"The "golden" passport of São Tomé and Príncipe

Citizenship by investment – just 2 months and $90,000

The law came into force on 1 August Decree-Law 07/2025, which regulates STP citizenship by investment, on the basis of which the government signed an exclusive 10-year contract with the Dubai-based company Passport Legacy, granting it the exclusive right to administer and process applications on behalf of the government.

ARR is a service provider for Passport Legacy in Portugal.

This passport is not “strong” in terms of visa-free entry to any countries (however, it allows visiting 104 states without a visa or with a visa on arrival), but today it is the fastest and most affordable second citizenship, if you were unlucky with the first one.

How much does it cost to become a citizen?

Prices in US dollars: application review – an advance payment of $5,000 for a single applicant or for the whole family. Once approved – $90.000 per applicant or $95.000 for a family of four (spouse, unmarried children under 30, parents over 55) and an additional $5,000 for each family member if there are more than four of you.

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Citizenship by investment – just 2 months and $90,000

Second passport – urgent, confidential. Asset protection, crisis "Plan B"
The quickest and cheapest route to citizenship: 60 days and $90,000. For a family, $95,000
A straightforward process. There are no exceptions for citizens of any country.
Neither a visit to the country, nor residence there, nor any obligations are required.
Simple acquisition of Portuguese D-type visas + residence permits upon arrival, auto-renewable.
7 years to a Portuguese passport instead of 10 years for other countries
To obtain a Portuguese passport, you do not need to pass tests on the language, history and culture.
Maintaining citizenship status does not require regular visits

Investments that matter

São Tomé and Príncipe is a civilised (albeit poor) African country, as you can see for yourself by coming as a tourist. The funds from the programme go into the National Transformation Fund, which undergoes an annual audit and is supervised by the Court of Audit and the Central Bank.

Projects for funding

Funds are being directed to priority projects: energy, deep-water port and container terminal, airport modernisation, transport and infrastructure, housing, education, healthcare, waste management, water purification, tourism, and development of local industry.

Step-by-step process of purchasing a São Tomé and Príncipe passport:

1We will prepare the application, and you will pay a fee of $5.000 for the application to be considered (Submission Fee).
2Sending documents: certificate of police clearance, proof of source of income, health certificate.
3The Citizenship by Investment Unit is conducting due diligence.
4Following the approval of the application, you carry out the transfer to the National Transformation Fund.
5The Citizenship by Investment Unit issues the passport(s) and sends them by courier service to any location.

FAQ on the use of the São Tomé passport in Portugal

If you have Russian or Ukrainian citizenship, prepare a police clearance certificate from your country of citizenship or the last country where you lived for more than a year. AIMA will check the Portuguese criminal record itself.

No – now you need to have a visa before entry. AIMA states that for the issuance of a residence permit to CPLP citizens, a consular visa sticker is now mandatory, and the appointment at AIMA is scheduled at the visa issuance stage. If entry was under a different status (visa-free / Schengen), you will have to leave and obtain the required visa.

You should apply to the Consulate of Portugal in São Tomé. Appointment online, free of charge. After the visa is issued, you will have a 4-month visa validity with 2 entries to apply for a residence permit at AIMA. It takes about a month to wait. The first residence permit is issued for 2 years and is subsequently renewed for 3 years. It counts towards the cumulative time required for citizenship.

Yes. While AIMA requests various proofs of funds from citizens of other countries (bank statements, contracts, passive income certificates) and requires them to have 12 minimum wages in their account, citizens of São Tomé and Príncipe can present Deed of Indemnity – a guarantee from a friend “to cover the cost of the journey home if necessary”, which can be signed by any resident of Portugal; only the signature musters being authenticated or made in front of an AIMA official.

For a residency permit, AIMA requires proof of the right to use accommodation (ownership / long-term rental agreement / right of residence) or statutory declaration from an acquaintance / relative with the application of proof of title (register extract / access code, contract, etc.). 

 

An online application via the AIMA portal can be submitted for family members who already in Portugal; for those who out For Portugal, you first need a family residence visa sticker from the consulate.

Where on earth is this São Tomé and is it worth going there?

Even if you have no intention of buying citizenship in this small (population 200,000) Portuguese-speaking country, you simply must visit it! You will be welcomed by friendly, smiling dark-skinned people who are not spoiled by tourist attention. This is one of the least visited countries in the world, welcoming 30,000 tourists a year. Here are a few photos from Dmitry Malov.

Oleg Zharov

Expert on São Tomé and Príncipe

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