Looking to buy an instant citizenship?

The Citizenship by Investment (CBI) schemes offer fastest path to instant citizenship through donation to Government fund or buying a real estate above certain limit. Prices currently start from $200,000 under donation option or $200,000 for real estate. These programs are also dubbed as “Golden passports”

The idea of buying a citizenship started when a small tiny island of St Kitts and Nevis introduced “oldest”  economic citizenship program in 1984. The Commonwealth of Dominica (not to be confused with Dominican Republic) followed St Kitts by introducing another citizenship by investment scheme in 1990’s. Not many people knew about these programs back then, it was only in 2009, when St Kitts and Nevis signed visa waiver agreement with European Union (schengen states), these citizenship programs gained glory and the whole new citizenship by investment  industry was born.

A passport is considered to be the ultimate luxury symbol among the rich and wealth. Many consider a passport as an ultimate life insurance for emergency. So what are the benefits and perks?

• Global mobility and freedom of movement
• Second home with citizenship for family and children
• Access to best education, healthcare and quality of life
• Tax and estate planning
• No physical residence requirements
• No requirement to live or visit the country after receiving passports.

It is estimated about 1% of the worlds rich, spend $1 billion in citizenship passports every year. IMF reported citizenship sales brought St Kitts and Nevis inflows upto 25% of GDP. The same was experienced in Dominica and Dominica. In 2015 a tropical storm wiped out 90% Dominica, funds from citizenship program helped Dominica to recover. In Malta, the revenues from Individual investor programme, accounted for 40% of 2014 tax revenues. Cyprus through the inflows from citizenship program in 2011 the real estate market is growing steadily now, and the economy is recovering from banking crisis in 2013 during which many cypriot banks has suffered losses and many wealthy russians who had over 100,000 euros with banks lost their money. As of 2023, there are 14 citizenship by investment schemes and these schemes have earned atleast $25 billion revenues for Governments, according to a study

I have prepared quick list of countries, where you can get instant citizenship within months against paying one time investment to the Government. Please note that in most countries tax status is based on residency not citizenship.

My recommendation: Pick one that that value for money and offers Global mobility.

Here are some of the tips to select the suitable instant citizenship scheme for you.

• Dominica has the cheapest and most affordable caribbean passport for families.
• Grenada, Antigua and St Lucia accepts siblings, so family friendly CBI.
• Vanuatu has simple application and only CBI passport from the pacific country
• Malta offers direct EU citizenship but strict application process (best suited for HNWI)
• Turkey is very popular among Arab real estate investors.

Country	Started in	Minimum Investment **	Residency requirements	Time for citizenship + passport	Visa free countries*
Malta	2013	€750,000	12 months	12-15 months	185
Dominica	1993	$200,000	none	3 months	140
Vanuatu	2015	$115,000	none	2 month	99
St Kitts & Nevis	1984	$250,000	none	3 months	154
Antigua & Barbuda	2013	$230,000	5 days	3 months	150
Grenada	2014	$235,000	none	3 months	146
St Lucia	2015	$240,000	none	6-10 months	145
Turkey	2017	$400,000	none	4 months	115
Jordan	2018	$1,000,000	3 years	36 months	92
North Macedonia	2017	$200,000	none	3 months	93

* Passport rank and visa free countries according to 2024 Henley passport index
** You also have to pay additional fees such as Government fee, due diligence fee, lawyer fee, passport fee above the minimum investment.
***All applicants under background checks and must be cleared before passports are issued.

Note:

• Dominica has lost visa free access to UK.
• Vanuatu has lost visa free access to UK and EU schengen area
• St.Kitts, St.Lucia and Antigua have received Canada visa waiver (eTA)
• All caribbean countries have implemented virtual interviews.

1. Dominica

Qualifying investments for instant citizenship in Dominica.

USD 200,000 (one time donation to EDF Government fund)

USD 200,000 property investment in Dominica real estate market

• Cheapest citizenship program for single persons.
• No residency requirement to live in Dominica before or after citizenship.
• No visit to Dominica required to get citizenship.
• Passport valid for 10 years.
• Immediate citizenship for family and children.
• No No language tests. No business experience.
• No wealth, gift, inheritance, foreign income or capital gains tax.
• Confidential citizenship application process.
• Dominica passport offers visa free travel to EU/Switzerland/China etc. (No UK)

2. St Kitts and Nevis

Qualifying investments for immediate citizenship in St Kitts & Nevis

USD 250,000 one time contribution to Sustainable Island State Fund (New prices in Jun 2023)

USD 400,000 real estate investment (property ownership 7 years). Private homes start $800,000 for citizenship.

• Oldest and most popular citizenship program.
• No residence requirements (before or after getting passport).
• No  business experience, no english tests.
• Citizenship for family members (spouse and children)
• Lifetime citizenship with one time investment
• Confidential citizenship application process.
• No visit to country required for citizenship process.
• St Kitts passport offers visa free travel to EU schengen, UK, Ireland, Switzerland, Singapore etc.

3. Grenada

Qualifying investments for instant citizenship in Grenada

USD 235,000 one time payment to Grenada Government  fund

USD 270,000 purchase of  real estate property in Grenada

• Lifetime citizenship to family and children (citizenship passed on to future generations).
• Best valuable caribbean passport
• Apply for E2 US visa as grenada citizen (cheapest alternative to EB-5 route to United States must live for 3 years)
• Confidential application process with no exchange of information with other Governments
• Very fast processing approval time within 60 days
•  No language tests, No military service, No business experience
• Visa free travel to China using Grenada passport
• Grenada passport valid for 5 years.
• Confidential application process through authorized agents and service providers.
• no income, wealth or inheritance taxes.

4. Saint Lucia

Qualifying investments for instant citizenship in St Lucia

USD 270,000 one time payment to St Lucia Government fund

USD 300,000 property purchase in St Lucia real estate market

USD 250,000 National Action Government bonds (fully refunded after 5 years no interest paid)

USD 1,500,000 business capital investment in St Lucia

• Newest citizenship by investment program launched in 2015
• Ranked as No.1 CBI for 2021
• Visa free travel to visit over 120 countries including UK, EU Schengen states
• Fast processing within 2 months
• No requirement to live or visit the country
• Processing time takes 6-10 months due to backlog 2024.
• Confidential application process.
• No income, wealth or inheritance taxes.

5. Antigua and Barbuda

Qualifying investments for instant citizenship in Antigua and Barbuda.

USD 230,000 one time payment to Antigua NDF Government fund

USD 325,000 investment in real estate (property ownership for 5 years)

USD 1,500,000 capital investment in a business

USD 300,000 University of West Indies Fund (UWI) Only family of 6+ qualify

• No residency requirement within five years
• No personal visit to Antigua required.
• Passport issued valid for 5 years. Renewed passports valid for ten years.
• Family and children under 26 years can apply for citizenship.
• Visa free travel to  UK, Ireland, China, EU schengen over 140 countries.
• No business experience or language tests.
• Maintain dual citizenships with other nations.
• No wealth, inheritance, foreign income, personal income taxes.

6. Malta

Qualifying investments for Maltese direct citizenship program  (all must be satisfied)

Fast Track (1 year)	€750,000 one-time payment to Malta Government Fund	€350,000 buy a home or property in Malta (optional) or Rent a home for €12,000 a year (for address registration)
Normal (2 years)	€600,000 one-time payment to Malta Government Fund	€350,000 buy a home or property in Malta (optional) or Rent a home for €12,000 a year (for address registration)

•  Malta Direct Citizenship by Exception program
• Must meet one year residence condition for citizenship.
• Citizenship in english speaking country
• European citizenship by investment program (EU-CIP)
•  No military service.  No language tests. No citizenship tests.
• Maltese passport issued after 12-15 months after proving genuine link to Malta (satisfying residency requirement) and taking oath
• Visa free travel to over 160 countries including Europe, United Kingdom including United States (ESTA).
• Live, work, study, settle in any EU member states (Germany, Switzerland, France, Denmark etc..)
• No requirement to live in Malta

7. Vanuatu

• USD 130,000 one time contribution (single) or USD 180,000 (family)
• USD 115,000 donation to Capital investment immigration plan (CIIP)
• Vanuatu Citizenship by Investment – Vanuatu DSP
• Private and confidential citizenship investment program.
• Easy, simple and fast application process
• Super fast passport program
• Qualifying investments: One time contribution
• Vanuatu citizenship in 1-2 months (fastest)
• No corporate, income tax, capital gains or estate taxes
• Vanuatu passport offers visa free access to 95 countries.
• Freedom becoming a dual citizen.
• Additional costs apply for family application.
• Dual citizenship permitted.

9. Turkey

• Turkey opened latest citizenship by investment program in 2018
• USD 400,000 one time payment (purchase of real estate only apartments allowed) or USD 500,000 in Government bonds or bank deposit or capital turkish companies.
• Eligible for US E-2 investor visa (must live 3 years in Turkey)
• Turkey citizenship in 3 months
• Dual citizenship allowed
•  Visa free travel to 110+_ countries.
• Personal visit to Turkey not required can be done through proxy at consulate.

11. North Macedonia

The Government of North Macedonia has officially opened the Citizenship Investment Program (CIP). The New citizenship by investment program in North Macedonia is aimed at boost foreign investments in the country towards a greater prosperity and economic growth.

• EUR 200,000 investment fund (refundable after 2 years)
• Candidate country to join EU in the future
• Fast track citizenship with no residency conditions
• A Discrete CBI scheme in Europe for privacy.
• Lifetime citizenship for future family generations
• Visa free access to 120+ destinations (Schengen, Japan, etc)
• Free primary and secondary education
• E-1/E-2 visa treaty with United States
• Low tax country
• Limited quota of 1000 investors

The following investment options are available

• Private Investment Fund – €200,000 euro invested for a period of 2 years 
• Direct investment Fund– €5,000,000 euro attracting atleast 20 foreigners

Expected Total Costs

Below you will fee an overview of total costs can be found below

Total = Investment + Due diligence fee + Government fee + Agency fee.

Real estate: $200,000 plus government fee and property costs. Expect 10-30% overhead fees.

All in all donation applications can be the cheapest and fastest. We do not provide any loans or financing or any illegal offers that undercut the minimum required investment, set by government.

Family Applications

Family dependents must meet eligibility criteria and age limit, which really depends on the the program.  A brief comparison can be found below in the infographic table.

Questions

If you have any questions, that requires quick answers, please do not hesitate to contact us, on Whatsapp  + 36 70 550 4957

Q&A

What’s new in 2024?

The Russia-Ukraine war has generated increased interest in residence and citizenship by investment programs. Saint Kitts and St Lucia have become the most popular instant citizenship programs for 2023.  The demand for citizenship programs have soared and government have improved processing times exempting personal visit.

Which country has the cheapest citizenship program?

St Lucia, Dominica and Antigua has the cheapest citizenship by investment programs. All inclusive cost for one person donation is $117,000 approx give or take, includes government application, due diligence and lawyer fee.

What are fully refundable citizenship investments?

You can get your investment back, if you invest in government bonds, buyback shares in real estate, bank term deposits after a lockout period (3-5 years). The minimum required is $300,000 upwards depending on the country.

What are the processing times?

The standard processing times are 3-4 months from the date you apply until passport. Vanuatu is an exception (1.5 months). Malta takes 12 months plus.

Please suggest an inexpensive instant citizenship program?

St Lucia offers one for a reasonable price.

Which countries offer citizenship in Europe?

Malta (12 months), North macedonia and Turkey (6 months) offer instant citizenship via investments in Europe.

Which caribbean citizenship by investment program is popular with Americans?

St Lucia is popular among american investors.

What restrictions for applying family members and dependants?

Children or siblings (unmarried with no children) upto 30 years can apply. Parents above 55 years of years can apply under one single family application. Grandparents also eligible.

Which country offers direct EU citizenship for investment?

Malta is the only country that has official citizenship by investment in the EU. All other countries have closed (Bulgaria, Cyprus).

What country nationals cannot apply?

Nationals from Russia, Belarus, Iran, North Korea etc.

What documents are required?

These are basic documents you need to be ready with (notarized/apostilled)

• Power of attorney
• Police certificate with no criminal record not older than 3 months
• Birth certificate
• Health certificate
• Marriage certificate
• Bank statements
• 2 x References

You will need to provide credentials of all the persons who did notarization, translation and who issued health certificate

Do i get refund if my application is rejected?

First, You will only pay the full investment after your file is approved by government. To start the application process, you have to pay due diligence fee ($7500) plus 50% lawyer fee (this will not be refunded) and the rest after approval. For real estate the funds kept in escrow account and released after approval.

How much is the minimum to invest in real estate?

Yes, you can. For example you can invest $200,000 in the form of shares in hotel developer or $300,000 or more in full title property.

If you have any questions, please contact us for more information.

We work with authorized law firms appointed by government to assist high-net worth clients (HNW). Our consulting services are free of charge. We do not charge any fee to clients.