n early August when it was announced that the tiny African country of São Tomé was launching a citizenship by investment program, we said we would do more due diligence on the program and would proceed with registering as licensed agents if the program was credible and established.
Following discussions with government officials and the administrators from the citizenship unit, we are now licensed agents for the São Tomé and Príncipe CBI program and are ready to assist you with your application.
We are already helping clients process their applications. Do note that unlike other agents, we do not charge any extra fees.
The price is:
- ~$95,000 all-in for a single applicant
- ~$100,000 all-in for a family of four
For families, this program can end up being very affordable on a per-head basis.
In this video, I delve into the categories of people that might find this program compelling:
And Botswana?
Botswana announced a citizenship by investment program for $75,000 last week. People have been quick to claim it is now the world’s cheapest second passport. But details are extremely scarce for now. The program is expected to launch in 2026, and our view is that after taking into account additional fees, the all-in price will not end up being cheaper than the São Tomé CBI.
We’re monitoring the situation closely and could very well become licensed agents as well if we feel the actually program adds value, depending on the positioning.
Having been to Botswana many times, I’ll share my thoughts on this anticipated program soon.
To a World of Opportunities,
The Wandering Investor.
Ways to get Golden Visas and Citizenships by Investment:
- Fastest way to get Permanent Residency in Malta
- Be careful when you buy a passport in the Caribbean
- Best Deal for the Citizenship by Investment in Turkey
- Vanuatu Citizenship by Investment
- Saint Lucia Citizenship by Investment
- St Kitts & Nevis Citizenship by Investment
- Citizenship by Investment in Egypt
- Vanuatu or Caribbean passport? Which to choose, and why?
- How to get Residency / a Golden Visa in Italy
- Nauru Citizenship by Investment
- Sierra Leone Citizenship by Investment
- Antigua & Barbuda Citizenship by Investment
- El Salvador Freedom Passport by Investment
- Hungarian Golden Visa
- Greek Golden Visa
- São Tomé and Príncipe Citizenship by Investment Program
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Transcript of “A Second Passport for less than $100k? Who should apply for the São Tomé CBI”
LADISLAS MAURICE: Hello, everyone. Ladislas Maurice of The Wandering Investor. Today, we’ll be discussing the São Tomé Citizenship By Investment Program, the most affordable citizenship by investment program that has just launched. We’re talking $95,000 all in for a single applicant, and $100,000 all in for a family of four. So, really affordable. We’ve become licensed agents ourselves for the program. We had the pleasure to meet with the program administrators as well as government officials, and got to ask all our questions, and went through training as well to be able to process applications.
Who should apply for the São Tomé CBI?
Who is the São Tomé CBI right for? First things first, this is not a great travel document. For anyone that wants to travel around the world, this is really not it, unless you’re coming from Afghanistan, or from Pakistan, places like that with absolutely horrendous travel documents, São Tomé is very unlikely to be an upgrade from a travel right point of view. Who is the CBI right for?
São Tomé and Príncipe passport for banking
The first target market is people who have issues with banking. There are a lot of citizenships out there that make banking really complicated. If you’re from Russia, these days due to sanctions, or other countries like Libya, like Sudan, like Afghanistan, like Pakistan, whenever you go to a bank and show your passport, no one wants to touch you. Well, a São Tomé passport doesn’t come with as much stigma, and it makes the bank opening process easier. I’m certainly not saying that it’s easy, it’s not a Swiss passport that you’re showing, but it is an upgrade.
São Tomé passport as a Plan B
Number two is people who want a second passport as a Plan B, so potentially for political reasons, maybe their government doesn’t like them, maybe freedom of speech is very restricted in their own country. We can think of countries like the UK right now, but it’s certainly not unique. A lot of countries in Europe and all over the world heavily restrict freedom of speech, and if you say the wrong thing, you can end up with judicial issues and potentially travel bans. Having a second passport is effectively, in many ways, guaranteeing your ability to travel somewhat as long as when you get that conviction, you’re not in your own home country.
São Tomé passport as a Plan B for civil unrest
Number three is people who foresee civil unrest issues in their own country and want a proper Plan B. In most cases, a permanent residency would be good enough. Ultimately, a citizenship is even more of a guarantee that you have access to said country, and it’s quite affordable anyways. Just by getting the citizenship, you’re guaranteed to always have access to São Tomé as a citizen, to be able to do business there, to be able to bank there, to be able to move and work there.
Can I pay for the São Tomé CBI with crypto?
Number four is people that have a lot of crypto wealth and want a second passport. You could not pay directly for the citizenship with crypto, unlike Sierra Leone, for which we’re also licensed agents, but you can have crypto as a source of funds, as an acceptable source of funds. If you have crypto wealth, they will accept that, and you can apply for the citizenship.
Doing business in São Tomé
Number five is people who want to do business in São Tomé. I mean, it’s a small country of about 250,000 souls. There isn’t much business going on right now, but, I mean, this is one of the initiatives that the government is driving to be able to attract foreign investment. So, very large portion of the donation amount is to go into a special fund to help infrastructure development on the island. And the idea is also to have all these essentially brand ambassadors, country ambassadors all over the world that are well off, that will, at some point, go to São Tomé, fall in love with the beautiful island, and hopefully invest as well. Essentially, for São Tomé, it’s getting paid to have wealthy brand ambassadors all over the world. And that sort of mentality demonstrates that the government is focused on growth, so there will be opportunities, though, yes, the market is pretty small.
São Tomé CBI for passport collectors
Number six is people who like to collect passports. There is a small community of such people. They just go around and get every citizenship by investment program out there. Those people are low hanging fruit. We’re happy to help you if you’re one of them.
Does São Tomé citizenship transfer to future generations?
Number seven is people who think very long-term. The citizenship by investment in São Tomé goes down the generations. When you apply for citizenship, you became a normal citizen. There isn’t two tiers of citizenships. Once you have children later on overseas, they will be able to get the citizenship as well through you, through blood. This is for people who think multiple generations ahead, and to give access to that country, to that market, and also as a Plan B for all their future generations.
People who are bullish on Africa
Number eight is people who are bullish on Africa. Unfortunately, unlike the Sierra Leone Citizenship By Investment Program, São Tomé is not part of ECOWAS, so it doesn’t give you the right to move easily to ECOWAS countries in West Africa, nor is it part of the more Francophone Central African Union, whereby citizens of Gabon, and Cameroon, and Congo Brazzaville can easily move between the countries. And there aren’t really any discussions of that going forward. However, as the continent develops, increasingly countries such as Kenya, such as Ghana, are making it easier and easier for other Africans to be able to access their countries visa-free.
Getting residency in CPLP countries with São Tomé passport
And the last target market is people who are interested in the CPLP. The CPLP is an organization of Lusophone Portuguese-speaking countries, whereby there are many agreements. Typically, when you’re from a Portuguese-speaking country, which São Tomé is, it’s a bit easier to get residency in places such as Brazil, and Portugal, and also in some cases, faster naturalization times. Now, do I feel comfortable marketing this as an easy way into the CPLP? No. Why? One, on the one hand, typically, some of these agreements apply only for naturally-born people from these countries. If you participate in the CBI, you’re not naturally born. In reality, in practice, this actually gets rarely enforced.
This being said, the reality is that at some point, the immigration authorities or some of these other countries will catch on to the fact that São Tomé is selling its citizenship, and will probably start to make a difference between people that were actually born in São Tomé and people who were not born in São Tomé. And eventually, I believe that some of these governments will start putting into practice what they have in the law, and will start to make a difference between naturally-born São Toméans and not naturally-born São Toméans. Maybe the first few applicants that get the CBI and then weasel their way into Brazil and/or Portugal will be fine because the immigration authorities aren’t really aware of what’s happening, but eventually they’ll catch up.
I do not feel comfortable promoting the CBI saying, this is your way into Portugal, this is your way into Brazil. And speaking to government officials, and program officials, and speaking to people in São Tomé, they also don’t quite know how this will be interpreted long-term by the other countries.
How to apply for São Tomé citizenship by investment
If you’re interested in the São Tomé Citizenship By Investment, there’s a link below with a lot more information, and you can also get in touch with the team, and we’d be happy to explain the whole process to you and help you with your application.
Have a nice day.
