Moldova and Montenegro announced their new citizenship by investment schemes in 2018 both countries are expected to receive excess of 1 billion euros through the CBI schemes .
Moldova and Montenegro CBI programs should not be confused with each other.
The main difference between the two CBI schemes are..
- Montenegro is a limited citizenship scheme only accepts 2000 applications. Moldova has no limits.
- Both Moldova and Montenegro passports do not have a visa free travel to United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and United States.
- Moldova is the cheapest citizenship by investment scheme while Montenegro is quite expensive
- Currently both Moldova and Montenegro do not have EU membership and are not members of schengen area.
Here are the quick comparison between the programs.
| Moldova | Montenegro
| |
| Country Background | Moldova actively pursues EU membership
| Candidate country for EU membership, expected to join EU and Schengen area by 2025 Population: 630,000 |
| Launch of CIP | Launched on Nov 3, 3018 (now closed) | Launched on 1 Jan 2019 and will close by Dec 31, 2022 |
| Name of Scheme | Moldova Citizenship by Investment (MCBI) Program | Montenegro Special Citizenship by Admission Program (MSCAP) |
| CBI Model | Donation model tender won by by Henley & Partners | Grant + Investment model designed by Government of Montenegro within the institutions |
| Minimum Investment | EUR 100,000 (donation) plus fees | EUR 250,000 (investment in real estate development projects) + Contribute EUR 100,000 to Montenegro. Total starts from EUR 350,000 onwards plus fees. |
| Applications | currently open | opens on Q2 2019 |
| Citizenship time | 3 months | 3 months |
| Passport for family | yes | yes |
| Residency requirements | none | 3 weeks |
| Scheme limit | No limit | 2000 applications running only for three years |
| Passport rank | 46th | 45th |
| Visa free countries | 122 | 123 |
| Visa free travel | Europe, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, Israel, Bahamas | Europe, Russia, Turkey, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Israel, South Korea, Singapore, Ukraine, UAE, Uruguay, Hong Kong |
| Visa required | UK, Ireland, Canada, United States, Japan, UAE, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, China, Australia, Brazil, Chile, South Africa, Thailand, Uruguay, Hong Kong | UK, Ireland, Australia, Canada, United States, New Zealand, Bahamas, China, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa, Thailand |
| E-2 investor visa to United States | Yes | Yes |
| E-1 visa to United States | No | Yes |
