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Citizenship · New programOne of the lowest cost citizenship by investment programs available, launched in August 2025, and the lowest for families, with family applications from US$95,000.
US$90,000 for a single applicant and US$95,000 for a family of two to four, among the lowest of any citizenship by investment program, and the lowest for families.
No visit, interview or language test. Since April 2026 identity verification for the national ID can be done remotely by video.
Around six to eight weeks to approval for a complete file, and about two to four months end to end.
A small island republic in the Gulf of Guinea and a member of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries, alongside Portugal and Brazil.
Full citizenship that can pass to your children, with dual citizenship permitted.
Established by Decree Law 07/2025, in force since 1 August 2025, and run by a dedicated Citizenship by Investment Unit. The first passports were issued in January 2026.
The only route: a contribution of US$90,000 for one person or US$95,000 for a family of two to four, directed to energy, education, health and infrastructure projects. It is not refundable and carries no asset to manage.
The program has run since August 2025 and issued its first passports in January 2026. It is still adjusting, as the April 2026 holds on adult dependants and on applicants with three or more nationalities show.
Full citizenship for life, with dual citizenship permitted and no residence rule, and a passport with approx. 60 to 65 visa free or visa on arrival destinations, strongest across Africa and parts of Asia.
Time to passport: Approx. 2 to 4 months
| Pathway | Minimum investment | Approval | What you get | Time to passport | Presence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Transformation Fund | US$90,000 single, US$95,000 family | 6 to 8 weeks | Citizenship for life | Approx. 2 to 4 months | None; no interview |
Family of two to four contributes US$95,000; each further dependant adds US$5,000.
Each option below qualifies on its own. We help you pick the one that suits your money and your plans.
A contribution that is not refundable.
Covers two to four people. Each dependant beyond four adds US$5,000.
On top of the contribution, the government charges a submission fee and issuance fees for each person's certificate, passport and ID card. Translations into Portuguese and apostilles are also needed, and we arrange them for you. Every situation is different, so we quote everything as one custom fixed fee in writing after a free call.
We assist you in obtaining each document, then have it apostilled (certified with an international stamp so it is valid abroad), translated and filed for you.
A spouse and children under 18 can be included as standard dependants. Adult children and dependent parents have been allowed in principle, but passport issuance for dependants over 18 has been on hold since April 2026 while the rules are revised, so we confirm the position for your family first.
The headline rates for people who are tax residents there. Holding a residency or passport does not by itself make you a tax resident, and your current country may still tax you, so the licensed tax advisers in our local team confirm your position.
Most citizenship investors never become tax resident in São Tomé and Príncipe, so these rates rarely apply to them.
See how this compares to other countriesWe check your profile, family and existing nationalities against the current rules and walk you through the program's newer points. We then assist you in obtaining the relevant documents and having them apostilled and translated into Portuguese.
Our local team files the application with the Citizenship by Investment Unit and the submission fee. Checks typically take six to eight weeks for a complete file.
Once you receive the approval letter, you pay the contribution to the National Transformation Fund and the issuance fees.
Citizenship is granted and the certificate, passport and national ID card are issued, with identity verification now possible remotely.
Our local team stays with you once you are approved and takes care of the practical steps, then keeps everything current and compliant.
As a low cost backup nationality, it can be. It is one of the cheapest citizenships available and needs no visit. As a travel document it is modest: approx. 60 to 65 destinations, without Europe, the UK or North America. It suits someone who already holds a good passport and wants a second nationality at the lowest cost, rather than someone who needs better travel access.
No. Residents are taxed on their worldwide income at progressive rates of up to 25%, and holding the passport does not make you tax resident anyway. If a new tax residency is the goal, a territorial or no tax country is a better fit, so book a free call and we can talk it through.
No. The banking sector is small and not built for international business. We usually set up your company and banking elsewhere, such as a US LLC, a UK company, an Estonian company or a UAE structure, depending on your situation.
It is the most affordable citizenship, so if a second nationality is a priority, it is the realistic entry point. Even so, US$90,000 that you do not get back is a lot of capital for a young business, and a residency program, such as Paraguay, costs much less if what you need is a second base.
Yes. It is established by Decree Law 07/2025, in force since 1 August 2025, alongside the Nationality Law, and administered by a dedicated Citizenship by Investment Unit. The first passports were issued in January 2026. As with any new program, we verify the current rules before you pay anything.
Several 2026 sources put it at approx. 60 to 65 destinations visa free or on arrival, including Hong Kong, Singapore, South Africa, Indonesia, Mauritius and the Seychelles. Higher figures appear in some marketing, so treat them with caution. The Schengen area, the UK, the US and Canada require visas.
Not with certainty at the moment. Since a memorandum of 10 April 2026, passport issuance for dependants over 18 has been on hold until a revised dependency framework is published. A spouse and children under 18 are unaffected. We confirm the position with the authority for your family before any fee is paid.
If you already hold three or more foreign nationalities, your application would currently be on hold. The Nationality Law sets that limit, and an amendment to relax it had not passed parliament when the April 2026 memorandum was issued.
No. There is no residence requirement before or after citizenship, no interview and no language test. Until April 2026 biometrics had to be taken in São Tomé, Lisbon or Brussels; identity verification for the national ID can now be done remotely by video.
No. Membership of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries is a diplomatic and cultural link, not a right to live or work in Portugal, Brazil or any other member. Any residence there follows that country's own rules.
Yes to both. Dual citizenship is permitted, subject to the three nationality limit, and citizenship is for life and can pass to your children. Only the passport needs renewing. A child born after the grant can be added for a small fee.
It costs less than Vanuatu and much less than the Caribbean programs, and it is similarly quick. The trade off is travel access and track record: Caribbean passports open the Schengen area and the UK, and Vanuatu's opens more of Asia, while São Tomé's program is the newest of the three.
Laws and fees change, so we confirm every number before you commit.
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ReadTell us a little about yourself and we will review whether São Tomé and Príncipe Citizenship suits you, what it would cost in total and how long it would take. No cost and no obligation.
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