Cheapest citizenship by investment in 2026: 13 programmes ranked by true cost

Most rankings sort programmes by the minimum contribution printed on the government website. We sort by the true total government cost: the qualifying donation plus every fee the state or its due-diligence provider charges before you hold a passport. That means application, processing and submission fees, due-diligence fees per person, interview fees, naturalisation certificates, passports and mandatory biometrics.

Two profiles are priced throughout:

• Single applicant: one adult, no dependants.
• Family of four: main applicant, spouse and two children under 12. Older children cost more in several Caribbean programmes, because due-diligence and interview fees start at age 12, 16 or 17.

We exclude agent and legal fees, which are not regulated and typically add US$5,000 to US$40,000 per file, as well as travel, document legalisation, translations and medical reports. Figures come from official fee schedules where they exist, checked on 2 October 2026. Where official figures are missing or out of date, as with Sierra Leone's reported October 2026 tiers and Egypt's state fee, we say so and use the best-documented secondary figures. Grenada and Saint Lucia publish no passport fee, so their totals exclude it. Visa-free counts use the Henley Passport Index method (visa-free, visa on arrival and eTA destinations), read from its live data on the same day.^[20]

Three programmes advertise a price below US$100,000, but only one stays below that line once government fees are added. Readers searching for citizenship by investment under 100k should look at the total, not the brochure.

São Tomé and Príncipe: US$95,750 all-in for one person

The São Tomé and Príncipe citizenship programme asks for a US$90,000 donation to the National Transformation Fund for a single applicant and US$95,000 for a family of two to four, plus US$5,000 for each additional dependant. Government fees are a US$5,000 submission fee per application and US$750 per person for the certificate, passport and national ID.^[1] That makes it US$95,750 for one person and US$103,000 for a family of four, the lowest of any programme for both profiles. The donation is due only after approval in principle. The programme launched in August 2025 and reported 548 applications and 350 approvals in its first year.^[33]

Sierra Leone Solo: US$100,000, single applicants only (reported)

Agents and industry media report that from 1 October 2026 the Sierra Leone investor citizenship offers a Solo Entrepreneur route at US$95,000 plus a US$5,000 due-diligence fee, US$100,000 in total, with no dependants and no DNA test. They also report an Enterprise route for two unrelated applicants at US$80,000 each with one shared US$5,000 due-diligence fee (US$165,000 combined), a Heritage price rise from US$100,000 to US$120,000 (DNA proof of African ancestry still required) and Fast-Track unchanged at US$140,000.^[12][13][41] These tiers are not yet official: when we checked on 2 October 2026, the GO-FOR-GOLD programme website still listed Heritage at US$100,000 and did not show the Solo or Enterprise routes. The website lists Fast-Track at US$140,000, with US$10,000 per spouse, child under 18, parent or grandparent, US$20,000 per adult child or sibling under 30, and due diligence of US$5,000 for up to five people.^[39][40] Passport, naturalisation and notarial charges (one source cites US$1,000 for a separate notarial session) are unconfirmed. Get the current price in writing before you pay.

Nauru: US$90,000 until 31 December 2026

The Nauru Economic and Climate Resilience programme normally charges a US$115,000 contribution. A US$25,000 discount applies from 3 February 2026 to applications filed before 31 December 2026, which brings the contribution to US$90,000. Fees are not discounted: a US$5,000 application fee and US$6,000 due-diligence fee for the main applicant, US$2,000 application fee per dependant, US$3,000 due diligence per dependant aged 16 or over, US$1,200–2,200 in bank charges and US$500 per passport.^[2] The true single cost is therefore US$102,700, just above the line, rising to US$127,700 when the offer ends. Nauru treats families well: children under 16 add no contribution, so a family of four costs about US$115,700. Decisions typically take three to four months, and there is no minimum stay or visit requirement.^[3]

Family pricing reshuffles the ranking. São Tomé stays first at US$103,000 for four people, and Nauru moves to second at about US$115,700 because children under 16 pay no contribution. Sierra Leone's Solo route disappears because it does not accept dependants. A family wanting Sierra Leone must use Heritage (US$135,000 for four at the price still on the official website, or US$155,000 at the reported new price; DNA test required) or Fast-Track (US$175,000).^[39][40] The Vanuatu DSP passport costs from about US$193,000 for four people in government charges. Vanuatu's CIIP fund route, quoted by agents at about US$160,000–165,000 flat for a small family (sources differ on whether it covers three or four people), with about US$50,000 reportedly redeemable after four to five years, can be cheaper for larger families, but its terms are not on the official fee page.

In the Caribbean the order changes more. The Dominica CBI is the cheapest single passport in the region at US$210,500, but its family price of US$268,500 is above Grenada (about US$257,000), Saint Lucia (about US$258,000) and Antigua (US$264,700). Grenada and Saint Lucia charge one contribution for a family of up to four, while Dominica adds US$50,000 for the first dependant.^[5][7][8][6] The Antigua and Barbuda programme charges US$230,000 whatever the family size, so it is often the cheapest Caribbean option for families of six or more. Its UWI Fund route costs US$260,000 for a family of six including processing fees.^[6]

Children's ages also matter. Antigua charges no due diligence for children under 12 but US$2,000 for ages 12–17. Dominica, St Kitts and Saint Lucia charge from age 16, and Grenada from age 17. A family with two teenagers can pay about US$4,000–15,000 more than the figures in our ranking.

The five Eastern Caribbean programmes agreed in 2024 on a common US$200,000 minimum. Dominica sits at that floor with a US$200,000 Economic Diversification Fund donation; its due-diligence (US$7,500 main applicant, US$4,000 per person 16+), processing (US$1,000), interview, certificate and passport fees bring one person to US$210,500.^[5] The Dominica real estate route also starts at US$200,000, but it carries a US$75,000 government fee for a single applicant. That makes it the more expensive option despite the matching headline.

Grenada asks US$235,000 and is the only one of the five whose citizens can use the US E-2 treaty investor visa, after three years' domicile in Grenada. Antigua's US$230,000 donation covers any family size but comes with a 30-day stay in the first five years, which Antigua applies administratively.^[36] Saint Lucia (US$240,000) also offers a refundable bond route at US$300,000 plus a US$50,000 fee. St Kitts and Nevis is the most expensive at US$250,000 but has the strongest passport of the group, with about 157 destinations.^[8][9][20] For a deeper side-by-side, see our comparison of the five Caribbean programmes.

Processing time is the hidden cost. Saint Lucia's official 90-day target turns into about 15–18 months to a decision in practice, and Antigua's files often take 10–18 months. Dominica (about 4–6 months, 6–9 for complex files) and Grenada (about 3–8 months) are usually faster.^[32]

Four programmes often appear in older "cheapest" lists. None is a budget choice in 2026.

Egypt accepts a US$250,000 non-refundable donation, US$300,000 in real estate, US$350,000 in a business plus a US$100,000 donation, or a US$500,000 deposit returned in local currency, without interest, after three years.^[25] Agents report a US$10,000 state fee covering the whole family, with spouses and children under 21 included at no extra investment.^[26] That makes Egyptian investor citizenship cheaper than St Kitts for a large family. However, the passport scores only about 49 destinations and gives no visa-free access to Schengen or the UK.^[20] We found no official fee schedule online.

Turkey requires US$400,000 in property with a three-year no-sale annotation, or US$500,000 through deposits, bonds, funds or capital.^[11] With the 4% title-deed fee (2% each for buyer and seller, often passed entirely to the buyer) and other costs, Turkish citizenship through property costs about US$420,000–460,000 for one applicant, before any VAT. Part of that can be recovered on resale. Spouse and children under 18 are included at no extra investment.

Jordan amended its rules on 15 July 2026. Passive routes now start at JOD 1.5 million in Amman Stock Exchange shares held for five years. The lowest route is a new project with JOD 500,000 paid-in capital outside Amman that creates jobs for Jordanians. Investors first receive temporary residence and a temporary passport, with citizenship recommended after three years of verified compliance. Property of JOD 150,000–300,000 now leads only to residency.^[23][24] Jordanian investor citizenship is a business programme, not a cheap one.

Cambodia is the clearest example of an outdated price. Many sites still quote about US$245,000 based on the 1996 Law on Nationality. Sub-Decree No. 225 of 1 December 2025 raised the thresholds to KHR 4 billion (about US$1 million) of personal capital in an approved investment, or a KHR 12 billion (about US$3 million) cash donation to the national budget.^[21][22] Cambodian citizenship by investment is now one of the most expensive routes in Asia.

EU visa suspension. Regulation (EU) 2025/2441 lets the EU suspend visa-free travel when a country runs an investor-citizenship scheme that creates security risks.^[18] The EU has already acted against Vanuatu: every Vanuatu national, not only investor citizens, has needed a Schengen visa since February 2023, and Regulation (EU) 2025/11 made that requirement permanent from 3 February 2025.^[19] On 25 June 2026 the Commission wrote to the five Caribbean CBI states asking them to phase out their programmes by 1 June 2028. On 27 September 2026 the states asked for more time.^[28][29] The Schengen access that justifies the Caribbean premium is therefore under review. Our tracker of the EU phase-out deadline follows each step.

US restrictions. The Proclamation of 16 December 2025, effective 1 January 2026, partially suspends immigrant and B, F, M and J visas for nationals of Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica. The White House cites their history of citizenship by investment without residence.^[15][16] The same proclamation moved Sierra Leone to a full suspension of entry. It covers holders of the new Sierra Leone passport too, unless they qualify for an exemption, for example as dual nationals travelling on another passport.^[17] The restrictions are reviewed every 180 days. Separately, Antigua, Dominica, Grenada and Vanuatu are on the US visa-bond list, made permanent on 3 August 2026 with bonds of US$10,000, 15,000 or 20,000 for B-1/B-2 visas.^[37] A State Department pause on immigrant visas for 75 countries, including several Caribbean CBI states, ran from 21 January 2026 until a federal court vacated it on 21 August 2026; the government has appealed.^[38]

UK visas. None of the five cheapest passports gives visa-free entry to the UK. Dominica and Vanuatu lost it in July 2023, and Saint Lucia in March 2026.^[31][30] Only St Kitts, Antigua and Grenada still travel to the UK with an eTA.^[20]

Political risk. The newest and cheapest programmes rest on decrees or administrative frameworks rather than settled law. São Tomé's programme comes from a 2025 decree-law that Parliament never debated, and the MLSTP, whose leader called for its repeal in 2025, won a plurality (24 of 55 seats, provisional) in the 27 September 2026 election. Sierra Leone's fast-track routes, launched in January 2025, run under Section 27A of the Citizenship Act 1973, and legislation to codify the route is still pending.^[12][14] Programmes like these can be repriced, suspended or reviewed quickly.

• Headline vs total. Every programme adds fees on top of the contribution. In the ranking the gap ranges from about US$5,000–5,750 (Sierra Leone Solo as reported, São Tomé) to about US$34,700 (Antigua for four people).
• Single-only prices. Sierra Leone's reported US$95,000 Solo route excludes spouses and children. A spouse cannot be added later through the same route.
• Promotional deadlines. Nauru's US$90,000 price applies only to applications filed before 31 December 2026.^[2] A file that is incomplete on that date may be charged US$115,000.
• "Cheap" real estate. Dominica's US$200,000 property route carries a US$75,000 government fee. Real estate routes also bring stamp duty and transfer costs plus a 3–7 year holding period, so a donation is usually cheaper unless you resell well.^[5]
• Discounts that are illegal. Agents who offer a Caribbean passport below the official minimum are often using rebates or owner financing that regulators prohibit. Grenada warned against this in 2025.^[34] Such files can be refused or the citizenship revoked.
• Outdated or unconfirmed prices. Cambodia at US$245,000 and Nauru's pre-2026 pricing are old figures. Sierra Leone's official website still shows Heritage at US$100,000 while agents report US$120,000 from 1 October 2026. Always check the official schedule, the date and a written quote.
• Agent fees. Agent and legal fees are not regulated and can exceed the government fees. Ask for a fixed written quote, and check the agent against our agent vetting checklist.
• Passport utility. A passport that cannot reach Europe, the UK or the US is mainly a backup document or a tool for Asia, Africa and the Gulf. Price per destination, and the destinations you actually need, matter more than the headline.

Choose São Tomé, Nauru or Sierra Leone if you need a second nationality mainly as a backup, for banking or for travel within Africa, Asia and the Gulf, and the budget is about US$100,000–115,000. São Tomé is the lowest cost for both singles and families. Nauru gives the most destinations for the money while its discount lasts. Sierra Leone Solo, once its reported price is confirmed officially, suits a single applicant who will not travel to the US.

Choose Vanuatu if speed matters most and you accept a passport that lost Schengen access. Pay the Caribbean premium (US$210,000–275,000) if Schengen, UK or Chinese access, or an E-2 option through Grenada, is the point of the purchase. Accept that this access may change after June 2028.

Look elsewhere if your goal is to live in Europe or North America. A residence programme often serves that goal better; see our explainer on CBI compared with residence by investment and the lowest-cost residency programmes.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has announced a programme with a residence element at about the Caribbean floor, but no launch was verified by October 2026; see our St Vincent watch page. Tonga has floated a proposal around US$190,000–220,000 with no law yet (Tonga programme status). Our roundup of recently launched programmes tracks each one, and the citizenship programme hub lists every live and closed route.