Citizenships by Investment: The Best Countries

  • April 2025
  • Blog

Global Overview of CBI Programs:

There are now numerous countries that, in order to attract foreign investments e wealthy personalities from all over the world, offer the possibility of buy their passport in exchange for an outlay of money; in today's globalized world and especially with regard to countries less rich in their own resources, this opportunity is now becoming a normal practice has always been solid political and economic strategy to boost state coffers.

Clearly, each country offers its own investment solution (indeed, often more than one) based on their specific needs and capabilities. This makes the world of CBI Program extremely varied, allowing interested parties awide range of choice which can be tailored to their specific needs and possibilities.

But beyond the specific peculiarities of each one, what are the best CBI Programs in the world?

We have attempted to draw up our own list, based on both the contents of individual programs, Both on passport index that in general on our GV INDEX, which takes into account well 9 macro categories for each individual country and therefore allows us to evaluate the individual states also with regards to the opportunity that offers, to the beauty of the place, to the bureaucratic and fiscal system and to indices of political and economic freedom, as well as at future prospects of the country.

Below, therefore, is a list of those who, for our GV INDEX, are the best countries to buy a passport.

1.ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA

Il CBI Program Antigua and Barbuda is, in our opinion, the best in the Caribbean area. Even though it is his passport index slightly lower than that of another, more famous Caribbean country, St. Kitts and Nevis (which is also the first CBI Program designed in the world), the CBI Program Antigua and Barbuda It is slightly less expensive and offers a more varied choice.

But beyond the comparison between the two programs, Antigua and Barbuda offers a series of advantages over the better known St. Kitts in various fields, which should be considered when choosing a second citizenship.

First of all, Antigua and Barbuda is a Country with territorial taxation, which only taxes the income produced in the country, making all income generated abroad is tax neutral. Furthermore, i personal income is not taxed not even on the territory while companies are subject to a 25% tax rate (while St. Kitts has a corporate tax rate of 33%) but for those who work mainly with foreign countries there is the possibility of setting up the so-called International Business Company (IBC) that are exempt from income tax for all revenues generated outside the national territory.

The country also allows you to obtain a tax certificate proving to reside in the country for only 30 days.

In general, then, the public services are particularly efficient, as is the bureaucracy, he indices of political and economic freedom are quite high, in line with those of the countries of British Commonwealth.

2.CURACAO

On the other hand, the CBI Program of Curacao. This is a citizenship offer that is certainly more expensive than those of neighboring countries (the investment varies from a minimum of $ 280.000 to a maximum of over $ 800.000) and theobligation to remain in the country for at least 4 months a year for the entire period required to obtain citizenship (which varies depending on the investment made by To 3 5 years).

It does not seem to be one of the most advantageous programs among the available offers; the reason why it was chosen to include it in this list is however the fact that Curacao is part of the Dutch overseas territories, which means that with this program you can get the Dutch citizenship, which gives one of the most powerful passports in the world. An ideal solution for the non-European citizens that require a passport within the Schengen area, which grants, that is, the total freedom of movement throughout the European Union.

Furthermore, it is possible to make the required investment in Curacao and then stay at least 4 months a year in any of the Dutch territories, including the Netherlands itself. Which means that it can be the ideal solution for those who intend physically move to Europe and considers it useful, in the meantime, to start a citizenship program faster than naturalization, while maintaining with the same investment also a possible Plan B in the Caribbean.

3.MALTA

For those interested in a European citizenship which guarantees entry into the area a Schengen, another interesting solution is definitely Malta. Even in this case the investment required is not cheap (between the cost of the investment and fees it exceeds one million euros), but it is one of the most powerful passports that can be purchased with a CBI Program.

Furthermore, Malta is known for the numerous tax advantages it offers: from the solution for non-dom resident which are taxed only on income derived in Malta, from full exemption on corporate dividends and royalties, up to full exemption on inheritances.

Malta is also a particularly attractive country for investments and business opportunities from abroad and can therefore constitute an ideal solution for those who want to start a business in a country at the gates of Europe and capable of guaranteeing the rights granted by a Schengen, in a context of strong economic freedom within a solid and rather tolerant democracy.

Discover the regulatory and tax aspects of different countries with our GV Index.

Discover the Countries

4.MAURITIUS

The fourth country on our list may leave those who know the subject and have already had the opportunity to evaluate the countries that sell their citizenship perplexed, because, in reality, Mauritius is not listed as a country with a CBI Program.

This is formally true: Mauritius does not offer citizenship by investment. However, there is a law, the Mauritius Citizenship Act, which, in art. 9 paragraph 3, establishes that the Government, at its discretion, has the power to grant the citizenship to any foreign investor that has invested in the country at least $500.000 in community outreach. Although it is not an automatic consequence, it is a concrete possibility and regularly provided for by law, which can eventually be evaluated directly with the country's institutions.

La Mauritian citizenship does not grant only one of the Africa's Most Powerful Passports and the possibility of living in a real paradise, but also of accessing a Country very open to foreign investments (ranks among the top 15 countries in the world for economic freedom index), in the growth phase and with a taxation well below average of most developed countries (we are talking about the 15% on income, interest and dividends and 0% on capital gains). The country is also out of the European blacklists of non-collaborative countries and is not being monitored by theOECD.

Finally, it is the country on the African continent with the highest index of economic freedom and democracy.

5.TURKEY

Another interesting citizenship by investment program is that of Turkey.

Turkey is one of the emerging countries of the last decades and thanks to its strategic position between three continents enjoys great advantages not only in terms geopolitical and strategic alliances, But also great business opportunities as a crossroads between Asia, Africa and Europe. It can therefore constitute a ideal plan B for those who intend to start or develop their own business activity, in particular for the export data i low production costs has always been taxation below the Eurasian average (companies pay a tax of 20%).

Furthermore, among the options for obtaining the Turkish passport there is that in Real Estate, for a minimum amount of € 400.000, a solution that can also be evaluated in terms of investment, since the prices of the Turkish real estate market are constantly increasing in these years.

Among the disadvantages, however, there is a low passport index, which does not allow entry Visa Free neither in the EU nor in other major countries such as the USA and Great Britain. However, it can be an excellent option for those who need to travel or do business with the South America or the main ones Southeast Asian Countries.

6. NORTH MACEDONIA

Another interesting citizenship by investment program is that of Northern Macedonia. Certainly little treated by those who deal with relocation e international legal structures, North Macedonia is actually an interesting country to “bet” on for the future. Beyond the improvement of infrastructure and institutions, as well as the constant economic growth in terms of GDP (which has actually slowed down in the last two years), the Balkan country offers good business opportunity: with a very low taxation, Equal to 10% on both income and companies, assures one of the lowest ratings in Europe in terms of tax burden. Furthermore, to date it does not adhere to the system CRS, offering a decent level of international and interbank privacy and it doesn't have a CFC regulation. In view of the future, North Macedonia is already candidate for entry into the European Union, so potentially in theSchengen Area.

The country can therefore be a good choice for thestarting a business. The advantage also consists in the fact that starting a company on site allows, on the other side of the coin, to obtain the Macedonian citizenship: CBI Program of the country, in fact, allows you to obtain citizenship through a entrepreneurial investment which leads to the opening of a company on site with at least 10 employees. The minimum investment, however, is not the cheapest, being fixed on €400.000, but on the other hand it does not require the necessary physical presence to carry out the application.

There is, however, one disadvantage to take into account: North Macedonia. does not allow dual citizenship; consequently, by starting the CBI Program procedures you will be forced to renounce citizenship of origin.

Conclusions

The countries listed in this article clearly constitute only a small part of those offering Investment opportunities for citizenship, selected because they were considered more particular and more attractive. Clearly, there is no standard solution for all specific needs that every customer can have, which is why beyond the general considerations, when choosing to evaluate the hypothesis of a second citizenship or of an plan B It is important to take into account all possible hypotheses and seek assistance from experts in the field which can identify and illustrate the specific advantages of each individual option, in order to identify the one best suited to your specific needs and particular objectives.

 

If you are interested in evaluating the possibility of a plan B and a second citizenship, do not hesitate to fill out the form on our website to receive a consultancy tailored to your needs.

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