Citizenship By Investment Programs (2025) Comparison
Looking for the best Citizenship By Investment Programs for 2025?
For people considering an EU Golden Visa as a pure “Plan B” – as insurance against risks in their home countries – choosing the right program can be quite daunting. With a view to provide a more holistic picture of each program pros and cons, we take a look at the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for each of the programs as we approach 2025 below…
Comparing The World’s Top (ALL) Citizenship By Investment Programs For 2025
VANUATU CITIZENSHIP BY INVESTMENT PROGRAM
OFFICIAL PROGRAM WEBSITE: Click Here.
AUTHORIZED AGENTS: Click Here.
MINIMUM CAPITAL OUTLAY: $130,000+ (Donation); $155,000+ (Donation + Investment)
APPLICATION TIMELINE: 6-8 weeks
VISA-FREE DESTINATIONS: 84+ countries
IDEAL FOR: Russians, Belarusians, and Germans
PROGRAM SWOT
- Strengths: Excellent “uncorrelated” option. Unrivalled speed and affordability.
- Weaknesses: Visa-free travel privileges (EU and UK access presently suspended).
- Opportunities: Create viable real estate option, benefit from Caribbean pricing increases.
- Threats: Climate change poses potential risks to property and investment component of CIIP option. Vanuatu has historically also been an easy target when it comes to anti-CBI initiatives launched by Brussels.
ST KITTS CITIZENSHIP BY INVESTMENT PROGRAM
OFFICIAL PROGRAM WEBSITE: Click Here.
AUTHORIZED AGENTS: Click Here.
MINIMUM DONATION: $250,000
APPLICATION TIMELINE: 6+ months
VISA-FREE DESTINATIONS: 138 countries
IDEAL FOR: Americans, Canadians, French and German citizens.
PROGRAM SWOT
- Strengths: Oldest, most established and reputable Caribbean CBI program.
- Weaknesses: Recent price increases made the program amongst the most expensive in the region.
- Opportunities: Relax the eligible family member definitions and ages, and offer a redeemable investment component (like Vanuatu is doing with its CIIP option).
- Threats: High medium-term probability of St Kitts losing its UK and EU visa-free travel access privileges.
ST LUCIA CITIZENSHIP BY INVESTMENT PROGRAM
OFFICIAL PROGRAM WEBSITE: Click Here.
BLACKLISTED PROGRAM AGENTS: Click Here.
AUTHORIZED AGENTS: Click Here.
MINIMUM DONATION: $240,000
APPLICATION TIMELINE: 6+ months
VISA-FREE DESTINATIONS: 123 countries
IDEAL FOR: Americans, Canadians, French and German citizens.
PROGRAM SWOT
- Strengths: Established, well-respected program. St Lucian citizens can obtain B-1 and B-2 Visitor Visas with a 10-year validity for the USA.
- Weaknesses: Recent price increases will likely lead to reduced demand for the program.
- Opportunities: TBC
- Threats: High medium-term probability of St Lucia losing its UK and EU visa-free travel access privileges.
DOMINICA CITIZENSHIP BY INVESTMENT PROGRAM
OFFICIAL PROGRAM WEBSITE: Click Here.
BLACKLISTED AGENTS: Click Here
MINIMUM DONATION: $200,000
APPLICATION TIMELINE: 6+ months
VISA-FREE DESTINATIONS: 121 countries
IDEAL FOR: Germans, French, Americans and Canadians
PROGRAM SWOT
- Strengths: Interesting real estate investment options.
- Weaknesses: Has received some poor press relating to alleged inadequate program due diligence.
- Opportunities: Widen eligible family definitions, and introduce a refundable investment component, similar to that of Vanuatu.
- Threats: High medium-term probability of St Lucia losing its UK and EU visa-free travel access privileges.
GRENADA CITIZENSHIP BY INVESTMENT PROGRAM
OFFICIAL PROGRAM WEBSITE: Click Here.
APPROVED MARKETING AGENTS: Click Here
MINIMUM DONATION: $235,000
APPLICATION TIMELINE: 6+ months
VISA-FREE DESTINATIONS: 122 countries
IDEAL FOR: Applicants with children seeking to study medicine at St. George’s University.
PROGRAM SWOT
- Strengths: Excellent destination for medical studies, with tuition related benefits at St George’s University.
- Weaknesses: Recent restrictive changes to USA E-2 Nonimmigrant Visa rules removed the program’s earlier competitive advantage.
- Opportunities: Widen eligible family definitions, and introduce a refundable investment component, similar to that of Vanuatu.
- Threats: High medium-term probability of St Lucia losing its UK and EU visa-free travel access privileges.
ANTIGUA CITIZENSHIP BY INVESTMENT PROGRAM
OFFICIAL PROGRAM WEBSITE: Click Here.
MINIMUM DONATION: $230,000
APPLICATION TIMELINE: 6-8 weeks
VISA-FREE DESTINATIONS: 84+ countries
IDEAL FOR: Americans, Canadians, French and German citizens.
PROGRAM SWOT
- Strengths: Excellent “middle-of-the-road” Caribbean CBI option with a good program reputation and a close geographical proximity to the USA and Canada.
- Weaknesses:Recent price increases will likely lead to reduced demand for the program.
- Opportunities: Widen eligible family definitions, and introduce a refundable investment component, similar to that of Vanuatu.
- Threats: High medium-term probability of St Lucia losing its UK and EU visa-free travel access privileges.
EGYPT CITIZENSHIP BY INVESTMENT PROGRAM
MINIMUM CONTRIBUTION: $250,000 (Donation); $300,000 (Property)
APPLICATION TIMELINE: 6-8 months
VISA-FREE DESTINATIONS: 56 countries
IDEAL FOR: Syrians, Russians, Belarusians
PROGRAM SWOT
- Strengths: An affordable, “uncorrelated” option with interesting real estate options on the Red Sea.
- Weaknesses: Developing country. Poor visa-free travel access, with very little scope for short-term improvement, and a hot regional conflict on their doorstep.
- Opportunities: Speed up application process. Reduce property pricing to $250,000, and donation to $150,000.
- Threats: The level of geopolitical risk is currently high in the region.
MALTA CBI PROGRAM (AKA MALTA MEIN)
OFFICIAL PROGRAM WEBSITE: Click Here.
MINIMUM DONATION: €600,000
APPLICATION TIMELINE: 9-12 months
VISA-FREE DESTINATIONS: 157+ countries
IDEAL FOR: High Net Worth and Ultra High Net Worth / VIP applicants
PROGRAM SWOT
- Strengths: The world’s flagship Citizenship By Investment program
- Weaknesses: Cost (even the lowest, property rental-based option costs north of $1 million)
- Opportunities: Reduce minimum donation and investment amounts, further speed up due diligence processes.
- Threats: Malta MEIN is under pressure from Brussels (as are all the other Citizenship By Investment programs).
TURKEY CITIZENSHIP BY INVESTMENT PROGRAM
OFFICIAL PROGRAM WEBSITE: Click Here.
MINIMUM DONATION: $400,000
APPLICATION TIMELINE: 6+ months
VISA-FREE DESTINATIONS: 113 countries
IDEAL FOR: Russians, Belarusians, South Africans, Europeans and North Americans.
PROGRAM SWOT
- Strengths: Excellent “uncorrelated” option, with reasonable real estate pricing ($400,000).
- Weaknesses: Low visa-free travel access, and program has become more restrictive over time.
- Opportunities: Create a $150,000 donation-based CBI option.
- Threats: Recent media reports of the Turkish CBI being exploited by criminals.
BONUS OPTION: SERBIAN CITIZENSHIP BY EXCEPTION
While Serbia doesn’t have a formal Citizenship By Investment Program, under Article 19 of the country’s citizenship law, foreign applicants have received Serbian citizenship on the basis of it serving the country’s national interests (including in the form of significant financial contributions to the state’s coffers).
SERBIA CITIZENSHIP BY EXCEPTION PROGRAM
TYPICAL ELIGIBLE DONATION: €250,000+
APPLICATION TIMELINE: 3-4 months
VISA-FREE DESTINATIONS: 138 countries
IDEAL FOR: Russians, Belarusians, South Africans, Canadians, North Americans as well as Iranian, Chinese and Vietnamese nationals.
PROGRAM SWOT
- Strengths: Excellent “uncorrelated” option, with reasonable capital contributions (in instances where donations are deemed acceptable)
- Weaknesses: Not a formal Citizenship By Investment Program – the Serbian authorities have absolute discretion in terms of whom they naturalize.
- Threats: All fast-track naturalization programs, including the Serbian Citizenship By Exception option, face significant reputational risks, which is why robust applicant due diligence standards have been adopted by all countries offering CBI programs.
- Opportunities: Serbia is a highly underrated Plan B destination, and their Citizenship By Exception Program is not widely known yet. Effective promotional activity could raise its profile, and thus significantly increase the benefits derived by the Serbian state.
Why choose to work with us in obtaining alternative Citizenship By Investment going into 2025?
See what our clients are saying about us on TrustPilot.