Affluent Americans are quietly exploring a question that once felt remote: What would it take to secure the legal right to live somewhere else?
According to Latitude Group, a global advisory firm focused on residence and citizenship planning, demand from U.S. families has surged more than 1,000% compared with pre-2016 levels. What began as a niche strategy for ultra-wealthy dynasties has broadened into a mainstream conversation among entrepreneurs, professionals and retirees.
“We do see geographic clustering, particularly in major metropolitan areas such as California, New York, and Massachusetts,” said Eric Major, the firm’s chief executive. “Cities like San Francisco, Santa Monica, Boston, and New York consistently generate the highest concentration of inquiries.”
That has prompted Latitude to host an event this month in Santa Monica, where advisors will help educating those interested in global residency by presenting side-by-side comparisons of so-called golden visa programs in Europe and citizenship-by-investment options in the Caribbean. Programs under discussion include Portugal, Greece and Malta in Europe, as well as residency options in Panama and New Zealand.
The event is taking place on March 11 and is open to the public by registration.
Yet Major says the story is no longer confined to coastal wealth hubs.
“What began as interest concentrated in a handful of cities has broadened into a nationwide trend,” he said, pointing to rising activity in states such as Texas and Colorado. “Compared to pre-2016 levels, enquiry volume from the U.S. market has increased by more than 1,000%, and there are currently no signs of that momentum slowing.”
From Tax Strategy to Risk Management
Early waves of interest coincided with the 2016 election cycle and later with the COVID-19 pandemic, when travel restrictions exposed the limits of relying on a single passport. Over the past 18 months, renewed political and economic uncertainty has triggered another spike.
But Major argues today’s demand is less about high-tax states seeking relief and more about structural planning.
“This is less about regional tax positioning and more about long-term risk management and optionality,” he said. “Families recognize that being entirely dependent on one country — economically, politically and geographically — carries inherent risk.”
Historically, alternative residence and citizenship were tools of multi-generational family offices focused on succession planning. That cohort remains active. But the profile of applicants has widened.
“Today, interest spans first-generation wealth creators, entrepreneurs, professionals, retirees, and families who are thinking about long-term security and opportunity for their children,” Major said. “This is no longer a niche strategy reserved for the ultra-wealthy.”
For some families, the motivation is legacy structuring. For others, it is access — to European education systems, healthcare, lifestyle flexibility or retirement options. “Security and opportunity often rank just as highly as investment return,” Major said.
A Portfolio Approach to Citizenship
Younger wealthy Americans — particularly tech founders and crypto investors — are approaching global mobility with what Major describes as a “layered, portfolio-oriented mindset.”
Rather than viewing a second passport as an emotional insurance policy, they see it as an enabling asset.
“They often think in terms of strategic positioning: a European residence such as Malta, Greece or Portugal as a tangible long-term anchor, potentially a fast Caribbean passport for speed and flexibility, and in some cases a jurisdiction like New Zealand for long-term stability and geographic diversification,” he said.
In that sense, residence and citizenship are being evaluated the way investors diversify asset classes: not for redundancy, but for strengthened optionality.
Clearing Up Misconceptions
Major says Americans often begin the process with misunderstandings.
“One of the most common misconceptions is that pursuing a Golden Visa requires relocation,” he said. In practice, he added, roughly 90% of the firm’s U.S. clients do not move immediately. Many programs, including those in Greece and Malta, offer permanent residence with minimal or no physical presence requirements to maintain status.
Another misconception is that seeking alternative residence is unpatriotic. “Families view it as prudent long-term planning, not a rejection of their home country,” Major said. “It’s a way to broaden opportunity and manage risk.”
He also cautions that mobility rights are jurisdiction-specific. A golden visa in one European country does not automatically grant the right to live and work across the entire European Union. Advisory guidance, he said, is essential to align programs with long-term objectives.
A Closing Window?
If demand is rising, supply may be tightening.
Across Europe, regulatory scrutiny has increased. Spain closed its golden visa program last year. Portugal ended its real estate pathway in 2023 and is debating longer naturalization timelines. Malta’s citizenship-by-investment framework has also faced restrictions, and citizenship-by-descent routes in countries such as Italy have become more selective.
“These developments do not undermine the legitimacy of existing programs,” Major said. “But they do highlight an important reality: terms evolve.”
Looking ahead 10 to 15 years, Major believes global mobility will become a standard component of wealth planning — alongside estate planning, trusts and asset diversification — and sooner than many expect.
“I would say within the next three to five years,” he said. “Global mobility has shifted from a niche strategy to a core component of forward-looking wealth planning.”
In an era defined by geopolitical volatility and rapid policy shifts, affluent Americans appear increasingly willing to diversify not only their portfolios, but their passports — quietly building what they hope will be durable optionality in an uncertain world.
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