Countries Offering Entrepreneur Citizenship for Hiring Employees

Among the most heavily trodden paths to living abroad is the golden visa route.

These residency programs have proven hugely popular, but the truth is that many of the visas they lead to are often better on paper than in reality.

Residencies by investment aren’t a ‘second passport for sale,’ as many consider them – very often, they have a lot of strings attached. 

On top of that, many of the countries offering these golden visas are often not tax or business-friendly. 

But even all of that could be manageable – if it was the only issue.

Unfortunately, sometimes the naturalisation process, which they tout as leading to citizenship, is so opaque that you don’t know whether you’ll have citizenship in a year or a decade.

Nomad Capitalist was founded on the belief that entrepreneurs who provide value to communities should be treated better.

As a consequence, we’ve searched the world and found several countries that’ll be very happy to offer entrepreneur citizenship, business immigration, or, at the very least, a fast track to second citizenship through investment simply by hiring employees in those respective countries.

In this article, we’ll take a look at each country, what is required to qualify for citizenship, the timeline to naturalisation, the general quality of the country and the passport you would receive in return for hiring employees there.

What is Entrepreneur Citizenship?

Entrepreneur citizenship, or citizenship by investment through job creation, is a pathway to obtaining citizenship in a foreign country by starting or investing in a business that creates jobs for local citizens. 

For the purposes of this article, when we refer to entrepreneurial citizenship options, we refer to both residence that leads to citizenship and outright citizenship programs.

It’s a ‘win-win’: you contribute to the country’s economy, and in return, you gain residency. This can eventually lead to citizenship, or in some cases, they give you outright citizenship. 

The specific requirements vary widely by country but generally involve either creating a certain number of jobs, investing a minimum amount of capital in a business and demonstrating a viable business plan. 

Which Countries Offer Entrepreneurs Citizenship for Creating Jobs? 

Up next, let’s discuss the best options for citizenship via job creation. 

Turkish Citizenship Through Job Creation

Turkey offers what we refer to as a ‘Tier C passport’ as it doesn’t have easy access to the US or the EU but provides visa-free access to many areas in Asia and South America. 

While it might not be a good first passport, it can complement a stronger one. Furthermore, Turkey is an industrialised nation in its own right, with plenty of beautiful areas worth visiting and living in. 

Overall, Turkey’s citizenship program is fairly straightforward and it offers interesting opportunities for dual citizens.

We’ve written about it in detail before, but the executive summary is that you only need to put US$400,000 in real estate for three years and you’ll get citizenship. 

The caveat is that there have to be appraisals and you have to purchase the ‘right’ kind of real estate.

If you don’t want to go with that headache, then you can hire 50 people instead and still gain citizenship in a matter of months. 

This is a good choice if you’re already considering hiring employees overseas. Turkey’s youth is fairly westernised and eager to work, so finding employees to hire shouldn’t be a major problem. 

Having said all that, there are better citizenship options available via job creation programs.

Portuguese Golden Visa by Job Creation (A Path to Citizenship)

There is no Portugal citizenship-by-investment program, but there is a golden visa route to residency, which can ultimately result in citizenship – though this route has been altered significantly with the removal of the real estate option.

Portugal often tops the list of golden visa programs, and for good reason, as it ultimately gives you a very strong passport in Europe, visa-free access to the entirety of the American continent, as well as a large percentage of Asia and Africa.

We’ve written about this program in the past, but the short version is that you can gain residency in Portugal by investing a minimum of US$200,000 in approved parts of the Portuguese market, which becomes full citizenship in half a decade.

If you aren’t in a position to forgo US$200,000 for half a decade to get a second citizenship, but you’re able to start a business and hire Portuguese employees, this is an alternative route to residency that might be for you.

Compared to Turkey, you only need to hire ten workers in Portugal, but for much longer. As soon as you hire your ten employees and are approved for a Portuguese Golden Visa, your naturalisation clock starts ticking. 

If you maintain at least ten Portuguese employees during five years of residence, you can apply for citizenship in Portugal. 

This does not mean that you will automatically become a Portuguese citizen after five years. It means that you can apply to be naturalised. 

Thanks to Portugal’s highly bureaucratic nature, it may be several years down the road before you are officially granted citizenship. 

But this isn’t as bad as it sounds. Despite Portugal being culturally European, the wages are rather low compared to what you’d find in any other adjacent country.

The average Portuguese worker earns US$37,500 per year, which is considerably lower than the OECD average of around US$58,000. 

In other words, hiring employees in Portugal could almost halve your worker costs.

It’s also worth noting that you would get a rather good deal for that money, as the Portuguese rank well above the OECD’s average in terms of reading literacy, mathematics and science knowledge. 

In fact, they’re at a similar level as the students from Norway, Poland, Denmark and Belgium. 

So, while it’s not an automatic means of becoming a dual citizen, Portugal’s Golden Visa program will set you on the path toward a second passport while giving you all the benefits of hiring employees overseas.

North Macedonian Fast-Track Citizenship for Entrepreneurs

North Macedonia is an often-overlooked passport, but it’s a surprisingly interesting option. It provides visa-free access to the Schengen area and, with it, the entirety of the EU. 

It offers all the travel benefits without any of the nonsense associated with being a part of the European Union.

In terms of naturalisation, North Macedonia is among the fastest countries in the world to get citizenship. This is just another benefit of the country’s business immigration program compared to other countries that will keep you on the hook for years at a time before granting you citizenship.

As soon as you receive your residence permit in North Macedonia, it won’t be long before you can obtain your second citizenship. You can expect a smooth process without any delays, as the government is known for its efficiency. 

But this isn’t a second passport for sale where you can make an investment without ever showing your face in the country. 

You do need to have some palpable presence on the ground. You have to form a company, put €400,000 into a corporate bank account and hire ten people.

This prices out many entrepreneurs, but North Macedonia is among the most business-friendly countries in Eastern Europe. This is even noticeable in the taxes, which are a flat 10% for companies and individuals. 

The government is also very interested in promoting industry in the country, offering many fantastic incentives to have factories there.

However, this is such an overlooked country in the broad scheme of things that only a handful of people have ever taken the country up on its immigration offer. 

As such, there doesn’t seem to be a standardised procedure, as we discovered when we went to North Macedonia to research this opportunity.

We don’t generally recommend this program, as we have yet to hear of any approvals and have not received an explanation from the government.

Ireland’s STEP Program – An Entrepreneur’s Gateway to Citizenship

Ireland also proposes a compelling, widely advertised pathway to citizenship for entrepreneurs: the Start-up Entrepreneur Programme (STEP).

The STEP program is designed for entrepreneurs with innovative business proposals and a minimum of €50,000 in funding. 

Unlike some programs that require a massive upfront investment, STEP focuses on the potential of your business and your ability to create employment in Ireland. 

The process involves submitting a detailed business plan to the Irish Immigration Service Delivery (ISD). Your startup plan needs to be comprehensive, demonstrating the viability of your business and its potential for job creation. 

If your application is successful, you’ll be granted residency in Ireland. After a period of legal residency (typically five years), and provided you continue to meet the program’s requirements (including maintaining your business and creating jobs), you can apply for Irish citizenship. 

An Irish passport is what we like to call a ‘Tier A’ passport. With it, you can access ‌the entire European Union market and gain the right to live and work in any EU member state. 

However, you should note that employee costs are going to be a lot higher than those of any country on this list so far. 

Singaporean Citizenship via Job Creation

Singapore, a world-famous city-state and global financial hub, provides a compelling pathway to residency and eventual citizenship for entrepreneurs through its EntrePass scheme. 

To qualify for the EntrePass, your business must meet certain business criteria. It generally needs to be innovative and scalable, and local employment (at least one director) must be created. 

Holding intellectual property, securing funding from a recognised venture capitalist or angel investor or being part of a government-supported incubator/accelerator can further strengthen your application. 

Simply setting up a standard retail shop or restaurant likely won’t cut it.

The application process involves many of the same steps as the Irish STEP option.

If your application is approved, you’ll be granted an EntrePass, which permits you to live and work in Singapore while you build your business. 

The EntrePass is typically valid for one to two years and can be renewed if your business continues to meet the requirements. 

After a period of running a successful business and demonstrating your commitment to Singapore, you can apply for permanent residency and, eventually, citizenship.

On top of this, Singapore offers a compelling proposition: a stable, pro-business environment, a strategic location in the heart of Asia, a highly skilled workforce and a world-class infrastructure. 

However, the cost of living, particularly for housing, is high and the competition for the EntrePass is fierce.

It’s a challenge, but for the right entrepreneur, the rewards can be immense.

Citizenship Solutions for High-Net-Worth Entrepreneurs

Let’s say you’re the head of a major business and you have hundreds of workers under your corporate umbrella. The problem is that most of your net worth is directly tied to the equity of this business.

You don’t have the liquidity to put half a million euros in a bank account for half a decade, but you’re still looking to live abroad.

Moreover, you don’t want to be told where and how you should be hiring employees – you want to do it your way.

Now is the time to pick up the phone or have your assistant schedule a meeting with a high-ranking politician to chat about a mutually beneficial affair.

As luck would have it, politicians are on a perpetual quest to gain the love and admiration of their people – especially in less affluent, under-industrialised and rural countries. And few things get more votes than being able to create jobs.

So, if you have the sort of power to snap your fingers and instantly materialise a hundred jobs in their jurisdiction, then they will certainly listen.

Obviously, the number of jobs you can provide and the economic standing of the country have a direct connection. You wouldn’t be able to walk up to the White House with an offer of a few hundred jobs.

On the other hand, Poland (an EU state, we might add) has done this on numerous occasions in previous administrations. 

It might sound like the stuff of spy novels, conspiracy theories and bygone eras when men in smoky rooms ran secret business deals with each other, but it happens all the time.

Just ask Jeff Bezos how even US states are willing to bend over backward and offer Amazon all manner of concessions so that he will put a headquarters or warehouse in their jurisdiction.

Sometimes, it goes against all economic sense, as they end up offering so much that the government actively loses money in the deal. But voters care about jobs and not budget deficits.

So, if you offer enough incentives, you can craft your own immigration plans. We’ve personally dealt with nine-figure entrepreneurs who have received multiple calls from politicians asking them to broker deals with them.

Countries Offering Entrepreneur Citizenship for Hiring: FAQs

Hiring Employees Gives You Options

When people think about golden visa programs or buying second citizenships, they automatically imagine simply handing the government a cheque with a lot of zeroes attached.

This can and does work – in fact, we even recommend it from time to time. 

However, there are other options on the table that we think people with businesses should consider. After all, the more options you have, the easier it is to go where you’re treated best.

If you’re curious about how to structure your citizenship-by-investment strategy, talk to us. 

At Nomad Capitalist, we specialise in helping seven- and eight-figure entrepreneurs and investors create customised strategies to maximise their wealth and minimise their tax.