Citizenship by investment in 2026: the routes still open, compared.

Jason’s specialism is the Portugal Golden Visa. He is asked about second passports most often by clients who already hold, or are applying for, Portuguese residency and want a travel document sooner than Portugal’s ten-year citizenship track allows. This page sets out the facts for the five routes that remain open, so you can see which questions to ask before an introduction to the regulated partner who runs the application.

What changed in 2025 and 2026

Malta’s citizenship-by-investment programme closed following the Court of Justice of the EU ruling of 29th April 2025 (Case C-181/23). There is no investment route to an EU passport in 2026. What remains in Malta is a residence programme, covered on the residency page.

Since 1st July 2024 the five Eastern Caribbean programmes have operated under a shared minimum of US$200,000, agreed between the governments. Each has set its own floor above or at that figure. Due diligence has tightened across all five, with interviews now standard.

Portugal’s own citizenship rules changed on 19th May 2026 under Lei Orgânica n.º 1/2026. The residence period before a citizenship application is now ten years for most nationalities and seven for EU and CPLP nationals, counted from the date the first residence permit is issued. That change is the main reason interest in a Caribbean passport alongside a Portuguese residency has increased this year.

The five routes compared

Each programme also offers an approved real-estate route at a higher figure, with a holding period. Government, due-diligence and passport fees sit on top of every figure in the table and vary by family size. Ask for a full itemised cost before comparing routes.

How a citizenship-by-investment application runs

The process is broadly the same across the five programmes. An authorised agent prepares the file - identity, police clearances, source-of-funds evidence, medical - and submits it to the government unit. Due diligence is carried out by independent firms and, since 2024, includes an interview. On approval you make the contribution or investment, then the passport is issued. Most files complete within four to eight months from submission.

Jason does not handle the application himself. He sets out the facts, helps you frame the questions, and introduces you to a licensed agent in the chosen jurisdiction. He stays your single point of contact throughout.

Citizenship by investment alongside the Portugal Golden Visa

The two are not alternatives. A Caribbean passport gives visa-free travel and a second nationality but no right to live in the EU. The Portugal Golden Visa gives EU residency on an average of about seven days a year in Portugal, with permanent residency available after five years and citizenship after ten. Some clients hold both. The residency page sets out the European routes. Outside Europe, Panama’s Qualified Investor Visa offers immediate permanent residency from $300,000 in a territorial-tax, US-dollar economy — covered in the complete Panama Golden Visa guide. For the head-to-head with Portugal, see Panama vs Portugal for Americans.

Questions to ask before choosing a route

Which family members are included at the base contribution, and what does each additional dependant cost. Whether the programme requires a visit, and how often. What the current visa-free list looks like for the countries that matter to you. Whether the programme has changed its price or rules in the last twelve months, and whether more change is expected. Who is legally responsible for your file and what happens if it is refused.