The EU's Golden Passports Are Gone: What Replaces Them

The era of buying an EU passport has effectively ended. In April 2025 the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that Malta's investor-citizenship scheme was contrary to EU law, closing the bloc's last remaining golden-passport program. Cyprus had already shut down its own scheme on November 1, 2020. The central objection was always the same: these programs treated EU citizenship as a commodity and opened the door to corruption and abuse.

How Malta's scheme fell

Malta launched its program in 2015. The state long defended it by pointing to roughly 1.6 billion euros in revenue, but by 2020 the European Commission was pursuing both Malta and Cyprus for breaching EU law. In March 2022 the Commission formally declared investor-citizenship schemes incompatible with the treaties and urged member states to repeal them. Weeks later it sent Malta a reasoned opinion citing Article 20 TFEU and Article 4(3) TEU. Malta pushed back, but the Court of Justice ultimately ended the scheme.

Why regulators objected

On paper, Malta's program asked for a substantial contribution and a year of residence. In practice, applicants could obtain citizenship after spending only weeks in the country, often renting property briefly before leaving. Cyprus drew similar scrutiny: an undercover investigation revealed that passports had gone to people convicted of crimes elsewhere, which hastened the program's closure.

Ancestry becomes the main path

With investment routes closed, citizenship by descent is now one of the few remaining ways to gain nationality across the EU. Each country sets its own rules, sometimes rooted in reparations, as with Germany, and sometimes in the historical displacement of citizens during periods of upheaval.

• Lithuania recognizes descendants of pre-1940 citizens, including many who fled or were exiled.
• Germany restores citizenship to descendants of victims of Nazi-era persecution.
• Greece, the Czech Republic, and others offer their own lineage-based routes.
• Most allow dual citizenship, so US applicants need not give up their American passport.

For Americans with European roots, the message is straightforward: the shortcut is gone, but the heritage route remains, and it rewards careful documentation over a checkbook. This is general information, not legal advice. Run the free eligibility check to see your path.