The small West African country of Sierra Leone recently launched a citizenship by investment program but barely anyone in Western media has covered it, and those who have fail to understand it.
Most people say “why would you want the passport of a poor West African country that barely gives you visa-free access anywhere?”.
Fair question. However “travel” is not the use case for the Sierra Leone citizenship.
Who should apply for citizenship by investment in Sierra Leone?
The target market for this passport is very niche:
- Foreign businesspeople in West Africa looking for unfettered, visa-free ECOWAS access – predominantly the Lebanese, Indian and Chinese citizens active in the West African business community
- People of African heritage looking to explore and develop their ties with the continent
- Family offices and wealthy individuals who want to plan generations ahead by providing themselves and their family better access to the economic growth story of Africa
- Passport collectors seeking a unique citizenship to add to their portfolio
Benefits of getting Sierra Leone citizenship by investment
- Full access to ECOWAS, essentially the EU of West Africa, is very interesting. I lived in West Africa for 3 years and saw the explosive growth first-hand that is taking place in some of these markets. As a citizen of an ECOWAS country, it is very easy to relocate and do business in other ECOWAS countries. This is key for business people doing business in the region.
- The Sierra Leone citizenship can be inherited even if your children are born outside of Sierra Leone as long as you file the proper paperwork. Buying this citizenship now is granting full access to this growing part of the world for generations ahead.
- It’s the easiest official citizenship by investment program out there. Sierra Leone understands it needs to compete with other programs, and passport strength is not it. However it can make it easy.
- The whole process can be done remotely, the certifications do not require apostille, crypto is accepted, you can use your own escrow agent, you can change your name for a fee, and even obtain a tax residency certificate for a fee.
Once a citizen, the team on the ground can help you open non-CRS bank accounts.
I discuss this program in this video.
We at The Wandering Investor have become official agents for this program, so we can help you successfully process your application from A to Z.
How much does the Sierra Leone Citizenship by Investment program cost?
$140,000 for the main applicant + $10,000 per dependent.
If you can prove through a DNA test that you are of African descent then the price drops to $100,000 + $10,000 per applicant.
From submitting all the documents to receiving your naturalization certificate: 2 to 3 months. It’s probably the fastest CBI out there.
If you are interested in finding out more, feel free to book a call with our team and we’ll be happy to help you on this journey to becoming a West African citizen.
Is this the best CBI?
There is no such thing as “the best citizenship by investment program”. It all depends on your personal situation and objectives.
The Sierra Leone citizenship by investment program is obviously niche, but for some people it can be a great addtional tool of internationalization, diversification and estate planning.
To a World of Opportunities,
The Wandering Investor.
Video Transcript
Sierra Leone Citizenship by Investment program – Who should apply?
LADISLAS MAURICE: We, at The Wandering Investor, have become official agents for the Sierra Leone Citizenship by Investment Program. When I say this, typically, people come back to me and say, “Why would you ever do this? It’s a terrible passport. You can barely travel with it. It has a terrible reputation.” People who say this simply do not understand the target market and who this could be interesting for. There are four main target markets.
Target market for Sierra Leone citizenship by investment
The first target market is foreign businessmen doing business in West Africa. I, myself, lived in West Africa for three years. I lived in Ghana, and I constantly met foreign businesspeople who had issues with visas, renewing their permits, etc. A lot of them were looking for solutions on how to acquire a citizenship in the region. Most of these businesspeople were from China, India, and especially Lebanon. West Africa has a very strong local Lebanese minority, many of which do not have local citizenships. Why would they want citizenship? It’s not just about the visa and the renewals, etc., it’s the fact that Sierra Leone is a full member of ECOWAS.
Sierra Leone as an ECOWAS citizenship
ECOWAS is a little bit like the European Union, in the sense that there is free movement of people between the different members of this West African Union. If you are a Sierra Leonean citizen, it means that you can very easily settle in places such as Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Senegal, essentially, all the Big West African economies, so it’s a huge advantage. A Sierra Leonean passport is a passport to West Africa, which itself is one of the highest growth regions in the world. It’s not unusual to come across West African countries that are growing 6%, 7%, 8% a year, and foreign businesspeople doing business in West Africa understand this.
Sierra Leone citizenship as a generational play
The second target market is family offices and wealthy individuals who understand this and who want to leave a legacy for their children and for their grandchildren. The Sierra Leonean citizenship by investment goes down the generations. If you are a Sierra Leonean citizen and you give birth to a son or a daughter, even overseas, then that child may apply for citizenship by descent. If you do it properly, and I’m not saying it’s easy, but if you do it properly, then your whole line of descendants can be Sierra Leonean citizens, and then, in the long run, have access to West Africa.
If you look 50 to 100 years in the future, which a lot of family offices do, giving your family unfettered access to some of the highest growth markets in the world is very interesting, especially when you look at demographics, in a few decades time, essentially the whole world will be experiencing demographic decline, except for many parts of Africa, including West Africa. The third target market is passport freaks, so people who just go around collecting passports for the sake of it, because they find it fun and it’s essentially their hobby. We can help you with this.
Sierra Leone citizenship by investment timeline and application
Target market number four is people who want flexibility. The Sierra Leone Citizenship By Investment can be completed in less than three months. The KYC process is a lot simpler than most other CBIs. Crypto is accepted. You can also change your name for a fee. And finally, you can obtain a tax residency certificate on a yearly basis for a fee as well. The Sierra Leonean CBI, from that point of view, is very flexible for different types of people. How much does it cost? You’re looking at $140,000 per applicant plus $10,000 per dependent, but if you can prove that you are of African descent through a DNA test, then the fee gets reduced to $100,000 plus $10,000 per applicant.
We can help you with the whole process from A to Z. If you want to find out more information, there’s a link below. And you can also book a call to discuss your specific case. We look forward to hearing from you.
Services in Sierra Leone
Other 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
- How to obtain Vanuatu Citizenship by Investment
- Saint Lucia Citizenship by Investment
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- Vanuatu or Caribbean passport? Which to choose, and why?
- Invest in Lesbos Real Estate for the Greek Golden Visa
- BREAKING NEWS: Caribbean Citizenship by Investment big price increases
- How to get Residency / a Golden Visa in Italy
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