Latest / IMI Podcasts / The Fastest 2nd Passport on Every Continent in 2026

Transcript

The Fastest 2nd Passport on Every Continent in 2026 · IMI Podcasts

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Six continents, six fastest routes to a new passport.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_00: On one end, you can hold a second citizenship in six weeks for just$90,000.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_00: On the other, you will need two years of uninterrupted residency just to apply.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_00: Where citizenship by investment or CBI programs exist, they dominate.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: A donation or real estate purchase beats years of residency every time.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: Where they do not exist, the naturalization clock decides the race.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: We map the fastest path to a new passport on every inhabited continent in 2026.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_00: So you know exactly where to look, what it costs, and what trade-offs come with each.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_00: Let's start with Africa's Fastest Passport, which is also the world's cheapest CBI program.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_00: Saltome Principe launched its citizenship program on August 1st, 2025, and by January 2026, it had already issued its first passport.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_00: Processing takes six to eight weeks, and the entire application can be completed remotely.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: A single applicant donates$90,000 to the National Transformation Fund plus a$5,000 submission fee.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: Families of up to four pay$95,000, with each additional dependent adding$5,000.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_00: The Citizenship Investment Unit operates as a public-private partnership headquartered in Dubai.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: Now, the Satamayan Passport grants limited global mobility compared to Caribbean or European travel documents.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_00: Visa-free and visa-on-arrival access covers 61 destinations, including South Africa, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: But travel to the European Union and the United Kingdom requires visas.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: The passport's strategic value is elsewhere.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_00: As a member of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries, or CPLP, Soutamayan citizens gain preferential immigration access to Portugal and Brazil.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_00: That CPLP connection opens a door to European residency that most CBI passports cannot match at this price point.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_00: Sierra Leone offers another fast option through its Go for Gold program.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: The standard fast track route costs$140,000 and processes in about 90 days.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: A heritage naturalization route targeting applicants of African ancestry costs$100,000 and can deliver citizenship in as little as 60 days, though it requires a DNA test.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: Moving to the Pacific.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: Vanuatu has been one of the fastest CBI programs in the world for years.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: The Development Support Program, or DSP, regularly delivers citizenship within 30 to 60 days.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: IMI agent surveys put the average processing time at 3.3 months when you factor in document preparation and banking clearances.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: A single applicant donates$130,000.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_00: Families of four pay$180,000.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_00: You must demonstrate personal or shared net assets of at least$250,000.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: Vanuatu also runs alternative routes through the CIIP framework, including investment-linked options starting at lower price points for families.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: The European Union permanently suspended Vanuatu's Schengen visa-free access in December 2024.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: The passport still opens roughly 90 destinations across Asia, the Middle East, and parts of the Americas.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: But Europe now requires a visa.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_00: For applicants who need Schengen access, pairing Vanuatu citizenship with a European residency program has become a common workaround.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: Nauru launched its economic and climate resilience citizenship program in November 2024, processing applications in three to four months.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: The base contribution is$115,000, though a limited-time offer running through June 30th, 2026, cuts the donation to$90,000 and matches Sao Tomé's price.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_00: But Nauru lost visa-free access to the United Kingdom in December 2025 after the UK Home Office cited CBI-related concerns.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_00: You can compare all of these programs side by side on IMI's Program Finder, where you can sort, filter, and compare more than 275 residency and citizenship programs in 140 countries.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_00: Asia has two active CBI programs and both deliver citizenship within three to six months.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_00: Turkey's program is the most popular direct citizenship program in the world by volume.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_00: More than 13,000 investors and their families have obtained Turkish citizenship since Ankara reduced the minimum threshold to$250,000 in 2018.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_00: That threshold was later raised to$400,000 in 2022, and that is where it sits today.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_00: The most common route is purchasing real estate worth at least$400,000, held for a minimum of three years.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_00: Alternatives include a$500,000 bank deposit, government bond purchase, or investment fund contribution.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_00: In February 2026, Istanbul's Provincial Directorate of Migration Management introduced same-day biometrics for CBI applicants.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_00: That means investors can complete both residence permit approval and citizenship application submission in a single day.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_00: Total processing from application to passport now sits under three months for well-prepared files.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_00: Turkish citizenship also carries a specific advantage: eligibility for the US E2 Treaty Investor Visa.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_00: Applicants who obtain citizenship through investment must be domiciled in Turkey for at least three years before applying.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: But the pathway is a draw for investors seeking indirect U.S.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: access.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_00: If real estate is your preferred route for Turkey, you can browse qualifying properties on IMI Real Estate, where only listings that qualify for residency or citizenship are collected.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_00: Cambodia operates Asia's only other CBI program, established under its 1996 Law on Nationality.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_00: The donation route requires a$245,000 contribution to the Royal Government.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_00: The investment route requires$305,000 in a project approved by the Cambodian Development Council.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_00: Total all-in costs typically reach$330,000 when you factor in government fees structured across four payment stages.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_00: One thing to note: applicants must visit Cambodia three times during the process for documentation, submission, and passport collection.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_00: The program permits dual citizenship and grants full property ownership rights, including the ability to hold land in your own name.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_00: The Cambodian passport provides visa-free access to all ASEAN member states, which matters for investors focused on Southeast Asian markets.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_00: Beyond the region, global mobility is limited to about 53 destinations.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_00: Cambodia is also not a member of the Common Reporting Standard, or CRS, which adds a layer of financial privacy that some applicants value.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: The Caribbean dominates North America's CBI market, and St.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_00: Kitts and Nevis runs the oldest program in the world.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_00: Established in 1984, it has set the standard that every subsequent CBI program has tried to replicate.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_00: The Sustainable Island State Contribution, or SISC route, requires a$250,000 non-refundable donation for a single applicant or a family of up to four.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_00: The real estate route starts at$325,000 for an approved development with a seven-year holding period, or$600,000 for a private single-family home.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_00: Processing takes four to six months, and the entire application can be completed remotely.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_00: The Catition passport grants visa-free access to roughly 157 destinations, including the Schengen area, the United Kingdom, Russia, and Saudi Arabia.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_00: That is a strong global mobility by any standard.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_00: The government has announced a 30-day minimum physical presence requirement for 2026, though it has not yet taken effect.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_00: All five Caribbean CBI nations fall within North America geographically: St.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_00: Kitts and Nevis, Dominica, Granada, Antigua and Barbuda, and St.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_00: Lucia.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_00: Dominica offers the lowest entry point at$200,000.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_00: Granada stands out for its unique access to the US, E2 Visa Treaty.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_00: Processing times across the Caribbean range from four to eight months.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_00: Now, El Salvador technically has the fastest CBI in the Western Hemisphere, at approximately two months, but there is a$1 million price tag, payable in Bitcoin or USDT.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_00: Industry observers have characterized it as overpriced relative to its passport value.
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_00: El Salvador's travel document grants access to roughly 137 visa-free destinations, including the Schengen area and the United Kingdom.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_00: But details about the program's structure, due diligence procedures, and application volume are scarce.
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_00: For most investors, the Caribbean offers better value.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_00: Europe presents a complicated picture.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_00: Turkey is transcontinental, straddling both Europe and Asia.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_00: For investors who classify Turkey as European, and it is a NATO member, a candidate for EU accession, and partly located on the European continent, it is the fastest citizenship available on European soil at$400,000 and three to six months.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_00: But Turkish citizenship does not come with EU membership benefits.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_00: You cannot live or work freely across the 27 EU member states.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_00: If EU access is what you need, the route is a golden visa followed by naturalization.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_00: There is no other active CBI program in Europe.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_00: Malta has recently introduced a citizenship by merit option, and Austria runs a similar framework, but timelines are not constant in either case.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_00: Some countries offer naturalization after five years of residency, Poland, Ireland, and for now Portugal among them.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_00: These are some of the fastest naturalization timelines in Europe, but none can compete with Turkey's three to six month CBI window.
• 10:13
  SPEAKER_00: If you want to find, sort, and contact immigration professionals in any jurisdiction, you can do so at imidaly.com slash find a pro.
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_00: South America has no active CBI program, which means naturalization is the only path.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_00: Argentina fills the gap with the fastest naturalization timeline in the region and one of the fastest in the world outside CBI jurisdictions.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_00: Foreign nationals who established legal residency in Argentina become eligible for citizenship after just two years.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_00: That is eligibility, not automatic approval.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_00: Once you qualify, the naturalization application itself can take additional months to process.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_00: The rentista visa requires proof of monthly income from foreign sources of approximately$2,000, and the process from residency application through naturalization has historically moved faster and more predictably than in neighboring countries.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_00: With Peru's recent extension of its naturalization timeline from two to five years, only Argentina and the Dominican Republic still offer two-year citizenships for most applicants.
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_00: Decree 366, 2025 changed the calculus though.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_00: Applicants must now be physically present in Argentina for the entire two-year period, and any departure from the country resets the clock.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_00: Before the decree, presence requirements were considerably more relaxed.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_00: The Argentine passport grants visa-free access to 172 destinations, including the Schengen area, and carries Mercosur residence agreement settlement rights across nine South American nations.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_00: Argentina also allows dual citizenship without restriction.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_00: The bigger news?
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_00: Argentina formalized the legal framework for Latin America's first CBI program through Decree 524-2025 in July 2025, creating the Agency for Citizenship by Investment Programs.
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_00: The minimum investment is expected to be approximately$500,000, directed toward productive projects.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_00: Program details are still being finalized, and market observers expect applications to begin in late 2026 or early 2027.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_00: If it launches as planned, Argentina will be the only country within the Mercosur bloc to offer both a two-year naturalization timeline through traditional residency and direct citizenship through investment.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_00: Your choice depends on what you need the passport for.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_00: If you need any second citizenship fast, Sao Tomé delivers in six weeks for$90,000.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_00: If you need a passport with real global mobility, the Caribbean is hard to beat.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_00: And if you are willing to wait two years for one of the most strategically valuable citizenships in the Western Hemisphere, Argentina is your answer.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_00: If Argentina caught your attention and you want to understand exactly what Mercosur settlement rights can do for you, check out the video on your screen now about how one passport unlocks five countries and 400 million people.