If anyone follows my blog with any regularity, you know one of my repeat themes is "Beware of passport fraud". Indeed, I wrote about this very topic only two months ago.
Warnings of Fraud
At that time, I reported on a continuing South African passport scandal as an example to alert you to the possibility of passport fraud, should you be planning to acquire a second passport.
I return to this warning theme because in recent days I have encountered more examples of gullible people being defrauded in passport deals gone bad.
The Nigerian Lady
In one case, I was contacted by a person (not a Sovereign Society member), who had seen my Internet writings about passports.
This credulous U.S. citizen, hunting the web for a second passport and dual citizenship, made contact with what he described as "a women in Nigeria" who claimed she could provide (for a substantial fee) an official passport of an unnamed nation.
This gentleman was then surprised when, after wiring the fee, no passport was forthcoming, and (Surprise!) the Nigerian lady no longer responded to his e-mails.
He turned to me for advice on what he might do.
Of course I couldn't give him any help in locking the barn door once the proverbial horse had been stolen. I didn't say so, but how anyone could not know about the millions of dollars lost in the notorious Nigerian scams that have been going on for years, is beyond me. As they say, duh!
Legal in Every Respect
One of most important considerations when evaluating the usefulness of an alternative citizenship and a second passport is that it is legal in every respect.
That fact may seem obvious, but the proliferation of fly-by-night passport fraud operations, especially on the Internet, requires not only this reminder, but strict adherence to laws when making second passport plans and decisions.
Guatemalan Blues
Another instance of passports in the news: the Guatemalan government issued an official public protest after three Guatemalans were arrested this month by immigration agents at a Federal Express office in Florida, when one of the immigrants went to pick up a package containing his newly issued (and legal) Guatemalan passport.
Suspecting that the passport might be fraudulent, FedEx officials called U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to alert them when the Guatemalans arrived to collect the package. Two of the Guatemalans were illegal immigrants who have been deported, and one is in deportation proceedings.
Guatemalan diplomats said that Fed Ex and U.S. officials had examined and seized legitimate passports without notifying them and had improperly disrupted their dealings with Guatemalan citizens living in this country. Felipe Alejos, the Guatemalan consul in Miami, said the events appeared to violate basic diplomatic protocols.
Legal Passport, Illegal Aliens
Well, in this case the passports were legal, but the status of the recipients was illegal.
But I have received several inquiries about a provision in Guatemalan law that allows the government to grant citizenship and passports to "exceptional" foreign applicants who "contribute" to the country.
One person wrote me: "I have been in contact with a Panamanian law firm who tells me I can get a legitimate Guatemalan passport within two weeks along with a drivers license and cedulla and there is no need to invest two years in the country. Apparently some ministry in the country has the ability to give passports to individuals who are of exceptional merit and can be seen as an asset to that country."
The fee demanded was $50,000!
There is in fact a discretionary passport power allowed under Guatemalan law, but on its face these facts smacked of a possible kick back deal between the law firm and some corrupt government official. I warned my inquiring contact to avoid the deal and referred him instead to reliable attorneys in Panama that I know can be trusted.
Don't Take a Chance
When you spend a considerable sum of money to acquire a second citizenship, then use that document as your basis for personal international movement, you must be absolutely certain that the documents and your status are in strict accord with the constitution and laws of the issuing nation.
In this age of instant communication it takes only hours, certainly no more than a few days, before customs and immigration officials worldwide know when a passport is called into question and illegal passport holders can go straight to jail.
The Passport Book
If you are interested in obtaining dual citizenship and the second passport that comes with that enhanced status, you can learn about every aspect of what is required in the latest 2009 edition of my book, The Passport Book.
, one of our most popular publications, also lists almost 100 countries and explains the residence and citizenship requirements of each, along with contacts.The Sovereign Society also provides its members contact information for qualified professionals who can assist you in acquiring second citizenship based on naturalization, ancestry, marriage, religion, or even past political persecution by some nations -- and they do it the legal way.
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