Stories of Clients
Who Have Obtained
Second Citizenship

At the beginning of 2024, Olga, a 32-year-old entrepreneur from Penza, contacted Jurpass. Her company had been developing successfully in the region, but over time it became clear that the local market no longer offered opportunities for scaling. Her decision was additionally influenced by political developments and the desire to secure a stable and safe future for her six-year-old son.

Olga set herself the goal of obtaining a passport of an EU country in order to relocate her business to Europe and open access to prestigious education for her child. She was concerned that the process might drag on for years. Many of her acquaintances had told her that the long route through temporary and permanent residence could take 7–10 years. During the consultation, we offered an alternative — the Romanian programme, which makes it possible to obtain a passport in only 12–18 months. This solution perfectly matched her goals, given that Olga had Romanian ancestors.

The first stage was to establish the grounds for citizenship. To that end, we analysed archival documents and built a chain of evidence confirming the client’s origin. We then prepared the file and organised its submission to the Ministry of Justice of Romania. All translations, notarised copies and certificates were prepared by us in advance, so the procedure was completed without delay.

After 17 months, Olga received her citizenship certificate.

The final step was obtaining a Romanian foreign passport and ID card. Just 18 months after the start of the process, Olga had a full passport of an EU country in hand. Today she is actively developing her business in Europe, and her son has enrolled in an international school. According to Olga, second citizenship became a strategic decision for her, giving her confidence in the future and additional opportunities for development.

Arkady, aged 38, a network engineer from Saratov, approached us. He has a family — a wife and a young son. Arkady has worked in the IT sector for many years and frequently receives offers from foreign companies, but he encounters restrictions and lengthy bureaucratic procedures when travelling abroad.

For Arkady, obtaining a passport of an EU country became a strategic decision — he wanted to be able to travel freely with his family to Europe, accept offers from foreign employers and, in the future, ensure that his child could study abroad.

The main condition for him was the speed of processing. Based on his experience of dealing with consulates, Arkady understood that ordinary procedures take years, and he was not prepared to wait 5–7 years. We offered him the optimal solution — an expedited Bulgarian citizenship programme, which takes on average 12–18 months.

First, our team conducted a consultation for Arkady — we analysed his situation and goals in detail, explained the difference between the standard and expedited procedures, and showed which stages would need to be completed in each case. He reviewed the agreement and was satisfied as to the transparency and reliability of the process, as well as the fact that we fully support the client at every step.

The first stage was document preparation. We assisted in obtaining police clearance certificates, translating and certifying diplomas, and arranging marriage and child birth certificates. Particular attention was paid to the proper legalisation of Russian documents in order to eliminate the risk of delays.

Six months after the start of the process, Arkady’s file was successfully submitted to the Ministry of Justice in Sofia. After that, it only remained to await the authorities’ decision. Owing to careful preparation, the waiting period proved to be minimal.

After 15 months, Arkady received his Bulgarian citizenship certificate, and shortly thereafter we assisted him in obtaining a foreign passport and an ID card. We also handled the residence permit formalities for his wife and son on the basis of their family relationship with a Bulgarian citizen. The whole family now has the opportunity to move freely throughout Europe, open accounts with European banks and consider employment opportunities abroad. In his testimonial regarding our cooperation, Arkady notes that the most valuable outcome for him was that he can now plan his family’s future without restrictions and be more competitive in the international labour market.

Nikolai, aged 42, a biochemist from Minsk, approached us. For many years he had been engaged in research, participated in international conferences and projects, and published in foreign journals. However, in recent years the situation changed dramatically — Belarus’s international isolation closed off most opportunities for him. Invitations from European institutes began to disappear, and participation in joint grants became practically impossible.

Nikolai seriously considered relocating. He wanted to continue his scientific career in Europe and give his 15-year-old daughter an opportunity to study at a prestigious university. For his family, he regarded Vienna as the best option — a city with a developed academic environment, strong research centres and a high standard of living. But naturalisation in Austria is a complex and time-consuming process; the standard route to a passport may take more than 10 years.

At this stage, Nikolai contacted Jurpass. During the initial consultation, we carefully analysed his goals and found the optimal solution — obtaining Bulgarian citizenship by descent. It emerged that Nikolai had Bulgarian ancestors on his mother’s side, which gave him a lawful basis for participation in the programme.

We sent requests to archives, collected the missing certificates, prepared translations and had the documents notarised. Particular attention was paid to confirming family ties, as this is precisely the point that usually becomes the stumbling block. Nikolai’s documents were then submitted to the Bulgarian Ministry of Justice.

As early as 14 months after the start of our cooperation, Nikolai received his Bulgarian passport and ID card. This opened up the possibility for him to move lawfully to Austria without undergoing the lengthy naturalisation process. Today Nikolai lives in Vienna with his family. He works at one of the university research centres, is actively involved in international projects, and is preparing joint publications with colleagues from Germany and Switzerland. His daughter enrolled in a gymnasium, and his wife is considering options for continuing her career in education.

Sarkis, aged 27, a graphic designer from Vanadzor (Armenia), approached us. From an early age, he had been passionate about art, and later made it his profession — he worked in illustration, brand design and interior decoration. However, his real dream was work connected with classical art and restoration.

Sarkis regarded Valencia as the ideal destination for professional growth — a city known throughout the world for its art museums, schools and architectural heritage. He wanted not merely to “immerse himself in the atmosphere of art”, but ultimately to become involved in projects for the preservation of cultural monuments.

However, difficulties arose when selecting relocation options. The student route was not available — Sarkis did not have the funds to pay for costly education in Spain. Nor did a digital nomad residence permit solve the problem — temporary status did not provide reliable guarantees for the future. The client was seeking a solution that would allow him to feel secure about the future and provide lawful grounds for building a career in Europe.

During the consultation, Jurpass specialists proposed that he consider the Bulgarian repatriation programme. We established that Sarkis had Bulgarian ancestors on his mother’s side, which enabled him to claim citizenship.

The subsequent steps were structured clearly — our lawyers organised requests to the archives of Armenia and Bulgaria in order to restore lost records, and also assisted in collecting and certifying police clearance certificates, translations of diplomas and civil status certificates. Thereafter, our representative submitted the client’s documents to the Ministry of Justice, after which it only remained to await the authorities’ decision.

The entire process took 16 months. As a result, Sarkis obtained a Bulgarian passport and, with it, the status of an EU citizen. He then moved to Valencia without restrictions, began cooperating with restoration workshops, attends lectures on art history and participates in art projects. At the same time, he continues to develop as a graphic designer, combining modern digital technologies with classical traditions. According to Sarkis, the key change was a sense of freedom: “Now I can work where I truly want to and invest my efforts in what matters to me and to culture.”

Alina, aged 38, a cardiologist from Grodno, had worked in the medical field for more than 15 years, participated in international conferences and repeatedly spoke at them as a presenter. These trips revealed another reality to her — European clinics with modern equipment, opportunities for research and a high level of remuneration.

Alina understood that, in order to grow professionally and secure a decent future for her children, it was necessary to move to Europe. Her husband, an IT developer, worked remotely and could easily adapt to life in another country, while for the children it was an opportunity to receive a European education and integrate into a new society.

During the initial consultation at Jurpass, we discussed Alina’s goals:

• the possibility of working officially in EU clinics;
• a rapid and lawful route to citizenship;
• prospects for the whole family — from education to career.

The optimal solution was the Romanian repatriation programme. Alina had Romanian roots through her grandmother, which entitled her to apply for citizenship. Our lawyers retrieved archival records confirming the family’s Romanian origin. We assisted in obtaining police clearance certificates, notarised translations of diplomas and certificates, paying particular attention to Alina’s medical education, as this was of key importance for her future employment.

We then submitted the file to the Ministry of Justice in Bucharest — after 12 months the application was approved. Thanks to the preparation, everything proceeded smoothly, and Alina received her Romanian citizenship certificate. Shortly afterwards, her passport and ID card were issued.

With an EU passport, Alina was able to choose the optimal destination for relocation. This became Hamburg — one of Europe’s medical centres. She is undergoing the diploma recognition procedure, but already has offers from several local clinics where she will be able to rely on access to advanced technologies and a decent income. Her husband continued to work remotely, and the children enrolled in a German school, where they quickly adapted to the new environment.

Timur, a 30-year-old entrepreneur from Moscow, contacted our company. For more than 20 years he had been developing his business, and part of his operations was conducted jointly with Italian partners. Italy had always been a special place for him — his colleagues lived there and promising projects were developing there.

However, in recent years, conducting international cooperation had become increasingly difficult. Sanctions, payment restrictions and difficulties with travel meant that the usual business model had effectively ceased to be efficient. The question arose: either close the international line of business, or look for a new solution.

Timur chose immigration. For him, it was not only a business decision, but also a strategic step. He wanted his future children to grow up in an open and stable environment, receive a European education and travel freely.

During the consultation, Jurpass specialists proposed the optimal option — the Bulgarian repatriation programme. We established that Timur had Bulgarian roots through his grandfather, which gave him lawful grounds for obtaining citizenship. We assisted in finding documentary proof of the ancestors’ Bulgarian origin, collected all certificates for the Ministry of Justice, and arranged translations and notarised copies. Owing to the carefully prepared set of documents, the procedure was completed without delay. After 15 months, Timur received a Bulgarian passport and ID card.

This opened up the full range of EU opportunities to him. For Timur, the key advantage was that he was able to relocate lawfully to Italy, where his partners were waiting for him. He settled in Siena — a quiet and picturesque city in Tuscany. Timur is now actively developing his business and expanding his contacts on the European market.