place.
New Zealand and Panama are also firm favorites for Americans. In New Zealand, Americans currently account for 40% of all applications to its golden visa program and Panama has long been a favorite for American retirees because the economy is favorable to dollars and it is geographically close to the U.S.
Americans Are Seeking Second Passports For Political Stability, Affordable Healthcare And Travel Freedoms
Americans are seeking political stability, affordable healthcare, and greater travel freedom. There are also suggestions that this sentiment is high among LGBTQ+ Americans who are concerned about their safety and the continuation of their rights, which is hampering their ability to plan for the future.
A 2025 Harris poll found that nearly half of all Americans and two-thirds of Gen Z and Millennial respondents were interested in dual citizenship. And it isn’t just the super-rich or high-net worth individuals anymore.
A recent Wall Street Journal article discusses how, in its 250th year, America is hailing its negative net migration as the result of deportations and new visa restrictions, but it is also true that Americans are leaving in record numbers, “replanting themselves and their families in lands they find more affordable and safe.”
There is also the proposed Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025, which would ask Americans to relinquish any additional citizenships within one year, and sources suggest that “paradoxically, it appears to be accelerating rather than deterring applications.” While it is highly unlikely that this bill will come into power, it does show how out of step some parts of the U.S. are with the rest of the world in that according to the MACIMIDE Global Expatriate Dual Citizenship Dataset maintained by Maastricht University, which tracks 200 countries from 1960 to 2020, 75% of countries allow their citizens to gain a second nationality without forfeiting their original.
The U.S. doesn’t track who has dual citizenship. Unofficial estimates for dual U.S. citizens range widely from 500,000 to 10 million, often cited at around 7-10 million (roughly 2-3% of the U.S. population). Up to as many as 30 million U.S. citizens may be eligible for ancestry passports in other countries, though obtaining them requires complicated paperwork to meet increasingly stringent eligibility requirements.
The U.S. Passport Is Losing Its Power
CNTraveler reports that the travel restrictions placed upon arrivals to the U.S. are now catching up with the country, stating that ‘over the past year, the U.S. has lost visa-free access to seven nations.’ One of these is Brazil, which reintroduced visa requirements for Americans in reciprocity for the U.S. restrictions—a sign it believes of how the U.S. passport is losing its strength.
In the Henley Passport Index 2026, the U.S. passport ranked 10th most powerful in the world, behind 38 other countries, including Malaysia, Lithuania, Iceland, Slovakia, Canada, and the United Arab Emirates. Last year, it ranked at its lowest level in history, number 12, a fall from the previous 20 years, when it consistently ranked within the top ten.
And so, the weakening passport and the rise of interest in dual citizenship capture a shift in how some Americans see their place in the world. Once defined by global dominance and mobility, the U.S. is increasingly perceived as restrictive—both to those seeking to enter and to those seeking to leave.
More and more of the world is embracing multiple citizenships, and people are increasingly seeking broader freedoms, partly through golden visa programs. As global interconnection deepens and political instability increases, some Americans are finding that holding onto a single passport now feels more like a limitation than a privilege.