Citizenship by investment
A handful of countries grant citizenship in exchange for a contribution or an investment, and a smaller group grants residence that can turn into citizenship years later. This page sets out what each one currently costs, what it actually gives you, and where the risk sits. Reviewed October 2026.
Programmes that grant citizenship directly
Each figure is the published minimum contribution or investment. None of them include due diligence fees per adult, government processing fees, passport and certificate fees, the licensed agent's fee or legal costs. Where a programme quotes its entry price for a family rather than one person, the row says so.
| Country | Minimum from | Main route | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dominica | USD 200,000 | Economic Diversification Fund contribution | The cheapest way in, sitting exactly on the regional floor agreed in 2024. |
| Antigua and Barbuda | USD 230,000 | National Development Fund contribution | Quoted for a family of up to four rather than one person. |
| Grenada | USD 235,000 | National Transformation Fund contribution | Covers up to four people. Real estate instead: USD 270,000 plus a USD 50,000 contribution. No minimum stay, and an E-2 investor treaty with the United States. |
| Saint Lucia | USD 240,000 | National Economic Fund contribution | Quoted for an applicant with up to three dependents. |
| St Kitts and Nevis | USD 250,000 | Sustainable Island State Contribution | Covers up to four. The oldest programme of the five, running since 1984. |
| Türkiye | USD 400,000 | Approved real estate, held for three years | Deposits and government securities qualify from USD 500,000. Six to twelve months. |
| Egypt | USD 250,000 | Contribution to the state treasury, or approved property | Six to twelve months. |
| Jordan | USD 705,000 | Treasury deposit or qualifying business investment | Three to six months. |
| Nauru | USD 115,000 | Government contribution | New and largely untested. Advertising USD 90,000 until 31 December 2026. |
| Vanuatu | USD 130,000 | Development Support Programme contribution | Sixty to ninety days, the fastest on the market — but the EU permanently revoked its visa-free access in December 2024. |
| Cambodia | USD 1,000,000 | Qualifying investment or donation | Six to nine months. |
Residence first, citizenship later
A residence programme sells the right to live somewhere, not a passport. Citizenship comes afterwards through ordinary naturalisation, which means years of genuine residence — a different proposition from the table above, and frequently mis-sold as the same thing.
EB-5, in a targeted employment area — USD 1,050,000 anywhere else
Produces a green card rather than a passport. Naturalisation follows later under the ordinary rules, after five years as a permanent resident.
The programmes above are the ones we handle directly. Many other countries grant citizenship or long-term residence on their own terms, and those terms change constantly. Tell our sales team which country you have in mind and what you are trying to achieve, and you will get a straight answer on whether a route exists, what it would cost in full, and whether it is worth doing at all.
What can go wrong
- Visa-free travel is granted by the countries you want to visit, not by the one issuing your passport, and it can be changed or withdrawn. Vanuatu is the clearest example: its visa waiver for Europe was suspended in 2022 and revoked permanently in December 2024. Treat any travel benefit as the position today rather than a fixture for the life of the passport.
- Every programme screens applicants through independent due diligence firms. A refusal on those grounds is usually final, and the fees already paid are not returned.
- A second citizenship can bring tax residence, military service or reporting obligations, and a few countries withdraw their own nationality from anyone who takes another. Check what your current citizenship permits before you commit to a new one.
- In the Caribbean, applications are accepted only from agents the programme licenses — no one can file on their own behalf. We are an authorised agent, so we file for you, but the decision is never ours to make.
What we do, and what we do not
We are an authorised agent for the Caribbean programmes, which means we can file your application rather than hand you to someone who can. The work before that is the same as on any visa file: we review every document, complete the forms and make sure the file is consistent and complete before it is submitted.
We do not issue passports, we do not hold your investment, and we do not promise approval — every applicant is screened by independent due diligence and the decision belongs to the government. If you want someone to tell you approval is certain, we are the wrong firm.
Ask before you commit
Tell our sales team which programme you are considering and you will get the documents it needs, the full cost including the fees nobody advertises, and an honest view of the parts we think are weak.
Email visa@stamp-wise.com Talk to a consultant firstCommon questions
Can Stampwise get me a second passport?
We are an authorised agent for the Caribbean programmes, so we prepare your file and submit it for you. What no agent can do is decide the outcome. Citizenship is granted at the discretion of the government concerned, every applicant goes through independent due diligence, and approval is never guaranteed. Anyone who tells you otherwise is promising something they do not control.
Is buying citizenship legal?
The programmes listed here are created by statute in the countries that run them, so applying to one is lawful. What varies is how long a programme lasts and how other countries choose to treat the passport it produces. Governments open, tighten and close these schemes at short notice, which is why we quote the terms as they stand rather than as a permanent arrangement.
Do I have to live in the country?
For the direct citizenship programmes, usually not — Grenada, for instance, sets no minimum stay. A residence route is a different proposition: it gives you the right to live somewhere, and citizenship only follows after years of genuine residence. That condition is the one applicants most often underestimate.
How much does it cost in total?
More than the headline figure. On top of the contribution come due diligence fees for each adult, government processing fees, passport and certificate fees, the licensed agent's fee and legal costs. Ask for a full written breakdown before you commit, and be sceptical of any quote that mentions only the minimum investment.
Figures are the published minimums as at October 2026 and exclude due diligence, government, agent and legal fees. Programmes change their terms and their prices at short notice, and the travel benefits attached to a passport are set by other countries rather than the one issuing it. Always confirm against the official programme before you commit money.