The 14 easiest and cheapest second citizenships in the EU.

Last updated July 28, 2020.

Cancun, Mexico.

The other day I met up with my friend Tim. He is originally from the UK, but had just finished his doctoral program in the Netherlands. There he met his girlfriend from Taiwan, with whom they have been together for two years. On her residence card she is registered as a "family member of an EU citizen". On returning to the UK they were both detained at the airport and questioned. Customs officials claimed that they could no longer come to the UK and live there together. Of course, like anyone in such a situation, they were shocked and left. They both went to Portugal where they got a second residence in just a few days. Yes, I said a few days. All''Turned out to be surprisingly easy and took less than ten minutes!

With nationalist groups taking power in many European countries, it is becoming increasingly difficult to get a second residence in the EU, especially in Central' countries'Europe, but don't let that scare you. As you can see from the list below, it is still possible to get a second residence in many countries in Europe. While some are harder to get than others, here are 15 of the easiest and cheapest second residencies in the EU that you can get as a non-EU citizen.

• Belgium. If you want one of the most coveted European passports, look to Belgium.
• Malta. The Malta Permanent Residence Program (MPRP) will cost you at least €300,000.
• Portugal. Obtaining an EU Blue Card is a great and cheap way to get a residence permit in Portugal.
• Spain. 500,000 EUR will give'. 'you have a residence permit in Spain, but it is recommended not to stay in the country for more than six consecutive months unless you want to pay taxes.
• Bulgaria. Obtaining a residence permit and even citizenship in Bulgaria is relatively easy - invest 500,000 euros, get a residence permit after nine months and get your money back after five years.

If your goal is simply to live in Europe to enjoy its charms and other benefits, you don't have to get a residence permit in high-tax EU countries.

You can still get a European residence permit without choosing one of the available second residences in the EU.

Here are our top five recommendations:

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• Montenegro. For those who want to make Montenegro their permanent home.
• Albania. You can get a European residence permit by buying a property in Albania.
• Serbia. Nominated as Europe's second most charming country for a fraction of the price of European living.
• Armenia. Armenia has been on our Nomad Capitalist radar for many good reasons.

Good luck choosing your second home in the EU!