São Tomé and Príncipe: the second passport from the Gulf of Guinea

São Tomé and Príncipe runs one of the youngest programmes in the world and has one of the lowest entry prices for a single applicant among the programmes in our comparison. How citizenship by investment works in general, and which programmes exist worldwide, is explained in Buying citizenship. With São Tomé, three points deserve a close look: the family rule, the timing of the payment and what the passport really does for you.

São Tomé citizenship: the programme at a glance

The programme's official name is the São Tomé and Príncipe Citizenship by Investment Program. Legally it rests on two pillars: Nationality Law No. 07/2022, the country's nationality act, and Decree-Law No. 07/2025, which governs naturalisation by investment. According to the authority, the programme is anchored in national law, so suspending or abolishing it would take a formal legislative process. That is more than an administrative rule a ministry can change overnight.

The programme is run by the Citizenship by Investment Unit, or CIU. It reviews the applications, carries out due diligence and makes the decision. The programme was officially presented in October 2025 at a national conference with Prime Minister Américo d'Oliveira dos Ramos, Justice Minister Vera Maria Assunção Gomes Cravid and the director of the CIU. The authority had already opened a representative office in Dubai in September 2025. In early March 2026 the CIU reported more than 220 applications filed from over 27 nationalities.

Where your donation goes

The money does not vanish into a general budget; it goes into the National Transformation Fund. The authority names four areas it finances:

• Renewable energy: infrastructure for a more independent power supply. Among the first completed projects, the CIU lists three new power generators.
• Ecotourism: tourism that protects nature and biodiversity while creating income.
• Education and infrastructure: schools and basic public services.
• Deep-water port: better links between the island nation and maritime trade.

The country in brief

São Tomé and Príncipe lies in the Gulf of Guinea off the west coast of Central Africa. Its official language is Portuguese, and it is a member of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries, the CPLP. The German Federal Foreign Office describes its political system as a parliamentary democracy and its relations with Germany as good. Diplomatic relations with the Federal Republic have existed since 12 July 1975. After Portugal, Germany is the second most important source country for its tourists. How safe and stable the country is in everyday life is covered in the overview of the political situation in São Tomé and Príncipe (in German).

How much does a São Tomé and Príncipe passport cost in 2026?

The CIU publishes every amount itself. The donation to the National Transformation Fund is the main item, plus two fixed fees.

The 750 USD covers the three documents you receive at the end: the Certificate of Registration, the passport and the National ID. The submission fee applies per application, however many people it includes. If a third party pays as sponsor rather than the applicant, the sponsor is vetted too, and the CIU charges a due diligence fee of 5,000 USD for this.

Three worked examples

• Single applicant: 90,000 USD donation, 5,000 USD submission fee and 750 USD for documents come to 95,750 USD.
• Married couple with two children: 95,000 USD donation, 5,000 USD submission fee and 3,000 USD for four sets of documents come to 103,000 USD.
• Married couple, two children and one partner's parents: 95,000 USD donation plus 10,000 USD for the two additional dependants, 5,000 USD submission fee and 4,500 USD for six sets of documents come to 114,500 USD.

The third example shows the real strength: six people from three generations obtain a second nationality for less, all together, than the single-applicant price of many Caribbean programmes. Where São Tomé sits on price next to every other programme is shown in the cost overview and the programme comparison, and all the data at a glance is on the São Tomé and Príncipe programme page.

Approval first, payment second

For your planning, the order of events is what matters. On submission you pay only the fees. The donation, the large amount, falls due only once the CIU has approved your application in principle. The authority expressly places the payment in the last stage of the process. So you do not tie up a six-figure sum while your application is still undecided. There is no holding period and no ongoing investment: the one-off donation completes the financial side.

Who can apply for a São Tomé passport

The requirements for the main applicant are clear and manageable:

• Age: at least 18.
• Good character: no criminal record.
• Source of funds: proof of legitimate income and sound finances.
• Vetting: every applicant goes through thorough due diligence, with identity verification and a background check.

Complete, accurate paperwork is the fastest way through: the CIU only starts reviewing an application once every form and every piece of evidence is in.

The documents you need

The CIU names three groups of documents: identity documents, details of your personal background, and financial records showing where your funds come from. Your Marketing Agent agrees the exact list with you before the application is filed.

The application is not filed directly with the authority but through a Marketing Agent licensed by the CIU. The authority publishes the list of licensed agents on its own website.

Family in the application: children up to 30, parents and grandparents

This is where São Tomé plays its strongest card. A single application can include:

• your spouse from a monogamous marriage or your partner in an established relationship,
• children up to the age of 30,
• parents,
• grandparents.

Children up to 30 is an unusually generous limit. Many programmes only include adult children while they are studying and financially supported. In São Tomé, the only limit the CIU names is age. If you want to protect your grown-up children and your own parents, you cover three generations in a single process. How other programmes treat parents and grandparents is set out in the comparison of family rules.

Adding family members later

Dependants who join only after approval can be added later. They also go through due diligence, and the CIU sets fixed amounts for them:

A child born after your naturalisation can therefore be added for 500 USD, provided you register them before their first birthday. And according to the authority, the nationality can be passed on to all future generations. The passport you acquire today becomes a legacy for your family.

Process and timing: from application to passport

The CIU quotes about two months to approval, then about three to four months to the passport. The process has two phases.

Before approval

1. Choosing a Marketing Agent: you appoint an agent licensed by the CIU.
2. Documents: you gather the paperwork your agent has agreed with you.
3. Submission: the complete application goes to the Citizenship by Investment Unit with the submission fee.
4. Due diligence: the authority vets every applicant in the application.
5. Decision: the government informs the agent of the outcome, and if successful, grants approval in principle.

After approval

1. Donation: you pay the amount into the National Transformation Fund.
2. Certificates: the government issues your citizenship documents, including the Certificate of Registration and the National ID.
3. Passport: the passport is issued and delivered to you through your agent.

None of these steps requires you to travel to São Tomé. The authority states expressly that no stay and no relocation is required, either during or after the application. How the timeline compares with other programmes is shown on the Process page. Which other programmes have just launched is covered in New passport programmes 2026.

If you want to visit the country

Many people want to see the country whose citizens they are becoming with their own eyes at least once. According to the German Federal Foreign Office, a German passport lets you enter without a visa for up to 15 days, and a tourism levy of 25 EUR is charged at São Tomé airport. There is no German embassy in São Tomé. The embassy in Libreville, Gabon, is responsible, the embassy in Yaoundé, Cameroon, handles legal and consular matters, and an honorary consul helps on the ground in urgent emergencies.

What the São Tomé and Príncipe passport gives you

A passport is a right, not a permission. A visa can be refused or revoked; a nationality belongs to you. That is what the São Tomé and Príncipe passport is about: a second right, independent of your first, to documents, to consular protection and to a place where you are always welcome.

The CIU lists these benefits:

• Travel: visa-free access to more than 93 countries, including South Africa, Singapore and Hong Kong.
• Dual citizenship: you do not have to give up your existing nationality.
• Passing it on: the nationality can be passed on to all future generations.
• CPLP: as a member of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries, the country points to special opportunities for residence, work and study in Portuguese-speaking states.
• Stability: in the authority's words, a peaceful, sovereign and neutral state that offers long-term security.
• No residence requirement: not before the application, not during it and not afterwards.

For Europe and the USA, your German passport remains the stronger travel document. The value of the second passport lies elsewhere: it is a safeguard that nobody else controls. If your first passport is lost, stolen or held abroad, a second passport is the lawful way to stay able to act. And it stays yours, even when the world around you changes.

São Tomé, Sierra Leone or the Caribbean: the comparison

South of the Sahara there are two programmes in Africa to choose from: São Tomé and Príncipe and Sierra Leone. With a bigger budget, you can also look at the Caribbean, where Dominica offers the cheapest donation route. The key figures side by side:

Sierra Leone runs entirely remotely and usually takes 90-120 days from complete application to passport; the details are in the article Sierra Leone passport. Dominica is the established Caribbean programme, but for a single applicant it costs more than twice as much. In the Pacific, Nauru offers a similar price level for single applicants. For families with grown-up children, São Tomé is hard to beat, with its age limit of 30 and its fixed family price. In the end, price alone does not decide: what matters is which passport fits your destinations, your family and your timeline.

São Tomé 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. São Tomé and Príncipe, for its part, does not require you to renounce anything. So you hold both passports side by side, entirely legally. What that means in everyday life, from border crossings to dealing with the authorities, is explained in CBI passport and German passport.

For tax, the passport alone changes nothing. In Germany, tax liability follows your home and habitual abode, not your nationality. If you want to move your residence, plan that separately; the basics are on the Tax page. How São Tomé and Príncipe itself taxes is shown in Taxes in São Tomé and Príncipe 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. A São Tomé passport buys you and your family that time, within just a few months. How to combine the two routes is explained in CBI and naturalisation.

Frequently asked questions