Only a very few countries offer a passport for buying government debt in the form of treasury bills, bonds, securities and certificates. Turkey and St Lucia offer citizenship in exchange for investment treasury bonds for USD 300,000 (Limited offer)
Governments issue public debt in the form of bonds issued to citizens, international investors and companies.
A T-Bill is a short term debt instrument valid for less than a year, while T-Bonds are long term debt instruments valid over 5 years to 10 years. A government security is a bond issued by a government with a promise of repayment at maturity. These come with fixed interest rates payable at maturity.
Direct fast track citizenship and passport is possible for buyers of Government debt in the form of bonds without interest with 5 year holding period.
Citizenship by Investment
These countries offer citizenship for treasury bonds. Passport and citizenship approved within 3-4 months.
Citizenship by Investment (CBI) | Government bonds/securities |
Cyprus | CLOSED (€2 million – Govt bonds removed from 15th May 2019) |
St Kitts and Nevis | Not Available |
Dominica | Not Available |
Grenada | Not Available |
St Lucia | USD 300,000 National Govt bonds no interest (fully refundable) for 5 years |
Vanuatu | AUD 180,000 (no interest locked for 2 years) |
Turkey | Yes (USD 500,000 Govt bonds or treasury securities) |
North Macedonia | EUR 400,000 (securities and bonds) |
Bulgaria | CLOSED / EUR 1 million (Govt Bonds/securities removed from March 2021) |
Jordan | USD 1.5 million (Treasury securities) |
T-Bill – Treasury bill
T-Bond – Treasury Bond
Golden visa
These countries offer instant residence rights or golden visa in exchange for investment in government securities, bonds and bills. Residence visa approved within 3-4 months.
Golden visa | State bonds |
Spain | €2m |
Portugal | €1.5m |
Italy | €2m |
Luxembourg | €500,000 (Bonds) |
Bermuda | USD 2.5 million (Govt bonds) |
Canada | C$1.2m Quebec IIP (Opening in 2023) |
United Kingdom | CLOSED £2m closed from May 29, 2019. Only private/corporate bonds possible. |
Ireland | €2m |
Greece | €400,000 |
Bulgaria | €512,000 |
Latvia | €250,000 (interest free) |
Malta | CLOSED €250,000 interest free – removed from Mar 29, 2021 |
Australia | AU$ 1.5m |
New Zealand | NZ$ 3m |