The Republic of Moldova has opened a new economic citizenship scheme aiming to attract foreign investors who invest a certain amount of money in Moldovan economy will be granted fast track citizenship. Investors and family also qualify for Moldovan passport which allows visa free travel to the EU.
Moldova is a landlocked country in eastern europe with a 4 million population, pursues actively for EU membership. The country does not participate in the schengen zone, but Moldova passport is a valuable passport with visa free travel to Europe, Russia and 121 countries. The service sector has grown to dominate Moldova’s economy and currently composes over 60% of the nation’s GDP.
Moldova member state of the UN, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the World Trade Organization, and many more.
Update: This scheme is currently suspended by Moldova government. No applications are accepted
Benefits
- Citizenship in country from Eastern europe
- Lifetime citizenship extended to future generations of family and children
- ‘No residency requirements, language tests or business skills (purely investment)
- Fast processing times (3 months)
- All citizens are entitled to Moldovan passport
- Visa free access to 121 countries in the world including Europe, Schengen area, Russia, Turkey etc..
- Strict due diligence and vetting process proposed for Moldova CBI
- Cheapest CBI schemes for second passport.
Investment conditions
Moldova offers three routes for citizenship under the MCBI scheme
- Donation to Public Government Fund for Economic Development (EUR 100,000)
- Real Estate (EUR 250,000)
- Government bonds/stocks/securities (EUR 250,000)
1.Donation
A minimum non-refundable contribution to the PIF starting from
- EUR 100,000 for a single applicant.
- EUR 115,000 is required for a couple,
- EUR 145,000 for a family of four, and EUR 155,000 for a family of five or more.
- Additional service fees total EUR 35,000 per application.
Government fees
In addition, applicants are required to pay government fees of
- EUR 5,000 for the main applicant,
- EUR 2,500 for a spouse,
- EUR 1,000 for a dependent child, and
- EUR 5,000 for a dependent parent. Dependent children can be up to 29 years of age, and dependent parents — of the main applicant as well as the spouse — who are 55 years of age or older can be included.
Due diligence fee
Due diligence fees are
- EUR 6,000 for the main applicant and
- EUR 5,000 for a spouse, dependent children older than 16 years, and/or dependent parents.
Passport fee
Biometric passport fees amount to EUR 300 per individual
2. Real Estate
Foreign Investors must buy a property for EUR 250,000 or more to qualify for Moldovan citizenship and passport.
3. Government Bonds
Interested applicants can buy interest free debt securities or bonds issued by Government for EUR 250,000 which is locked for five years and later fully refunded back by the Government. The Investor gets to keep his passport and citizenship for life even after withdrawing the investment.
Processing time
The regulations stipulate that the issuance of a certificate of naturalization under the MCBI program shall take a maximum of three months from the date on which the complete application is submitted, provided that the due diligence processes are carried out without difficulties.
Before an application is submitted to the government, all the relevant information provided (including the background of the applicant and any dependents) will be verified by one or more specialized due diligence agents. Furthermore, the specific fees must have been received, and the source of all funds must have been verified.
Once all the above requirements have been satisfied and the final payments have been made, a certificate of naturalization will be issued, enabling the passport to be issued immediately thereafter.
Moldova Passport
Moldova, a country of 4 million inhabitants, offers its citizens visa-free access to 121 destinations, including all the countries in Europe’s Schengen Area but also, for example, Russia and Turkey. It has entered into an association agreement with the EU and is aiming to become a candidate country for EU membership
Moldova is actively pursuing EU membership.