São Tomé and Príncipe

The São Tomé and Príncipe Citizenship by Investment Programme grants full citizenship to an investor and their family in exchange for a single, non-refundable contribution to the country's National Transformation Fund, from USD 90,000 for a single applicant. It was established in 2025 under Decree-Law No. 07/2025, is administered by the government's Citizenship Investment Unit (CIU), and requires no residence before, during or after the application. Mirabello Consultancy classifies it as an emerging programme: it is open and accepting applications, but it is new, and its practice is still settling. This page sets out what that means for you, plainly and with the figures that matter.

What does São Tomé and Príncipe citizenship cost in practice?

The contribution is USD 90,000 for a single applicant and USD 95,000 for a family of two to four, with USD 5,000 for each additional dependant beyond four. It is paid only after approval in principle, not at submission. On top of it sit a non-refundable USD 5,000 submission fee per application, which does not rise with family size, and USD 750 per person for the citizenship documents: the certificate of registration, the passport and the national identity card. Before due-diligence charges, that puts a single applicant at USD 95,750 and a family of four at USD 103,000 (USD 95,000 plus USD 5,000 plus 4 x USD 750).

Due-diligence charges are additional. The official programme site does not publish a per-person schedule, so we confirm the amount for your family in writing at the outset rather than quote a figure that may not apply. Adding a family member after approval in principle is markedly more expensive than including them from the start: USD 10,000 for a spouse and USD 5,000 for each qualifying dependant, plus a further USD 5,000 submission fee, or USD 500 for a newborn child up to one year of age. Include everyone eligible in the original application. For a fuller cost walk-through, see our guide to São Tomé and Príncipe citizenship by investment in 2026.

How long does it take, and what drives the timeline?

The official guidance indicates a decision, approval in principle, in around two months from a complete file, and five to six months in total from submission to passport. The route runs in six published steps: initial consultation, document preparation, submission, comprehensive due-diligence checks, approval in principle, and the grant of citizenship. Applications must be lodged through a licensed marketing agent, and Mirabello Consultancy prepares and guides your file through that channel.

The levers you control are document readiness and prompt answers to due-diligence questions. Clear evidence of source of funds and source of wealth is what keeps a file moving; incomplete or inconsistent records are what slow it. Approval itself remains at the government's discretion, and on a programme this young the timeline should be read as guidance rather than a guarantee.

What does the passport give you, and what does it not?

On the count Mirabello maintains, the São Tomé and Príncipe passport gives visa-free access to 58 destinations, including Singapore, Hong Kong SAR and South Africa, with further destinations reachable by visa on arrival or eVisa. São Tomé and Príncipe permits dual citizenship: you are not required to give up your existing nationality, although you should confirm that your current country allows it too. There is no physical residence or relocation requirement during or after the application, and the published process includes no interview stage.

What it does not give you matters just as much. The passport does not offer visa-free access to the Schengen Area, the United Kingdom, the United States or mainland China. If those are the journeys you make most often, a passport with broader reach will serve you better, and we will say so.

Who can you include in the application?

The main applicant must be at least 18, have no criminal record and be in good financial standing. A spouse or de facto partner can be included, as can children up to the age of 30 and parents or grandparents from the age of 55. Dependence and relationship evidence is reviewed during due diligence, so we check each family member's eligibility before submission. Because the contribution for a family of up to four is only USD 5,000 more than for a single applicant, applying together is usually the efficient choice, and later additions carry the higher post-approval fees set out above.

How is a São Tomé and Príncipe citizen taxed?

Citizenship does not by itself make you tax resident. Tax residence in São Tomé and Príncipe follows physical presence of 183 days or more in a year, or a habitual abode in the country; residents are taxed on worldwide income under a progressive personal income tax with a top rate of 25 per cent. A citizen who lives elsewhere and does not meet that test has no São Toméan tax on foreign income. The country levies no inheritance or gift tax, no annual wealth tax and no exit tax. Your tax position is decided by where you actually live and by your home country's rules, so this is general information rather than tax advice, and we coordinate with your own tax counsel where needed.

What does emerging status mean for an applicant?

It means the programme is open, legally established and processing applications, but it does not yet have the multi-year track record of the long-standing Caribbean programmes. The investment structure, fees and procedures are published by the government, yet some details a mature programme would publish, such as a full due-diligence fee schedule, are not yet on the official site. In the Mirabello Investment Migration Index it scores 71, ranking 10th of 14 citizenship programmes: it scores at the top on speed and on its direct path to citizenship, and lowest on passport mobility and stability. We confirm every figure with the CIU before you commit funds.

Where is this programme a poor fit, and where does it fit well?

We would rather say this plainly than have a client discover it later. It is a poor fit if your priority is visa-free travel to Europe, the United Kingdom, the United States or China; if you want an investment you can later recover, since the only route is a non-refundable contribution with no real-estate or business option; or if you want a programme with a long operating history. In those cases our comparison of citizenship by investment programmes sets out the alternatives, and Vanuatu and Nauru are the closest peers on cost and speed.

It fits well for families who want a second citizenship at one of the lowest entry costs of any citizenship programme, with no residence obligation and a decision in months rather than years, and for clients whose travel centres on Africa and Asia. Our overview of Africa's most affordable citizenship programmes places it alongside its regional peers. With Swiss precision and complete discretion, a Mirabello specialist will assess whether it is right for you, or whether another route serves you better, in a free, confidential consultation.