If you are considering leaving France to live elsewhere, in this country the conditions for obtaining nationality are drastic. Naturalization, already complicated in general, is a real obstacle course… Besides, the Green Card so envied in the United States is child’s play!
Is the grass greener elsewhere? To date, around 2.5 million French people live abroad according to data from the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs. But not everyone sought to obtain the nationality of their host country. And, moreover, in certain countries of the world, this is almost an obstacle course.
The platform TerraTernspecializing in expatriation and studies abroad, has drawn up a ranking of the 15 most difficult countries in the world to obtain nationality in 2025. Thus, on the 3rd step of the podium we find the principality of Liechtenstein – considered the second richest country in the world – which requires a proven presence in the territory of 30 years or 5 years in the event of marriage with a local and strict conditions of acceptance at the discretion of the authorities. Furthermore, the Liechtenstein passport is one of the most powerful in the world since it is in 10th place.
Then, on the second step, we find the Vatican. The city which hosts the Holy See, landlocked in the heart of Rome (Italy), only grants nationality to members of the clergy, diplomats or church workers; It remains to be seen whether the Swiss guards, assigned to the security of the Vatican buildings and the sovereign pontiff, can claim this. No other request for naturalization is accepted by the Catholic city of Leo XIV for foreigners.
And, finally, to everyone’s surprise, the most difficult country in the world to obtain citizenship is Qatar. The rich Middle Eastern emirate imposes a slew of very rigorous conditions to be naturalized and officially become Qatari: minimum 25 years of residence in the country, renunciation of one’s original nationality, conversion to Islam and speaking Arabic! Enough to discourage many candidates for expatriation…
In the rest of the ranking, let us cite for example Bhutan (4th position) which requires 20 years of presence in the country, a clean criminal record and authorization subject to the goodwill of the monarchy. Or even San Marino which, for its part, has been demanding to live in the country for 30 years and does not grant dual nationality. Strangely, while everyone knows the difficulty in obtaining the famous green card in the United States, the country is not even in the top 15!
