citizenship by investment

What citizenship by investment is

Citizenship by investment (CBI) lets you acquire a second nationality in exchange for a qualifying economic contribution — a state donation, an approved real-estate purchase, or another regulated route — without living in the country first. It is a legal, regulated pathway, not "buying a passport": every serious programme vets applicants and grants citizenship at the government's discretion. For the full grounding, read our guide to what citizenship by investment is.

The routes: donation, real estate and beyond

Most programmes offer two ways in. A donation is a one-off, non-refundable contribution to a state fund — the lowest headline and usually the fastest. Real estate costs more upfront but can, in principle, return part of your capital after a holding period. Some programmes add a bond or business route. Which fits you turns on one honest question — do you need the money back? — worked through in donation vs real estate.

The active programmes

The oldest programme, St Kitts & Nevis, has run since 1984. Today the active options are the five Caribbean programmes — St Kitts, Antigua, Grenada, St Lucia and Dominica — plus Turkey. Note one important closure: Malta's programme is closed after a 2025 EU court ruling, so any offer of a Maltese passport for a set investment is describing something that no longer exists.

Three honest truths this market usually skips

First, the headline price is never the real cost: per-person fees push the total well above the advertised minimum — see the true total cost. Second, the announced timeline is not always the observed one: some programmes run far longer in practice than the brochure claims — see the timeline, step by step. Third, every programme has drawbacks — travel-access changes, new in-person steps, tax nuances — which we document rather than hide.

What it gives you — and what it does not

A second passport is a mobility and optionality tool: visa-free travel, a fallback nationality, and options for your family. What it is not is a tax scheme — citizenship is not tax residency, and the passport alone does not change where you are taxed (second citizenship and taxes). If residence rather than a passport is your goal, see residency by investment instead.

Due diligence and choosing an agent

Every applicant is vetted for identity, background and the lawful source of their funds (how the vetting works). Work only through a government-licensed agent, verify the licence yourself, and distrust anyone promising a guaranteed approval or a fixed timeline — those are red flags, set out in risks, scams and vetting an agent.

How to choose

Decide by your own constraint, not a marketing ranking. Compare the field for your priority in best and cheapest, rank what you actually qualify for with our program finder, price your household on the cost calculator, and line the programmes up in our programme comparison.

Before you commit

Confirm the current investment amounts, fees, timelines and rules with each programme's official unit before you act — they change. Use only licensed agents, plan the tax side with a qualified adviser, and see how we verify every figure against official sources on our methodology page. The honest version of this decision is always the one built on today's verified numbers.