The United States passport is no longer ranked amongst the world’s Top 10 most powerful passports according to Henley Passport Index.
Slump of US passport Power
Once unrivalled at No.1 in 2014, the American passport has now slumped to 12th place. The loss of visa-free access to Brazil in April due to a lack of reciprocity, and the US being left out of China’s rapidly expanding visa-free list along with Vietnam and , marked the start of its downward spiral.
American Interest for Second Citizenships
The decline in US passport power is fueling an unprecedented surge in demand for alternative residence and citizenship options. Henley & Partners data shows that Americans have become by far the largest group of applicants for investment migration programs in 2025.
US Investors Jump
By the end of Q3, applications from US nationals were already 67% higher than the total for 2024, which itself recorded a 60% year-on-year increase. Group Head of Private Clients at Henley & Partners, Dominic Volek, says the firm now has more American clients than the next four nationalities — Turkish, Indian, Chinese, and British — combined. “Faced with unprecedented volatility, investors and wealthy American families are adopting a strategy of geopolitical arbitrage to acquire additional residence and citizenship options. They are hedging against jurisdictional risk and leveraging differences across countries to optimize personal, financial, and lifestyle outcomes.”
Dual Citizenship is the New American Dream
Prof. Peter J. Spiro of Temple University Law School in Philadelphia says while US citizenship remains a valuable status, it’s no longer good enough as a standalone. “In coming years, more Americans will be acquiring additional citizenships in whatever way they can. Multiple citizenship is being normalized in American society. While it may be a bit of an exaggeration, as one social media poster recently put it, “dual citizenship is the new American dream”.
