So important news about São Tomé and Príncipe. What has this country done recently? It has introduced a Citizenship by Investment option.
Earlier, if you noticed, only Caribbean countries like Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Grenada used to sell passports — around $100,000.
Then, restrictions were imposed on them, and they faced a lot of pressure from the USA and the European Union. So, what did they do? They increased the prices — doubled them. Now it’s a story of over $200,000.
The passport of this country (São Tomé and Príncipe) is relatively cheap.
There’s a country called São Tomé and Príncipe — a strange name, right? You might not have heard of it before. But it’s actually an island nation located in the Atlantic Ocean, in West Africa.
When you look toward the west coast of Africa — toward the sea — you’ll see a small island called São Tomé and Príncipe, and another one nearby called Cabo Verde.
So what did this country do? It recently introduced a Citizenship by Investment option. The market for Citizenship by Investment has expanded greatly.
Earlier, as it has been mentioned, only the Caribbean countries — Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Grenada — sold passports for around $100,000.
Then, restrictions and pressure from the USA and European Union came in, so they doubled the prices. Now it’s over $200,000, and you must pay that amount as a donation to get the passport.
After observing this, Turkey also started offering citizenship by investment. In Turkey’s case, you can obtain a passport by investing in property. It used to be $250,000, and later it became $400,000. 
The Turkish option is good because the money is refundable — it’s an investment, not a donation.
But in the Caribbean programs, it’s purely a donation.
Following this, Jordan launched a citizenship program, then Egypt, and even a small island country in the Pacific Ocean — Vanuatu — which is already quite well-known for its citizenship by investment program. Malta and Cyprus had similar programs before too.
Seeing all of this, new and especially small island nations started thinking — why not earn money in the same way? Because in citizenship by investment programs, the applicant just pays money; they don’t need to live in that country. They only use the passport for travel, business expansion, or opening companies in other countries.
So, keeping this in mind, São Tomé and Príncipe also recently launched its own program.
Before this, a country called Sierra Leone started a similar one, but it wasn’t very successful.
However, São Tomé and Príncipe’s program seems more attractive.
Why? Because this country is relatively better by African standards.
Most people get scared when they hear about African countries — thinking it’s unsafe or chaotic.
But São Tomé and Príncipe is peaceful, and its quality of life is good.
Education and healthcare are also better compared to many African countries.
Its official language is Portuguese, which is also interesting because most African countries have French or Arabic as their official languages.
The reason behind this is that Portugal used to colonize and rule São Tomé and Príncipe. So, naturally, the language remained Portuguese.
The major religion there is Christianity, and people’s names are also Portuguese.
Now, there’s something called the CPLP Agreement — an agreement between Portugal and the seven Portuguese-speaking countries, including Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Cabo Verde.
Because of this agreement, citizens of São Tomé and Príncipe can easily travel to or live in Portugal — they can even get temporary residence permits (TRC) in Portugal.
Most importantly, what makes passport attractive?
First, as it has been mentioned, the price is low compared to other countries.
Second, it’s very fast — you can get the passport within two to three weeks.
Third, the government has opened an official office in Dubai.
So, applicants don’t need to go far — they can just visit the office in Dubai, pay the amount, and get their passport.
These factors make it an appealing option for investors.
Recently, they launched this program, and they’re offering the passport for around $90,000 — roughly 5 crore Pakistani rupees.
Yes, that’s still a large amount, but for someone who has 50 crore rupees, it’s not much.
Because Citizenship by Investment programs are not meant for poor or middle-class people.
They’re designed for investors and businesspeople who can afford it — and for countries to raise funds from them.
So, as it has been mentioned:
- The price is lower than other countries.
- The process is faster (within 2–3 weeks).
- And there’s an official Dubai office, making it convenient.
Through this passport, you can travel visa-free to 62 countries, including Singapore, South Africa, Malaysia, and Thailand.
However, you cannot travel visa-free to Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia, or the UK — you’ll still need a visa for those.
But again, most people use such passports to open businesses or companies abroad, to diversify their assets and opportunities.
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