Most people get a passport at birth, but for the world 's super rich there's another way.

It's the $ 7 billion global market

where you can buy your way in to some of the poorest and wealthiest countries in the world.

For a price.

But why would you want to?

Because passports are n't created equal.

An Afghan can travel to 25 countries without a visa compared to 177 for a German.

If you have a weak passport, buying another can be a ticket to easy travel, easy business, or easy taxes.

Economic uncertainty, conflict and government crackdowns also concern the wealthy.

For them, a second passport isn't just a travel accessory, it's an escape pod.

Each country offers different perks and prices.

So, let's do some shopping around.

The first type of scheme is simple.

You invest in a country and in return you get citizenship and a passport.

It all began in the 80s with the Caribbean nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis.

The government needed something to replace the dying sugar industry,

and they hit on selling passports.

Today it's their biggest export, costing you a $ 250, 000 donation or a $ 400, 000 real estate investment.

Copycat schemes soon sprang up in other island nations like Dominica,

which will mail you a passport for $ 100, 000 without you even setting foot there.

But, if that's out of your price range you only need $ 45, 000 to buy a passport from Comoros.

This African nation began their program after being approached by officials from Kuwait.

The Arabian Gulf has populations of state less people,

tribes which were never officially registered and live without passports.

Instead of giving them citizenship and the generous oil funded benefits that come with it,

officials struck a deal with Comoros to buy passports in bulk.

But for the truly wealthy, the Holy Grail is a passport that lets you live and work anywhere in the EU.

But these don't come cheap.

Malta requires a $ 1. 15 million euro investment.

And Cyprus asks for a cool $ 2 million.

Not to be outdone, the Austrian s charge up to $ 10 million euros.

Now, most wealthy nations have a different type of scheme where investments grant instant residency.

More like buying a Green Card than buying a passport.

But these so-called Golden Visas still grant a fast track to citizenship,

waiving many of the usual requirements.

The market for Golden Visas dwarfs the one for passports and it 's growing fast,

with half of all programs only a decade old.

The Chinese alone spent $ 24 billion on Golden Visas in the last decade,

$ 7. 7 billion of that in the United States.

In 2014, 9, 128 of the 10, 000 applicants to the American EB-5 visa scheme were Chinese,

investing $ 500, 000 to get a Green Card.

Originally designed for investments in poor neighborhoods,

the scheme has become a huge funding source for luxury developments.

President Trump 's first major law quietly renewed this scheme.

Kushner companies part owned by Trump 's son - in-law uses EB-5 funds in their projects.

Over the past decade, 35, 000 Chinese investors picked up Canadian visas at $ 800, 000 a pop,

although since 2014 the scheme has been limited to Quebec.

The price of a Golden Visa in the UK is a 2 million pound investment,

and it 's been so popular there are hardly any inbred aristocrats left on the country 's rich lists.

Most countries require you to reside there to become citizens, but not all.

For $ 500, 000 euros you only need to spend two weeks a year in Portugal,

and after six you are eligible for full nationality and a passport.

One politician described it as the sale of citizenship by installment.

But if you're rich enough even those rules don't apply.

Billionaire Peter Thiel became a New Zealander after spending just 12 days there instead of the required 1, 350.

All over the world walls are being built and borders are becoming tougher to cross.

But politicians have quietly left a back door open for the wealthy.

The question is, should citizenship be for sale?