Citizenship by investment
São Tomé and Príncipe
A single donation route with no residence rule, managed by a citizenship unit headquartered in Dubai.
From USD 90,000Government minimum. Agent and professional fees are additional.
Information checked 4 October 2026
- From
- USD 90,000
- Processing
- The unit's own pages give four different figures
- Residence
- None, before or after citizenship
- Interview
- Not mentioned on the official site
- Schengen
- Visa required
- UK
- Visa required
Overview
The programme at a glance
São Tomé and Príncipe offers a single route: a donation to the National Transformation Fund, from USD 90,000 for one person.
For UAE residents it has an unusual feature: the citizenship unit gives its head office as Jumeirah Lakes Towers in Dubai.
Benefits
What it offers, and what to weigh
Advantages
- A citizenship unit with its head office in Dubai.
- Parents and grandparents from 55, children up to 30.
- No residence requirement before or after citizenship.
Worth knowing
- Visas are needed for both Schengen and UK visits.
- No single official processing time.
- The decree setting up the programme is not published on the unit's site.
Travel and the passport
The passport needs a visa for the Schengen area and for the UK: São Tomé and Príncipe is in Annex I of the EU visa regulation and on the UK's visa national list. A national ID card is issued with the passport.
Eligibility
Who can apply
The unit's pages name no barred nationality. The main applicant must be at least 18, with no criminal record and good financial standing, and the unit warns that “certain applicants may be subject to restrictions based on jurisdictional, legal, or policy requirements”.
No nationality is named as barred on the official page, checked 4 October 2026.
Family
Who can be included
Spouse, children up to 30, parents and grandparents from 55
Children qualify up to 30, and both parents and grandparents from 55. A spouse, other dependants and newborns can also be added after approval.
Process
How the application runs
Every application goes through a licensed marketing agent, from a list the unit publishes. The donation follows approval in principle. How long it takes depends on which official page you read: the FAQ says about two months to approval and three to four more to the passport, other pages say five to six months or two to three.
A licensed marketing agent submits the application.
The unit runs its checks; the FAQ gives about two months to approval.
After approval in principle, the donation is paid.
The certificate, passport and national ID card are issued.
UAE residents: print the document checklist before your consultation.
The legal basis, as far as it is published
The unit cites Nationality Law No. 07/2022 and a 2025 decree-law regulating nationality by investment or donation as the programme's basis, but neither text is hosted on a government site we could find. In September 2025 the unit announced a blockchain-enabled programme. Reports of a hold on applicants with three or more foreign passports, and of fully remote passport issue, come only from secondary sources.
Updates
What's changed
- Sep 2025: CIU opens its representative office in Dubai
- Sep 2025: CIU announces a blockchain-enabled programme
- Reported by Forbes África Lusófona — 'Nacionalidade por Investimento divide São Tomé e Príncipe' (21 Aug 2025): 1 Aug 2025: Decree-Law 07/2025 (Regulamentação da Nacionalidade por Investimento ou Doação) takes effect, under Nationality Law 07/2022; approved by the Council of Ministers on 10 May and promulgated on 28 Jul 2025
Questions people ask
Is the São Tomé citizenship unit really in Dubai?
Its official site gives the head office as Office 1504, Mazaya Business Avenue BB1, Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai.
How long does São Tomé citizenship take?
The unit's own pages disagree: about two months to approval plus three to four months to the passport on the FAQ, five to six months on one page, two to three months on another.
Does a São Tomé passport give visa-free travel to Europe?
No. São Tomé and Príncipe is in Annex I of the EU visa regulation, so its nationals need a Schengen visa, and the UK also requires a visit visa.