Citizeo
Report

The Cheapest Citizenship by Investment Programs (Second Passports), Ranked

Key findings

  • Nauru has the lowest listed current contribution in this dataset: $90,000 under a temporary special-project designation through June 30, 2026, or $115,000 under the standard single-applicant contribution.
  • Vanuatu remains one of the lowest-cost established direct second-passport pathways, starting around $130,000.
  • The Caribbean programs cluster tightly between $200,000 and $250,000 while generally offering stronger travel access than Nauru or Vanuatu.
  • Grenada has an extra strategic benefit for some investors: citizens can use the US E-2 treaty-investor visa if they make a qualifying US investment.

A second passport can cost as little as $90,000 under Nauru's current temporary special-project contribution, or $115,000 under its standard single-applicant contribution. Vanuatu starts around $130,000, and the Caribbean programs, starting around $200,000, buy visa-free access to ~140-150 countries including the Schengen Area. This report ranks citizenship-by-investment and official investment-citizenship pathways by their lowest qualifying contribution or investment.

See the full breakdown: compare all citizenship-by-investment programs, or read our report on the fastest second passports.

Cheapest passports you can buy, ranked

Rank Country Program Visa-free access Processing From (investment)
1 Nauru Economic and Climate Resilience Citizenship ~90 ~3 months $115,000 standard ($90,000 temporary through Jun. 30, 2026)
2 Vanuatu Vanuatu CBI ~90 ~1-2 months $130,000
3 Dominica Dominica Citizenship - Donation ~140 ~4-6 months $200,000
4 North Macedonia Special economic interest citizenship ~125 Varies €200,000
5 Antigua and Barbuda Antigua & Barbuda Citizenship - Donation ~150 ~3-6 months $230,000
6 Grenada Grenada Citizenship - Donation ~148 ~4-6 months $235,000
7 Saint Lucia Saint Lucia Citizenship - Donation ~145 ~3-6 months $240,000
8 Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Kitts & Nevis Citizenship - Donation ~150 ~4-6 months $250,000
9 Turkey Turkish Citizenship by Investment ~110 (no Schengen) ~4-6 months $400,000
10 Jordan Jordanian Citizenship by Investment ~55 Varies JOD 350,000+
11 El Salvador El Salvador Freedom Visa ~130 Varies $1,000,000

North Macedonia and Jordan are included because official government sources describe investment-linked citizenship pathways, but they should not be read like Caribbean donation programs. North Macedonia is a discretionary special economic interest pathway, and Jordan is an active business, shares, existing-investment, or job-creation framework.

Methodology

Figures come from Citizeo's structured dataset of citizenship and residency programs, reflecting publicly available rules as of June 2026. Where pathways are ranked by cost, mixed currencies are compared using approximate USD equivalents and amounts shown are the lowest qualifying option per program. Programs are excluded when we cannot reach a government, legal, or official program source confirming that the pathway and current thresholds are still in force. Ranked tables use competition ranking: pathways with the same ranked value share a rank, and the next rank is skipped.

Source notes