Right after the referendum in June 2016, many British nationals rushed to make their applications for EU citizenship. The Irish embassy in London, for one, ran out of forms on the next day. The trends still stays, and more Britons with Irish heritage are seeking Éire passports. In 2019, over 50,000 UK nationals were admitted to the Irish citizenship – a 10,000 increase over the 2018 numbers.
Ireland is currently the top pick for the British looking to retain their EU citizenship. The second most popular choice is Germany that provided citizenship to 17,000 Britons between 2016 and 2018. France granted 1,733 passports to UK nationals in 2017 – a sharp increase from 374 passports in 2015. Belgium and the Netherlands have raised the number of passports issued to Britons by seven times. Sweden is yet another popular destination. The Swedish officials approved over 4,000 applications in 2019.
Ireland leads the game as it offers a citizenship opportunity to any British national whose parent or grandparent was born in Ireland or Northern Ireland. Britons of Italian descent may apply for an Italian passport however remote the lineage.
That said, the process may be much more complicated depending on the country. For instance, UK citizens seeking a Dutch passport may have to reject their British nationality. After the Brexit happens, Britons holding German passports will also have to give up their UK citizenship.
Astons is a leading global immigration advisory firm with offices in London, Beijing, Moscow, Dubai and Limassol (Republic of Cyprus) and offers residency & citizenship investment solutions worldwide including UK, Turkey, Vanuatu, EU & the Caribbean.
For further information or to discuss your personal circumstances in a private consultation, please contact Astons at info@astons.com or call +44 207 292 2977
