São Tomé and Príncipe’s Citizenship by Investment (CBI) program has made a strong entrance since its launch, attracting broad international interest in a short period of time and positioning itself as a serious emerging option in the investment migration space.

Early Program Performance

Launched in September 2025, the program issued its first citizenship passport in January, only four months after opening. Since launch, 98 applications have been submitted by investors representing 27 different nationalities, with an average of around 20 applications per month.

Top Applicant Nationalities

Russian nationals make up the largest share of applicants, driven mainly by sanctions that have limited access to EU golden visa routes and Caribbean CBI programs. Chinese and German applicants follow, and together these three nationalities represent more than half of all submissions.

Geographic Reach

Applications have come from a wide range of regions including Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and the Americas. This broad geographic distribution confirms that São Tomé’s CBI program is globally oriented rather than focused on a single market.

Applicant Profile and Processing Efficiency

Nearly half of all applications were submitted by single applicants, with the remaining cases coming from families of different sizes. Men significantly outnumber women among main applicants. Authorities have approved all applications processed so far, with an average processing time of 2.5 months and some cases completed in as little as four weeks.

Summary

In its early months, the São Tomé CBI program recorded close to one hundred applications from a diverse range of nationalities. The figures point to solid demand, efficient processing, and positive market confidence.