Since 25 September 2026, Sierra Leone has had two new programmes for applicants without dependants: Solo Entrepreneur and Enterprise Citizenship. That makes four routes to Sierra Leone citizenship, and the cheapest of them now comes to USD 103,750 in total for a single person.
Background
Sierra Leone grants citizenship through the GO-FOR-GOLD programme by way of Special Naturalization. The legal basis is Section 27(a) of the Sierra Leone Citizenship Act 1973, until the final legislation is published in the official Gazette. The citizenship certificate is signed by the President of Sierra Leone, and the Chief Immigration Officer issues an interim confirmation.
Until 25 September 2026 there were two programmes, both of which let you include dependants:
- Fast Track Citizenship at USD 140,000 per main applicant, with family: spouse, children, parents, grandparents, siblings.
- Heritage Citizenship at USD 120,000 per main applicant, for applicants of African descent, proven by a DNA test.
Anyone who wanted to apply alone used to pay the base amount of one of these family programmes, even with nobody else on the application. The two new routes close exactly that gap.
What has changed
Solo Entrepreneur
This programme is only for single applicants without dependants. The programme fee is USD 95,000, plus due diligence. The submission fee is reduced to USD 3,750, down from USD 4,750.
According to the calculator, an application for one person therefore costs USD 103,750 in total:
| Item | Amount | Due |
|---|---|---|
| Submission fee, reduced | USD 3,750 | at the start |
| Programme fee | USD 95,000 | into the escrow account, within 5 days of the escrow documents being prepared |
| Processing fee including background check | USD 5,000 | once the application is complete |
| Total | USD 103,750 |
Through the Fast Track, the same person pays USD 149,750, so USD 46,000 more.
Enterprise Citizenship
Here exactly two people apply together, business partners for example, without dependants. The programme fee is USD 80,000 per person. Both applicants go through one shared due diligence, and here too the submission fee is reduced to USD 3,750.
The four routes compared
| Programme | Programme fee | For whom | Dependants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enterprise Citizenship | USD 80,000 per person | exactly two applicants | no |
| Solo Entrepreneur | USD 95,000 | one person | no |
| Heritage Citizenship | USD 120,000 | main applicants of African descent | yes, including Plus One |
| Fast Track Citizenship | USD 140,000 | main applicants | yes |
A worked example based on the published fees: two business partners who would previously each have filed their own Fast Track application paid USD 280,000 in programme fees between them. Through Enterprise Citizenship it comes to USD 160,000 together, plus one reduced submission fee and a single shared due diligence instead of two separate checks.
What applies to both
Both new programmes run 100% online, with no trip to Sierra Leone and no embassy appointment. The oath of allegiance and the declarations are notarised over Zoom. Certification and notarisation of your documents cost nothing. If the main applicant wishes, they receive a company in Sierra Leone with a business bank account, free of charge, once naturalised and issued a passport; the first year is free, and from the second year the regular costs for accounting, compliance and filings apply.
One point for your planning: the programme fee has to reach the escrow account within 5 days of the escrow documents being prepared. If you apply alone, that means a single payment to organise; with Enterprise Citizenship, both partners should have their funds ready at the same time, so the joint application is not held up by either of them.
For all four programmes there is optional Priority Processing at USD 10,000 per application: if the passport has not been issued and dispatched by DHL within 120 days at the latest, the full submission fee of USD 4,750 is refunded. The clock starts once all documents and the programme fee have been received in full. The conditions are complete documents with certified translations, payment of the programme fee within 5 days and your availability for the notary appointment over Zoom. The amount applies per application and covers every co-applicant on the same application.
What this means for Germans, Austrians and Swiss
For readers from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the two new routes are above all a question of where you are in life. If you live alone, want a separate application of your own to protect your family, or run a business with one partner, you now pay considerably less than through the Fast Track.
What you get on every one of the four routes:
- a biometric passport, currently valid for five years, with digital renewal and no travel required,
- a citizenship that Sierra Leone accepts alongside others without restriction,
- according to the programme, 65+ countries visa-free or with visa on arrival, including ECOWAS rights in 11 further countries; for the Schengen Area you will usually need a visa with this passport,
- a timeline of usually 90 to 120 days from complete application to passport.
What you do not need: no police clearance certificate, no medical examination, no proof of employment, no company documents and no reference letters. The background check of every applicant aged 18 and over is carried out by the independent due diligence. The programme fee sits in an escrow account until naturalisation; if naturalisation cannot be completed, it is refunded in full (100%), except for the submission and processing costs.
What happens to your existing citizenship depends on your country:
- Germany: Since 27 June 2024, acquiring another nationality by application no longer costs you your German citizenship, and a retention permit (Beibehaltungsgenehmigung) is no longer needed. More in dual citizenship for Germans.
- Austria: Your citizenship is lost automatically by law if you acquire a foreign nationality at your own request, unless retention (Beibehaltung) was applied for and approved before you acquire it. Without that approval, the new passport costs you your Austrian one. Details in second citizenship for Austrians.
- Switzerland: Since 1 January 1992, multiple citizenship has been permitted under Swiss law without restriction, as long as the other country does not require you to renounce. Sierra Leone does not. More in Swiss dual citizens.
With family: Fast Track and Heritage
If dependants are to be included, Fast Track and Heritage Citizenship are the programmes. The new routes take no dependants, not even later on. For the family programmes, these amounts apply per person:
| Dependants | Amount |
|---|---|
| Spouse, up to 2 under the law of Sierra Leone | USD 10,000 |
| Children under 18, parents, grandparents | USD 10,000 each |
| Children aged 18 and over | USD 20,000 each |
| Siblings, their spouses and children, nephews and nieces | USD 20,000 each |
| Plus One, one unrelated person | USD 30,000 |
For children under 18, the signature of one parent with custody is usually enough. The Plus One can be, for example, an unmarried partner or a business partner, with no marriage and no proof of the relationship required; like every applicant, they go through due diligence and cannot add dependants of their own.
Adding someone to an application that has already been filed or completed is generally not possible. If you apply alone today and marry in two years, you cannot add your spouse to that application afterwards. The rules for all programmes are under Family.
What you can do now
- Be clear about your situation. Alone, as a pair with a business partner, or with family: this decides which of the four routes is open to you. If you already know that a partner or children should join later, you are better off with Fast Track or Heritage.
- Put your documents together. You will need a copy of your passport data page, a biometric passport photo, your birth certificate, proof of address such as a recent utility bill, and your signature; depending on the payment agreement, proof of source of funds and a CV are added. At the end come the notarised oath of allegiance and the declaration of financial self-sufficiency.
- Plan the payment. The programme fee goes in USD by bank transfer to the escrow account, with the charge option "OUR", or in USDT on the TRON network with an additional 1.6% off-ramp fee.
- Decide on speed. If you need the passport by a fixed date, factor in Priority Processing. You can find the step-by-step process of an application under How it works.
- Compare. Every amount and fee in detail is on the Sierra Leone programme page, with the full assessment in Sierra Leone: citizenship at a fixed price. Where Sierra Leone sits on price among the other programmes is shown in affordable citizenship by investment; the total costs of every programme are under Costs, and the side-by-side view is in the comparison. If you are planning as an entrepreneur, you will find the relevant considerations in second passport for entrepreneurs.
If you do not need a passport but a permanent right of residence, the programme also offers Permanent Residency from USD 60,000, including an investment in 1 kg of gold held at the Bank of Sierra Leone; a later upgrade to citizenship is possible.
All nationalities except North Korea are eligible, from age 18, with no restriction by country of origin or profession, as long as due diligence is passed.