With the rollout of its golden passport scheme, São Tomé and Príncipe is offering expats citizenship in a remote, picturesque island country off West Africa’s coast.
The São Tomé & Príncipe Citizenship by Investment Program launched in 2025, allowing eligible foreigners to gain citizenship through an investment of $90,000, plus processing fees. The money goes to the country’s National Transformation Fund, which allocates funds to develop São Tomé and Príncipe’s “infrastructure, social, and economic development projects.”
The processing time for the West African island country’s golden passport applications is typically around two months – a short turnaround time for those who want to become a São Toméan quickly. Moreover, applicants don’t need to visit the country during the processing time or own property on the islands to be eligible.
Individual applications can include up to three eligible dependents for an additional $5,000. Those persons can be the applicant’s partner, spouse, children “up to 30” years old, or parents or grandparents who are 55 and older. Once granted, the citizenship acquired through São Tomé and Príncipe‘s golden passport is inheritable, meaning your descendants will also have it.
To be eligible, applicants must be at least 18 years old, have no criminal record, and be able to share their identification information. They must also provide proof of income and pass “comprehensive due diligence checks.”
What To Know Before Visiting São Tomé And Príncipe
São Tomé and Príncipe is Africa’s second-smallest country. It’s located in the Gulf of Guinea, less than 200 miles from Gabon on the mainland. The country’s two main islands are São Tomé and Príncipe, and it also includes several islets.
One of the country’s nicknames is “The African Galápagos,” as it’s home to an immense variety of rare plants and animals. It has also been nicknamed the “Chocolate Islands” because of its large-scale cocoa and chocolate production in the 19th and 20th centuries. Notably, last month, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) inscribed São Tomé and Príncipe’s first inclusion on its World Heritage Sites list. The inscription pertains to a collection of six “roças,” former Portuguese colonial plantations which were primarily for coffee and cocoa.
The State Department currently has a “Level 3 – Reconsider Travel” advisory for Americans to weigh before traveling to São Tomé and Príncipe. The United States government last updated the advisory in April 2026, and the directive highlights concerns surrounding safety, health, and unrest in the West African country. Canada’s government last updated its travel advisory for São Tomé and Príncipe in late July, and it indicates the lowest travel risk, advising travelers to “take normal security precautions.”
