In the long arc of administrative control, the state has always sought to tidy the population. From the Tudor era parish registers that first codified the administrative surname to the industrial age workhouse logs, the goal has remained consistent: transform the chaotic lived identity of the individual into a manageable data point. Today, we are witnessing the digital iteration of this impulse. As Western powers and major global players pivot toward more restrictions, centralized regulations, and the frameworks often described as the Great Reset, the individual is once again being viewed as a resource to be optimized, taxed, and managed through automated systems.
The Administrative Gaze and the New Enclosure
We live in a world built around throughput. Modern bureaucracy rewards the efficient movement of people through systems of taxation, health monitoring, and financial compliance. However, this efficiency comes at the cost of individuality and autonomy. When the state implements mechanisms like the 36 percent unrealized capital gains tax recently seen in the Netherlands, it is essentially treating your wealth as a temporary asset held on their balance sheet. They are taxing potential rather than profit, a move that signals a deep desire for wealth confiscation under the guise of fiscal stability. This is not a new phenomenon; it is the modern version of the hearth tax or the window tax… creative ways to extract value from the population through surveillance.
To resist this quiet dispossession, one must understand that identity is a constructed framework. If the jurisdiction you reside in views you as an asset to be harvested, the most logical response is to change the jurisdiction. This is where the concept of jurisdictional arbitrage and the Plan B citizenship becomes a sovereign tool. By diversifying your administrative identity, you introduce friction into the systems that seek to automate your compliance. You move from being a captive data point to a sovereign actor with choices.
The Sovereign Tool: Why Second Citizenship Matters
In my personal experience and the experience of over a thousand high net worth clients we have assisted, second citizenship is the strongest level of ownership you can possess in a new country. While opening an offshore company or a foreign bank account provides some distance, they still leave you subject to the primary jurisdiction of your birth or current residence. A second passport, however, provides a new legal foundation. It is the ultimate hedge against counterparty risk, the risk that your own government will change the rules of the game in a way that compromises your future.
Many people view passports purely as travel documents. Within the CITIZEN_ERASED framework, we view them as defensive assets. For an American citizen, for example, a second passport from a country like Vanuatu might not provide more travel mobility, but it provides a way to access digital identity frameworks and financial systems that might be closed to those under the direct oversight of the US Treasury. It is about creating pathways to autonomy that the state cannot easily close.
Rapid Exit Routes: Vanuatu and the Caribbean
When time is a factor, certain jurisdictions offer streamlined processes to exchange wealth for sovereignty. Vanuatu is a notable example. In our experience, it remains the fastest program available. For a low cost of approximately 130,000 dollars, an individual can acquire a passport that essentially serves as a tax free plan B. Vanuatu is a country that historically leaves people alone. It does not possess the intrusive administrative gaze of the G20 nations. It is a jurisdiction where you are not chased across the globe for every transaction you make. While it may not grant you visa free access to the Schengen area in the near future, it serves perfectly for opening crypto exchange accounts and foreign bank accounts without the weight of Western regulatory baggage.
The Caribbean offers a slightly different value proposition. St Kitts and Nevis, where I personally obtained citizenship by investment, has long been a gold standard. The floor for investment is currently 200,000 dollars. These nations provide better travel mobility but are also facing pressure from larger powers to align their citizenship by investment standards with global norms. This is a reminder that surveillance creep is a global phenomenon, and the window to secure these sovereign tools is often smaller than people realize. If you seek to guarantee access to Europe through a Golden Visa, you must be strategic. Countries like the Netherlands are increasingly aggressive with wealth confiscation. You must look for countries that do not treat your unrealized gains as their own revenue.
The Balkan Buffer: Serbia and Turkey
For those looking for a foothold near Europe but outside the immediate reach of the European Union bureaucracy, the Balkan region is increasingly attractive. Serbia, Albania, and Montenegro offer residency by investment programs that serve as excellent buffers. Serbia, in particular, is a country that I believe will not join the European Union within the next decade. This makes it a safe harbor from the more extreme digital ID and CBDC mandates being drafted in Brussels. In Serbia, one can obtain citizenship by merit, a process that rewards those who bring significant value or contribution to the nation.
Turkey also fits into this strategic category. While Turkey is moving toward its own digital ID systems, it does so at a much lower intensity than the Western powers. A 400,000 dollar investment in real estate can secure a Turkish passport, providing a significant foothold in a country that acts as a bridge between East and West. It is a plan B that recognizes that the world is becoming multipolar, and having a foot in a non Western major power is a logical step for any sovereign mind.
Latin American Autonomy: The Dominican Republic and Beyond
Latin America remains one of the few regions where the spirit of personal freedom still outweighs the impulse for administrative tidiness. The Dominican Republic is a prime example. By purchasing property worth 200,000 dollars or more, you can obtain residency and potentially citizenship in just two years. The residency requirements are not strictly enforced, meaning you can maintain your connection to the country with just a few weeks of physical presence per year. This is ideal for those who want a plan B that does not require an immediate move.
Argentina is also launching a citizenship by investment program, which is worth watching closely. Despite the political protests and historical economic volatility, the current direction of the country suggests a move toward more freedom and less wealth confiscation compared to the EU or US. Then there is Panama, which remains a classic choice due to its territorial tax system. In Panama, you are only taxed on income earned within the country. This is a foundational sovereign tool for anyone who earns their living through digital means or global investments. Countries like Paraguay also offer paths to residency that, while slow for citizenship, provide a low cost base of operations in a region that is geographically far from the primary theaters of global conflict.
The UAE: The Modern Neutral Hub
The United Arab Emirates represents a different model of sovereignty. It is extremely difficult to get citizenship there, but their Golden Visa program is one of the most efficient in the world. Whether through property investment or by nomination based on your professional contribution, a ten year residency allows you to operate in a tax free environment that values business throughput over administrative harassment. For the wealthy foreigner, the UAE provides a level of protection and service that is increasingly rare in the West. It is a jurisdiction built for the sovereign actor who wants to remain connected to global markets while being shielded from the extractive bureaucracy of their home nation.
Intentional Design for an Uncertain Future
The transition toward a more managed world is not a conspiracy; it is an institutional incentive. States have always wanted more data, more control, and more predictable tax revenue. The Great Reset is simply the latest branding for this ancient impulse. However, autonomy comes from understanding these incentives and taking practical steps to mitigate them. Self sovereignty is a deliberate choice. It requires the courage to interrogate the structures we are told are normal—like the idea that you must only have one citizenship or that your wealth must always be subject to the whims of the jurisdiction where you were born.
Privacy is not about having secrets; it is about having power. When you hold multiple citizenships, you are no longer a captive audience. You have the power to move your person, your family, and your assets to where they are treated best. Whether it is a fast passport from Vanuatu for crypto access, a Dominican Republic residency for a long term escape route, or a Serbian citizenship by merit for a strategic European foothold, each of these is a component of an intentional design for freedom.
The individuals who are most vulnerable are those who are least aware of the systems shaping them. By recognizing the historical continuity of population management and seeing the modern digital identity for what it is (a digital enclosure) you can begin to build your own architecture of exit. The machinery of society will continue to turn, but with the right plan B, you do not have to be crushed by its gears. Escape is always possible, but only for those who take the steps to design it today.
