5 Hardest Countries to Get Citizenship in 2023

2. UAE

Access to Nationality: 9

Prerequisite Residency Timeline: 30 Years

UAE ranks second as one of the most difficult countries to get citizenship for. The UAE government actively invites investors and promotes residency applications; however, the regulations pertaining to naturalization and citizenship within the country are nuanced. As per Emirati nationality law, there exist four avenues for acquiring citizenship: through descent, naturalization, marriage, or exceptional merit. While the standard procedure involves obtaining naturalization after 30 years of residing in the UAE, there are alternative faster routes, such as marrying an Emirati citizen or demonstrating exceptional merit, that facilitate a quicker acquisition of citizenship.