Independent index: figures taken from official tariffs, not from agents
themigrationroute.com/
CBI
Citizenship
by investment (CBI)
A non-refundable contribution or investment — the passport is issued right away, no naturalisation wait. Mostly Caribbean nations, Vanuatu, and a handful of other jurisdictions.
A good fit if
You need a second passport fast — anywhere from 6 weeks to a few months.
The priority is visa-free mobility, not the right to live in a specific country.
You accept a non-refundable contribution (most programmes never return the money).
A poor fit if
Your goal is to live and work in the issuing country: most CBI passports are not tied to actually relocating.
Your budget caps out below $90,000 — that is still the CBI floor.
Your source of funds is hard to document — due diligence here is especially thorough.
How it differs from neighbouring categories
Unlike RBI, it grants citizenship immediately, not just residence — no naturalisation wait. The resulting passport almost never grants the right to live in the EU/US/UK — only visa-free travel.
Programmes in this category in the index, cheapest to costliest:
COUNTRY
PROGRAMME
ENTRY FROM
TIMELINE
São Tomé & PríncipeDevelopment fund contribution
$90,000
from 7 mo.
NauruTreasury fund contribution
$90,000
from 3 mo.
VanuatuDSP programme
$130,000
from 2 mo.
DominicaEDF fund contribution
$200,000
from 9 mo.
Antigua & BarbudaNDF fund contribution
$230,000
from 8 mo.
GrenadaNTF fund contribution
$235,000
from 8 mo.
Saint LuciaNEF fund contribution
$240,000
from 1 yrs
St Kitts & NevisSISC fund contribution
$250,000
from 7 mo.
EgyptTreasury contribution
$250,000
from 9 mo.
TürkiyeReal estate purchase
$400,000
from 8 mo.