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The Family Math: Which CBI Programs Deliver the Lowest Cost Per Passport? · IMI Podcasts

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Headline donation figures lie.
• 0:02
  SPEAKER_00: A citizenship by investment program quoting$200,000 can run to$267,944 once a government stacks due diligence, processing, interview, oath, and passport fees on top.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: And the program that costs least for one person may not cost least for six.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: Dependent pricing follows wildly different logic from one jurisdiction to the next.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: Every program below offers routes beyond donation, such as real estate, government bonds, and business investment.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: This comparison isolates the lowest cost qualifying route in each country because that is what determines the floor.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: We standardize family composition across all programs so the numbers could sit side by side.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: Single, one applicant, family of four, applicant, spouse, two children under 12.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: Family of six, applicant, spouse, four children under 12, family of eight, applicant spouse, six children under twelve.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: Children under twelve means no DD fees trigger in programs that charge DD only above 16 or 17.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: This is a static structure chosen for comparability.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_00: Real families look different.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: Add a teenager, a parent over 55, or an adult sibling, and the total shift, sometimes by tens of thousands of dollars.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: The notes below each program flag where eligibility extends beyond this baseline, but the table reflects only the standardized composition.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: Included in every total, base donation or minimum investment, processing fees, DD, interview fees, certificate and oath charges, and passport issuance.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_00: These are fixed government costs regardless of which agent files the application.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: Where passport issuance fees do not appear on a program's main CBI webpage, they have been sourced from supplementary government schedules or cross-referenced against licensed agent breakdowns,$361 U.S.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_00: dollars per person in Dominica, for instance, confirmed by Immigrant Invest, a licensed CBIU agent.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: Excluded agent fees, tax, wire transfer fees, document authentication, courier charges, travel, and other ancillary costs, medical exams, police clearances, notarization, apostles, translations.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: These vary by firm, jurisdiction, and applicant circumstance.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: Lowest cost qualifying route per program.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: Sorted by family of four per passport cost, ascending.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_00: Egypt's spouse does not receive citizenship simultaneously.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: She becomes eligible through spousal naturalization after two years.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_00: The denominator includes her, but her passport arrives late.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_00: Antiga operates two donation funds.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: The National Development Fund, NDF, costs less for families of four or fewer.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_00: The University of the West Indies, UWI Fund, costs less for families of six or more.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_00: The table shows whichever fund produces the lower total at each family size.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: Son Tomei and Prince Sipe and Nauru both price their base contribution at$90,000.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_00: Nauru's figure comes via a limited time offer running until June 30th, 2026.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: After that, the standard contribution reverts to$115,000.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_00: From that shared starting point, the fee structures diverge in ways that favor Santome at every family size.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_00: Santome charges a flat$5,000 US dollars submission fee and$750 US dollars per person for documents, passport, national ID certificate, per the official CIP schedule, no separate DD fee, marginal cost per additional family member,$5,750 US dollars,$5,000 dependent contribution plus$750 US dollars documents.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: NARU layers more.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: Each additional family member adds$2,000 to the contribution and$2,000 in application fees.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_00: DD runs$6,000 for the principal applicant and$3,000 US doll per dependent aged 16 and over.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: Minors under 16 are exempt.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: Marginal cost per child under 16, 4,000 US dollars.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: Per adult dependent, 7,000 US dollars.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_00: Neuru's lower per child marginal, 4,000 US dollars versus 5,750 US dollars, narrows the gap as families grow but never closes it.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: Single, Son Tome by 5,250 US dollars, 95,750 US dollars versus 101,000 US dollars.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: Family of four, Sonome by 13,000 US dollars, 103,000 US dollars versus 116,000 US dollars, family of 6, Some Tome by 9,500 US dollars, 114,500 US dollars versus 124,000 US dollars.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_00: Family of eight, Son Tome still, by 6,000 US dollars, 126,000 US dollars versus 132,000 US dollars.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_00: The gap only reverses at a family of roughly 12.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_00: For any realistic household, Soundome is the least expensive program.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_00: Launched in August 2025, Soundome drew 98 applications in its first four and a half months.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: Neither passport opens the Schengen area, the UK, or North America.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_00: Nauru's 87 visa-free destinations took a hit when the UK revoked access in December 2025.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_00: Sound covers 75.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_00: One wrinkle.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_00: Nauru's LTO expires June 30th.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_00: After that, the base contribution rises to$115,000, and the spread at every family size widens further.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_00: Five sovereign programs sit between$258,000 and$270,544 U.S.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_00: dollars for a family of four.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_00: A$12,544 US dollar spread.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_00: Inside that band, the ranking shifts with family size and two widely held assumptions about Caribbean pricing turn out to be wrong.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_00: St.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_00: Lucia's National Economic Fund, NEF, is widely quoted as the Caribbean's priciest CBI option.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_00: That is a conflation of two different routes.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_00: The$30,000 to$45,000 US dollative fee layer applies to real estate applicants, not NEF donors.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: The government website lists no such fees under the NEF.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_00: What actually sits on top of the$240,000 contribution?
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_00: Processing,$2,000, main applicant, plus$1,000 per dependent.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_00: DD$8,000, the main applicant, plus$5,000 per dependent, age 16 plus.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_00: Family of four total,$258,000.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_00: Per passport,$64,500 US dollars.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_00: That edges out every other Caribbean program at this family size.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_00: Grenada sits$300 US dollars for a family of four,$258,300 versus$258,000.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_00: All fees per the official IMA schedule.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_00: NTF contribution,$235,000, single or family up to four.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_00: Application,$1,500 US dollars per person, all ages.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_00: DD$5,000 US dollars per person age 17 plus.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_00: Processing$1,500 US dollars per person age 17 plus$500 US dollars under 17.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_00: Mandatory interview$1,000 US dollars per person age 17 plus.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_00: Passport,$350 adult,$250 minor.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_00: Oath of allegiance,$50 U.S.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_00: doll per person aged$18 plus.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_00: For families larger than$4, each additional dependent under$55 adds$25,000 US doll to the NTF contribution.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_00: Siblings cost$75,000 US dollars.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_00: That escalation pushes grenadas per passport cost higher than St.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_00: Lucia at every family size above four.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_00: Antiga runs four investment tracks, Eno NDF donation, UWWI fund donation, real estate business investment.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_00: On cost, only the two donation funds matter.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_00: The NDF charges$230,000 plus$20,000 in processing for any family size.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_00: The UWI fund charges$260,000 with processing rolled in for the first six members.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_00: Below six, the NDF wins.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_00: At six or above, the UWI fund wins.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_00: At$36,988 US dollars per passport for a family of eight, the UWI fund delivers the Caribbean's best value for large households.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_00: Antiga also casts the widest eligibility net in the region.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_00: Spouse, children under 30, parents and grandparents over 55, and unmarried siblings of any age.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_00: Dominica's Economic Diversification Fund, EDF, offers the Caribbean's lowest solo entry at$210,361 U.S.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_00: dollars.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_00: For families, the contribution jumps to$250,000, up to three dependents, and each additional miner adds$25,000.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_00: That jump moves Dominica behind St.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_00: Lucia, Grenada, and Antigua for a family of four.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_00: Government fees on top of the EDF contribution.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_00: DD$7,500, main applicant, plus$4,000 US dollars per dependent age 16 plus.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_00: Certificate of naturalization,$500 US dollars per person.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_00: Interview$1,000 per person age$16 plus.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_00: Processing$1,000 per application.
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_00: Passport,$361 US dollars per person.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_00: One structural advantage: the EDF carries none of the government fee layer,$75,000 to$100,000, that Dominica imposes on real estate applicants.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_00: St.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_00: Kitts charges$250,000 under its Sustainable Island State Contribution, SISC, for a single applicant or a family of up to four.
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_00: No separate government processing fee sits on top, the only Caribbean program built that way.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_00: The ancillary charges add up differently.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_00: DD$10,000, main applicant, plus$7,500 per dependent, age 16 plus.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_00: Application processing,$250 US dollars per applicant.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_00: Passport,$361 US dollars per applicant, certificate of naturalization,$50 US dollars per applicant.
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_00: Bank due diligence,$100 US dollars per applicant.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_00: Beyond the initial four,$25,000 US dollars per additional dependent under$18,$50,000 for those$18 and over.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_00: Turkey sits alone at$400,000 US dollars for a real estate purchase, three-year hold.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_00: Spouse and children under$18 ride on the same application at no additional CBI specific cost.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_00: The costs on top of the$400,000 are standard property transaction and citizenship application charges, not standardized, CBI fees, title deed fee, Tapu HARCHA, nominally 4%, but typically split with the seller.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_00: Notary and translation, approximately$1,000 or more.
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_00: Residence permit application fee.
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_00: Citizenship application filing fee.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_00: These vary by property and municipality, a conservative estimate for mandatory government costs above the investment itself, approximately$5,000.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_00: Two things distinguish Turkey from every other program on this list.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_00: First, the property trades on an open market, meaning the investor may see appreciation rather than writing the entire sum off as a sunk cost.
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_00: Second, dependent eligibility runs narrow.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_00: No parents, no adult children, no siblings.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_00: Turkey prices are attractive per passport for large nuclear families, but it cannot accommodate multi-generational applications.
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_00: Egypt charges a$250,000 donation plus a flat$10,000 state fee, regardless of family size.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_00: Children under 21 qualify.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_00: Much like Turkey, Egypt operates on an open market policy when it comes to its$350,000 property investment.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_00: We included its donation option, however, as it remains the lowest price point on offer.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_00: The catch sits in the fine print.
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_00: The spouse does not receive citizenship simultaneously.
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_00: She becomes eligible through spousal naturalization after two years.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_00: On day one, a family of four holds three passports, not four.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_00: Sierra Leone's Go for Gold program charges$140,000 for the main applicant and$10,000 per normal dependent, spouse, children under 18, parents, grandparents.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_00: DD fees sit on top:$5,000 for up to five applicants,$10,000 for$6 to$10.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_00: Following an October 2025 expansion, the eligibility net stretches to siblings under 30, multiple spouses, adult children, and unrelated business partners,$30,000 each.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_00: Mobility is at the low end, 66 visa-free destinations concentrated within the economic community of West African states, ECOWAS.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_00: As of January 2026, Sierra Leone falls among countries under full U.S.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_00: entry suspension.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_00: Vanuatu's Development Support Program, or DSP, charges$130,000 for a solo applicant, scaling to$180,000 for a family of four, with$10,000 per additional member.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_00: The FIU due diligence fee of$5,000 applies once per application, not per person.
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_00: Processing runs 30 to 60 days.
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_00: Nothing else in CBI comes close on speed.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_00: The passport lost Schengen and UK visa-free access in recent years.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_00: What remains is Pacific and Asian mobility.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_00: On paper, donation routes produce lower mandatory costs for every family size.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_00: Caribbean real estate routes layer government fees,$50,000 to$100,000, on top of the property investment itself.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_00: The case for real estate is capital recovery.
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_00: A$270,000 Grenada property sold after the five-year hold could return most of the outlay.
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_00: If it does, Grenada's net unrecoverable cost for a family of four drops to roughly$38,300 US dollars or$9,575 US dollars per passport, the lowest effective figure in the Caribbean.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_00: Turkey's open market model makes the recovery arithmetic more interesting.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_00: Caribbean CBI properties circulate primarily among successive CBI applicants, a shallow secondary market.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_00: Turkish real estate trades in a liquid national market with genuine price discovery.
• 15:53
  SPEAKER_00: Consider a family of four that buys at 400,000 US dollars and pays approximately 5,000 US dollars in taxes and fees.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_00: If the property sells for 410,000 US doll after the three-year hold, the family pocketed$5,000 net and walked away with four passports.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_00: If it sells for$390,000, the total loss is around$15,000 or roughly$3,750 per passport.
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_00: Even a modest depreciation scenario puts Turkey's effective per passport cost below Saint Tomei's.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_00: Both recovery scenarios, Caribbean and Turkish, depend on resale.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_00: Neither is guaranteed.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_00: Prices change.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_00: Promotional offers expire.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_00: Nauru's LTO runs out on June 30th, 2026.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_00: Governments revise fee schedules without advance notice.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_00: Any figure in this article is a snapshot, not a quote.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_00: Every total above assumes the same static family, a principal applicant, spouse, and minor children under 12.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_00: Real families rarely fit that mold.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_00: Adding a parent over 55 to a Grenada application costs$50,000 in additional NTF contribution alone.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_00: Adding an adult sibling costs$75,000.
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_00: In Dominica, a parent over$65 triggers a$40,000 additional EDF contribution and$4,000 in DD.
• 17:25
  SPEAKER_00: In Antigua, a sibling of any age adds only$20,000 under the UWI fund.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_00: These differences can rearrange the entire ranking.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_00: The only reliable way to price a specific family structure is to consult a qualified, licensed agent who can map the exact composition against each program's fee schedule and produce a binding quotation.
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_00: The table above sets the baseline.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_00: The agent sets the price.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_00: This episode first appeared as an article by Amada Bas on IMIDaily.com.
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_00: Subscribe for free to the IMI newsletter for breaking news and updates from the investment migration industry, and upgrade your membership to IMI Pro to get access to our exclusive professional community, citizenship catalog, investment migration company Rolodex, private briefings, and more members only content.