EU country with quickest and easiest citizenship

Do any of you happen to know if there's an EU country where US citizens can get US + ? dual citizenship rather quickly and/ or easily? Is there such a place if you're not a millionaire and can pay your way to a citizenship?

Thanks.

If it's EU, you won't be able to take on the citizenship without abandoning your US citizenship, which is the reason I don't have citizenship here myself (and I first arrived in '93). Buying your paperwork requires substantial funds.

woof.

How substantial?

Is it much different from the US?

From what I understand, the US immigration process can run from $20k to $50 k (total cost for company to sponsor you). I think private individuals can do it a lot cheaper, but there are still significant costs..

I have heard that it's possible to buy your way to citizenship in Austria (subject to some tough conditions and official approval) but you would neeed to be at least multimillionaire for that.

Look at the naturalization laws country by country- it helps if you are the grandchild of a citizen in some of them. In Spain, for example, you can apply for citizenship after one year of residence if you are the grandchild of a Spanish citizen. Italy and Ireland were, as of a few years ago, liberal about giving people with Italian and Irish ancestors citizenship (don't know any details since I have no ancestors from either country and thus didn't research it).

Perhaps Bulgaria?
Bulgaria opens back door to the EU with give-away passports bonanza
Citizenship and residence - Bulgaria's newest numbers
very funny to see emigration from the States.

Do you play an Olympic sport? or soccer? That could be another way to expedite the process.

not exactly sure what you mean by that but the UK is in the EU and also allows dual citizenship.

I believe you may be able to do this in Monaco, but you have to be a billionare and prove you are not a chav, also helps if you sponsor a F1 team

It's not in the EU, though.

check if anybody in your family is Irish or if anybody in your family knows somebody who is Irish .Call Dublin and let them know and they'll send your passport for a small fee

Ok forget Monaco. Why don't you just buy yourself a partner with EU citizenship?

I thought a person with just US citizenship could only ever have dual citizenship by being born with it thanks to this little bit of law:

Section 349 of the INA [8 USC § 1481] specifies several conditions under which US citizenship may be lost. These include:

1. becoming a naturalized citizen of another country, or declaring allegiance to another country, after reaching age 18;

Please do correct me if I am mistaken, as I am sure people will..

Don't give up your day job. §1481 leads with, "A person who is a national of the United States whether by birth or naturalization, shall lose his nationality by voluntarily performing any of the following acts with the intention of relinquishing United States nationality". If renunciation of your US citizenship is not your intention (you wish to be a dual-national AND the country which would be your second nation is an ally), you're fine. Despite what hotheaded college students think, to actually renounce your citizenship you have to go to a State Dept office or Consulate, fill out a form AND orally renounce your citizenship.

woof.

actually, this is not true, italy allows people to hold 2 passports as does italy and greece. but i don't know the specifics about this. but i do know people who have both a u.s. and italy and a u.s. and a greece passport.

germanybound, you don't state why you want to get EU citizenship.

You might be able to meet those goals, whatever they are, with a residency permit and/or work permit, which are easier to get than citizenship.

Sorry to state the seemingly obvious, but you never know. Many of my own fellow Americans assume that since I lived in Germany for a few years, I must have citizenship there.

Cinzia-
Unless I'm mistaken, in order to stay in Germany long-term I need one of the following as a US citizen:
1. an employer who wants to hire me for a job no EU citizen can do (I'll continue working for my US employer via telecommuting and don't think I can find a job easily enough in the area where we want to move)
2. matriculation in a university/ Fachhochschule ( I already have a U. degree and don't really want to go back to the U. but might have to to get a student visa)
3. a spot in a language school to learn German ( I grew up in Germany, am a native speaker of German but a US citizen by birth, long story)
4. a job as an au-pair (have my own family and kids)
5. a German spouse (my spouse is a US citizen)
6. a special permission to open up my own business or be self-employed , depending upon the needs of the region where we plan to settle (this might be a possibility)
7. citizenship of another EU country

Am I overlooking something?
Given that the top 5 situations don't really apply I'm looking at #6 and #7.
Is there a set amount of money one would "have to" invest when becoming self-employed in Germany as a foreigner?
I read that if you spend 2 yrs. in France and graduate from there with a degree from a U. you can apply for French citizenship.
If we can't stay in Germany we might consider moving to France for a while, I'd have to attend a university and would then apply for French citizenship. Absolutely absurd, isn't it???

My motivation for moving to Germany is to be closer to my parents and other relatives who live there. The Auslaenderbehoerde has given us the "we won't know anything until you get here and we've examined your case" standard answer. I'm getting a bit desperate here and we'll be moving to Germany on good faith in a couple of months.

Are your parents German citizens? If so, you are entitled to citizenship.

According to the German consulate in Houston, dual US-German citizenship is permitted.

So there are two countries called Italy???

Yes, but it depends on how you get it. If you were born a dual citizen that's fine. If you apply for another citizenship, you will need to get a Beibehaltigungsgenehmigung (BBG) first. Otherwise your German citizenship will be void. If you are a foreign national getting German citizenship, you will need to show prove that you gave up your other citizenship. That's the boat my husband and I are in. I'm a dual citizen with BBG. He is a US citizen who would love to become a German one, but that is only possible when giving up the US citizenship. Considering it is A LOT easier for foreign spouses of German citizens to reside and work in Germany than for foreign spouses of US citizens in the US, it seems like the sensible thing to have him stick with his US citizenship. I really wish Germany would loosen it's citizenship restrictions already. In today's world it is really not uncommen for people to split their time and loyalties between countries and continent, and I really don't see anything wrong with that.

Germany bound. Germany allows all sorts of people with a distant
German background the opportunity to become German citizens.
(Hence large number of Russians with German ancestry being
allowed to get German citizenship).
You need to consult an immigration lawyer or (as you presumably
read German well) read up the Gesetzbücher.
German law still has this "German by blood" thing.

I vaguely remember a question on the forms for requesting a residency permit about how many family members you intend to sponsor to follow you into Germany (and whom.)

Maybe germanybound's parents can apply for him to get residency, since they're already in Germany? Raw speculation here.

@JH- Just out of curiosity, how "German (by blood)" do you have to be?

There are a couple of exceptions where you do not need to give up your previous citizenship and keep both.

GERMANY
CITIZENSHIP: Based upon German citizenship law, the principle of descent from the parents (jus
sanguinis), and, after January 1, 2000, jus soli.

BY BIRTH: Birth within the Federal Republic of Germany does not automatically confer
citizenship. However, from January 1, 2000, citizenship will be acquired by birth in Germany if
one parent has lived in the country for eight years.

BY DESCENT:

Child born in wedlock whose father or mother is a citizen of Germany.

Child born out of wedlock whose father is stateless or unknown and whose mother is a
citizen of Germany.

Child born out of wedlock to a foreign woman and a German father will be granted German
citizenship upon the legitimization (recognition) of the child by the German father.

BY NATURALIZATION: At the discretion of the German naturalization authority; 8 years
residence in Germany is a requirement.
DUAL CITIZENSHIP: In principle, not recognized.
Exceptions:

German citizens abroad who acquire another citizenship can forego the automatic forfeiture of
their German citizenship by obtaining a decree from the German authorities permitting them to
retain their German citizenship.

After January 1, 2000, dual citizenship is allowed until age 23.
LOSS OF CITIZENSHIP:

VOLUNTARY: The law allows Germans to petition for a release from German citizenship if
they have applied for the acquisition of foreign citizenship and the authorities of the foreign
state have stated that they will be naturalized. Petitions may be directed to the federal
government in Germany or the nearest German Embassy.

INVOLUNTARY: Voluntary acquisition of foreign citizenship without having received a decree
from the German authorities permitting concurrent retention of German citizenship.
ANY QUESTIONS concerning citizenship, or requests for renunciation of citizenship, should be
directed to the address below:
Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany
Consular Section
4645 Reservoir Dr., NW
Washington, DC 20007
Embassy Telephone: 202-298-4360
Fax: 202-471-5558
www.germany-info.org
www.undp.org/missions/germany
www.government.de/english/01/newsf.html