Sao Tome and Principe Citizenship by Investment

Article 10(2) of São Tomé and Príncipe's Nationality Law No. 07/2022 lets the government naturalise foreigners who make a significant investment or donation, and waives the usual five years' residence and Portuguese-language test for them^[10][22]. The detailed rules are in Decree-Law No. 07/2025, the "Regulation of Nationality by Investment or Donation". Cabinet approved it on 10 May 2025, the President promulgated it on 28 July 2025, and it took effect on 1 August 2025^[9][11][12]. Parliament did not debate the decree, and the opposition criticised this from the start^[11][12].

Who runs it

Applications go to the Citizenship by Investment and Donation Unit, called the UCID in the decree and the CIU in its own materials. Its director is Disney Leite Ramos^[8][10]. Operations are run under a 10-year public-service concession held by Passport Legacy, a Dubai-based company, and supported by STP Service Advisory, which is also in the UAE. Local reporting says programme revenue is split 56% to the State and 44% to operating and management costs^[10][11][12]. The CIU opened a Dubai office in September 2025. The official website is cip.gov.st, and stpcip.com redirects to it. Some third-party articles claim there is no government domain, but that is out of date^[8].

Current status

The programme is active. Applications have been accepted since September 2025, a formal national launch was held in October 2025 with the Prime Minister and the Minister of Justice present, and the first CBI passport was issued in January 2026^[8][19]. The open questions are political (see risks), not legal. The decree is in force, and you can only apply through a CIU-licensed marketing agent^[6].

Unlike most Caribbean programmes, São Tomé has no real-estate option and no refundable route. Everything is a non-refundable contribution. You pay it after the government issues approval in principle. The US$5,000 submission fee and the US$750-per-person citizenship-documents fee are payable as part of the application, so a rejected applicant loses those plus agent and document costs, but not the donation^[2][22]. The legislation's wording, "nationality by investment or donation", leaves room for an investment route later, but none is published today. Treat any agent offering one with caution.

The published eligibility criteria are short^[4][6]:

• Age: the main applicant must be at least 18.
• Clean record: no criminal record, backed by police certificates. Agents normally ask for certificates from your country of citizenship and the countries where you have lived; confirm the exact look-back period with your agent, as the CIU does not publish one.
• Source of funds: proof that the money for the donation was earned lawfully.
• Due diligence: you must pass the government's background screening. Some applicants "may be subject to restrictions based on jurisdictional, legal, or policy requirements"^[4].
• Health: the official eligibility page lists no medical requirement, but agents report that applicants must have no serious illness and usually ask for a medical certificate^[4][16].
• No residence, language test or visit: you do not need to live in, or even visit, the country before or after approval^[6].

Who is currently excluded

Since 10 April 2026, new applications from people who already hold three or more foreign nationalities have been on hold. The CIU applies a limit in Law No. 07/2022, and a parliamentary amendment to relax it has not been passed^[14][15]. The CIU also says it excludes "risk countries" without publishing a list^[10]. Iranian and Russian nationals are among the largest applicant groups, so the screening is about the individual, not nationality alone^[18].

How due diligence works and who does it

Under the decree, a review committee chaired by the Public Prosecutor's Office checks each file. It includes the migration service and the finance ministry, uses national and international databases, and adds independent AML/CTF checks. Local reporting adds that quarterly reports go to the National Assembly and the Public Prosecutor, the Court of Accounts and central bank have oversight roles, and the Public Prosecutor carries out a further review in the six months after approval^[11]. The CIU has not publicly named an international due-diligence firm of the kind Caribbean units hire. Licensed agents also run their own pre-screening. Ask your agent which external provider, if any, is used on your file.

Family pricing is the programme's biggest selling point. Four people cost only US$5,000 more in donation than one person^[1]. The CIU lists these qualifying dependants^[4][6]:

• Spouse in a monogamous marriage, or a de facto partner.
• Children up to age 30.
• Parents and grandparents aged 55 or over. The official FAQ gives 55, but the eligibility page says "at least 18", which looks like a drafting error. Agents report that parents must also be financially dependent^[6][16].

Adult children: since April 2026, passport issuance for dependent children over 18 has been on hold while the CIU finalises rules on how financial dependence is proven. The June 2026 memorandum confirmed this was still the case^[15][16]. If your family includes children aged 18–30, get written confirmation of their current status before you pay.

The whole process is remote and has to go through a licensed marketing agent; the CIU does not accept direct applications^[2][6].

The CIU publishes more data than most new programmes. Its milestones are:

• January 2026: 98 applications received, 27 approved and 71 under review. The first passport was issued^[19].
• 2 March 2026: more than 220 applications from more than 27 nationalities^[7].
• 1 September 2026 (first-year report): 548 applications, 350 approved, 12 rejected, 186 in process. 117 citizenships granted, 29 passports issued, 72 applicant nationalities and more than US$9.8 million paid into the fund. Only about half of approved applicants had paid their contribution by then^[17][18].

By nationality, China accounted for 159 applications (about 29%), Russia 122 (about 22%), Iran 50 (about 9%) and Germany 28. By family size, 43% were single applicants, 47% families of two to four and 10% families of five to eight^[18]. A rejection rate of about 3% of decided files (12 of 362) is low. Read it alongside the fact that the decree is barely a year old and has no outside audit yet.

The first-year report is quoted by several licensed agents and industry outlets^[17][18], but it was not posted on cip.gov.st when this page was checked. Treat the numbers as CIU-reported, not independently verified.

This is where official marketing and independent data differ most. The CIU's benefits page says the passport gives "visa free access to over 93 countries"^[5]. The 2026 Henley Passport Index scores it at 59 destinations, rank 78: 27 visa-free, 29 visa on arrival and 3 eTA^[13]. The 93 figure probably counts e-visas, which need an application in advance. Henley lists 43 of those separately^[13].

Where you can go without a visa

Visa-free destinations include Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Africa, Kenya, Rwanda, Angola, Panama, Costa Rica, Ecuador, the Bahamas, Barbados and Dominica. Visa on arrival covers Cambodia, Egypt, Jordan, Iran, Macao, the Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Tanzania and Cape Verde, among others^[13].

Where you still need a visa

The Schengen area, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Portugal, Brazil, China and Russia all require a visa^[13]. The United States adds a further hurdle: São Tomé and Príncipe nationals have been on the State Department's visa-bond list for B-1/B-2 (business and tourist) visas since 23 October 2025. Under the pilot the bond was US$5,000, 10,000 or 15,000; since the permanent Visa Bond Program took effect on 3 August 2026 it is US$10,000, 15,000 or 20,000 (US$15,000 by default). The consular officer sets the amount at the interview, and the bond is returned if you keep to the terms of the visa^[29][28][27]. If your goal is visa-free Europe, Caribbean programmes such as Dominica's donation route still offer Schengen access at a higher price. Our ranking of the strongest passports available through investment compares the options.

São Tomé is a member of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP), and the CIU promotes "special residency, work, and study opportunities" in Portugal, Brazil, Angola and Mozambique^[5][6]. Read this carefully:

• It is not free movement. The 2021 CPLP Mobility Agreement is a framework that each country implements bilaterally. A Santomean passport still needs a visa for Portugal and Brazil^[13].
• Portugal has a CPLP residence permit, but since Law 61/2025 (22 October 2025) it is available only to CPLP nationals who arrive with a residence visa obtained before travel, not to visitors who entered visa-free or as tourists^[24]. Check the current rules with AIMA or a Portuguese lawyer before relying on it.
• Naturalisation in Portugal: under Organic Law 1/2026 (published 18 May 2026, in force 19 May 2026), nationals of Portuguese-speaking countries can naturalise after 7 years of legal residence instead of 10. They are presumed to meet the language requirement unless a lack of Portuguese is manifest, and must still show knowledge of Portuguese culture, history, rights and political organisation^[23][21]. The law does not distinguish how CPLP nationality was acquired, but no case involving a São Tomé citizen by investment has been reported, so the shorter track is untested for CBI holders^[26].
• For a direct route into Portugal itself, see our Portugal golden visa guide and the path to Portuguese citizenship through residence. Nearby Cape Verde's residence-by-investment option is another Lusophone base.

Citizenship alone does not make you tax resident in São Tomé and Príncipe, and the programme has no residence requirement^[6]. Your tax position depends on where you actually live, where your economic interests are and your home country's rules (US citizens stay taxable on worldwide income whatever second passport they hold). São Tomé has no special regime for CBI citizens, and the CIU makes no tax claims. Get advice in your country of residence before treating the passport as a tax tool.

This is direct citizenship by investment, not a residence-first route. You become a citizen when the grant is issued, with "no distinction from citizenship by birth" according to the CIU, and with no minimum stay to keep it^[5]. São Tomé allows dual nationality, and citizenship passes to future generations by descent^[5][22]. The decree does provide for revocation, for example for false statements or wrongdoing, and local reporting describes a further Public Prosecutor review in the six months after approval^[11].

• Political risk. The decree was never put to Parliament. In August 2025 MLSTP leader Américo Barros called for it to be revoked and for the nationality law to be revised^[11][12]. His party won the most seats on 27 September 2026 (24 of 55, provisional), though not a majority, so coalition talks will decide whether the programme is kept, changed or suspended^[20][25]. Approvals already granted would normally stand, but pending files could be affected.
• Concession and governance. A private Dubai-based concessionaire keeps 44% of revenue under a 10-year exclusive contract^[10][11]. The CIU promises annual audits and quarterly public reports^[10], but no audited report was public when this page was checked.
• Bottleneck after approval. By the first anniversary only 29 passports had been issued against 350 approvals, and adult children's passports remain on hold^[16][17].
• Rule changes by memorandum. The three-nationality hold, remote issuance and dependency rules all came through CIU memoranda to agents, not published regulations^[14][15].
• International scrutiny. Because the programme is cheap and draws many applicants from sanctioned or high-risk countries^[18], it could attract the kind of US and EU pressure that has hit Caribbean programmes. São Tomé currently has no Schengen visa waiver to lose, but banks and third countries may treat these passports with extra caution.
• Agent and website fraud. Many lookalike "São Tomé citizenship" sites exist. Use only an agent on the official list at cip.gov.st^[6].

It suits: families who want a low-cost, low-paperwork second nationality as a back-up; people whose current passport is weaker in Africa or Southeast Asia; people with a Lusophone link who value the CPLP connection; and applicants with large families, where the flat pricing matters most.

Look elsewhere if: you need visa-free Schengen or UK travel, want a passport with a long track record, already hold three or more foreign nationalities, need passports for adult children quickly, or cannot accept political risk on an asset you are paying for now. Compare it with the wider citizenship by investment overview and with residence routes in our CBI vs golden visa comparison.

• Sierra Leone's restructured CBI programme: another West African option in a similar price band, with several routes.
• Nauru economic citizenship: a Pacific programme launched in 2025 at a similar price.
• Vanuatu donation-based citizenship: higher cost but a longer track record and a stronger passport.
• Cambodia citizenship by donation: for investors focused on Asia.
• Dominica economic citizenship: more than twice the price, with Schengen visa-free travel (144 destinations on Henley), though the UK has required visas since 2023 and the US has imposed partial visa restrictions^[13].
• Egypt citizenship through investment: a large-economy passport in Africa at a higher price, though with weaker visa-free access.

For a side-by-side view of the low-cost market, see our lowest-cost CBI comparison, the round-up of recently launched passport programmes, and the Caribbean CBI comparison.