Nauru passport: citizenship of the world's smallest republic

Nauru puts its contributions, fees and family rules out in the open: they are written into the act and the regulations, which anyone can read on the government's law portal. How citizenship by investment works in general, and which programmes exist worldwide, is explained in Buying citizenship. Nauru deserves a close look because the lower contribution comes with a fixed deadline.

Nauru citizenship: what is behind the programme

The legal basis is the Naoero Economic and Climate Resilience Citizenship Act 2024, Act No. 15, certified by the Speaker of Parliament and in force since 20 August 2024. The implementing rules, the Naoero Economic and Climate Resilience Citizenship Regulations 2024, have applied since 30 October 2024. The government presented the programme to the world in 2024 at the COP 29 climate conference in Baku.

The name gives the purpose away. Under the act, anyone who makes a meaningful contribution to the country's social, economic or commercial development, or to climate protection, can become a citizen. The money goes into the Treasury Fund, the state budget under Article 58 of the Constitution. According to the Program Office, the government uses it to fund development projects, for example in climate resilience, infrastructure and renewable energy. Small island states like Nauru are fighting rising sea levels and the loss of their biodiversity. How drought and coastal erosion already show on the island today is described on the page Extreme weather on Nauru (in German).

A few key facts about the country, as given by the Program Office:

• Area: 21 square kilometres, the smallest independent republic in the world.
• Population: a little over 12,000.
• Independent since: 1968, formerly known as Pleasant Island.
• Currency: the Australian dollar.
• Defence: handled by Australia under a long-standing agreement; Nauru has no armed forces of its own.

Since 12 May 2026, the country's official name in its Constitution and laws has been Naoero. The Constitution (Amendment) (No.2) Act 2026 replaced every reference to "Nauru", which is why the act and the programme now carry the name Naoero. It is the same republic.

The programme is run by the Naoero Program Office, which reports to the responsible minister. The Cabinet has the final say on every application, and the minister then grants citizenship. How the programme was presented at its launch in late 2024 is shown in the video on the Nauru programme at Perspektive Ausland (in German).

How much does a Nauru passport cost?

Contributions and fees are set out in Schedule 1 of the regulations, last revised on 29 January 2026; the fee for bank verification and the transaction is published by the Program Office. The regular contribution for the main applicant is 115,000 USD. For applications the Program Office accepts by 31 December 2026, it is 90,000 USD; an application counts as accepted once it is complete with all fees.

For children under 16, the fee schedule sets neither a contribution nor due diligence, only the application fee and the passport. Two examples, worked out with the lower contribution:

• Single applicant: 90,000 USD contribution, 5,000 USD application fee, 6,000 USD due diligence, 500 USD passport and 1,200 USD bank verification come to 102,700 USD.
• Married couple with two children under 16: 92,000 USD in contributions, 11,000 USD in application fees, 9,000 USD due diligence, 2,000 USD for four passports and 1,700 USD bank verification come to 115,700 USD.

The Iruwa Initiative: where the lower contribution comes from

Since late 2025, the act has allowed the Cabinet to lower the contribution for a limited time for what it calls a Special Project. The due diligence fee is expressly excluded: it may not go down. On 3 February 2026, the Cabinet declared the Iruwa Initiative to mark the programme's first anniversary: the main applicant's contribution falls from 115,000 to 90,000 USD, and every other fee stays the same. The offer was originally due to end on 30 June 2026. By a decision of 3 June 2026, the Cabinet extended it to 31 December 2026.

One point matters for your timeline: you only pay the contribution once your application has been approved in principle. When you file, only the application and vetting fees are due. Every figure at a glance is on Nauru. Where Nauru sits on price next to the other programmes is shown in the cost overview and the programme comparison.

Who can buy Nauru citizenship

The applicant must be at least 18, of good character and able to pay the contribution. The Program Office checks every application against thirteen criteria. The most important ones:

• Police certificates from every country where you have lived for more than six months in the past ten years.
• No conviction for an offence punishable by twelve months' imprisonment or more, and no pending proceedings of that kind.
• No links to terrorism, terrorist financing or international wanted lists.
• No nationality of a country that the UN Security Council lists as high-risk.
• Interview: the Program Office may invite the main applicant and dependants aged 16 or over to an interview, by video or at an approved location.

The application is filed in English, and only through an agent licensed by the Program Office. The Program Office does not accept applications directly from individuals. If you come well prepared, the vetting is a formality. It is also the reason why a passport from a programme that vets thoroughly is taken seriously around the world.

Family in the application: from your child to your grandparents

Nauru is more generous with family than most programmes. Since the amending act of 23 December 2025, the following count as dependants:

• the spouse from a monogamous marriage,
• children of the applicant or of the spouse, including adopted children,
• parents of the applicant or of the spouse,
• grandparents of the applicant or of the spouse,
• siblings of the applicant, of the spouse or of the partner.

This definition sets no age limit for children. Dependants can apply at the same time as you, or later once you are already a citizen. And the act protects them: a naturalised spouse does not lose citizenship through divorce, remarriage or the death of the main applicant, and neither do the other dependants.

Adding family later costs more

If you add dependants only after approval, you pay much higher contributions under Schedule 3: 30,000 USD for the spouse, 25,000 USD for a child aged 3 to 18 or a grandchild, and 35,000 USD for any other dependant. A child up to two years old, and a minor child adopted within three years of your naturalisation, carry no contribution. On top come a 5,000 USD application fee each and, for anyone aged 16 or over, 6,000 USD for due diligence. If you want your family with you anyway, include them in the first application. More on bringing parents and grandparents is in Including parents and grandparents, and the family rules of every programme are on the Family page.

Process and timeline: a passport in three to four months

The Program Office expects three to four months from filing, provided your documents are complete. There are eight steps:

1. First consultation and eligibility check with the licensed agent.
2. Filing of the application, documents, application fee and due diligence fee with the Program Office.
3. Due diligence and background checks, usually one to two months.
4. Decision: risk assessment and recommendation to the minister, review by the Registrar, Cabinet decision.
5. Approval in principle: you receive the Letter of Approval in Principle and pay the contribution and passport fee within 30 days.
6. Oath of allegiance: in person, over a video link or before a notary in your own country.
7. Certificate: the President grants you the Certificate of Citizenship.
8. Passport: your passport is issued on the basis of the certified copy of the passport application.

You do not have to travel to Nauru for any of these steps. There is no residence requirement and no minimum stay. How the timeline compares with other programmes is shown on the Process page. Which programmes were added in 2026 and which are tightening their rules is covered in New passport programmes 2026.

What a Nauru passport does for you

A passport is a right, not a permission. A visa can be refused or withdrawn; a nationality belongs to you. That is exactly what the Nauru passport is about: a second right to documents, protection and return, independent of your first.

• Validity: ten years for every applicant.
• Renewal: through the Program Office or the country's embassies and consulates, with no address on Nauru needed.
• Travel: visa-free or visa on arrival in more than 85 countries, according to the Program Office including Hong Kong, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates.
• Dual citizenship: expressly allowed, so you keep your current passport.
• Political neutrality: the Program Office markets a politically neutral passport, a safety net for turbulent times. Nauru has no armed forces of its own.

Your nationality is not a subscription that someone can cancel on a whim. The act lists the grounds for revocation: fraud, bribery or false statements in the application; later on, serious offences such as terrorism, money laundering or sexual offences against children; UN financial sanctions; or later acquiring the nationality of a country the UN Security Council lists as high-risk. Before any of that, the Registrar must give you a written hearing. If you apply honestly and live within the law, you keep your passport.

Nauru or Vanuatu: the two Pacific passports compared

If you are looking in the Pacific, you end up with two programmes. Vanuatu is the older and better known one, Nauru the younger one with the lower entry point.

Vanuatu, for its part, has a longer track record and an established process. All the details are in the article Vanuatu passport and on the programme page Vanuatu. If you are comparing outside the Pacific on a similar budget, São Tomé and Príncipe asks for a donation from 90,000 USD for a single application. In the end, price alone does not decide; what matters is which passport fits your destinations, your family and your timeline.

Nauru passport and German passport: you keep both

Since the 2024 reform of German nationality law, section 25 of the Nationality Act (StAG) has been repealed. If you are German and voluntarily take on a foreign nationality, you no longer lose your German one. Nauru, for its part, does not ask you to renounce anything. So you hold both passports side by side, entirely legally. What that means day to day, from border control to dealing with the authorities, is explained in CBI passport and German passport.

For tax, the passport alone changes nothing. Under section 1(1) of the Income Tax Act (Einkommensteuergesetz, EStG), every individual with a home or habitual abode in Germany has unlimited tax liability there, whatever their nationality. If you move your residence, plan that separately; the basics are on the Tax page. How Nauru itself taxes is shown in Taxes in Nauru at Steueratlas (in German).

One last thought: a purchased passport and naturalisation through residence do not rule each other out. Naturalisation is the free route and often the better one in the end, but it takes years and genuine residence. The Nauru passport buys you that time. How to combine both routes is explained in CBI and naturalisation.

Frequently asked questions