CBI Family Math: Where You Get the Lowest Passport Cost in Investment Programs

“Just $200,000 for citizenship” headlines in citizenship by investment (CBI) programs often ignore the fact that governments add their own fees on top. These include due diligence (DD), application processing, interviews, the issuance of the certificate/oath, and passport issuance. As a result, the final figure can rise significantly—for example, up to $267,944, depending on the jurisdiction and the family composition.

Also, the “best value” program for a single applicant doesn’t always stay best for a family. Dependents are counted differently, and the calculation logic changes from one country to another. Below is a comparison designed to show the minimum legitimate route cost to a passport in each jurisdiction.

We compare not only donation routes, but all other qualifying options within CBI: real estate, sovereign/ government bond options, and business investment. However, in each country we use the cheapest qualifying option, which determines the “floor” of the total cost.

Methodology

To make numbers comparable, we standardized the family composition across all programs:

• One applicant: one main candidate
• Family of four: main applicant, spouse, two children under 12
• Family of six: main applicant, spouse, four children under 12
• Family of eight: main applicant, spouse, six children under 12

Children under 12 were chosen intentionally so that in programs where due diligence is charged starting at 16 or 17, that trigger would not apply. This is done exclusively for comparability.

In real life, families differ: a teenager, a parent older than 55, an adult sibling—any of these can change the outcome, sometimes by tens of thousands of dollars. Notes under each block explain where rules expand beyond our “base” model, but the table below reflects calculations only for the standardized composition.

What’s included in the total: the basic contribution (or minimum investment), processing fees, due diligence, interview costs, certificate and oath payments, plus passport application and issuance. These are government charges and do not depend on which agent submits the case.

If a program’s public materials don’t state the passport issuance cost, we either took it from additional official fee lists or aligned it with the breakdowns provided by licensed agents. For example, for Dominica, the passport issuance cost is confirmed as $361 per person (Immigrant Invest, a licensed CBIU agent).

What’s excluded from the calculation: agent commissions, taxes, bank/payment transfer fees, document legalization/apostille/authentication, courier services, flights, and other incidental costs (medical exams, police certificates, notary services, translations, etc.). These vary widely by firm and applicant circumstances.

Comparison

For each program, we show the lowest qualifying route. Data are sorted by passport cost for a family of four (lowest to highest).

* Under the Egypt program, the spouse does not receive citizenship at the same time as the main applicant. Eligibility arises after two years through the spouse’s naturalization procedure. She is counted in the denominator (number of passports), but the passport may be issued later by timeline.

Antigua and Barbuda uses two donation funds. The National Development Fund (NDF) is more cost-effective for families of four and smaller, while the University of the West Indies (UWI) Fund is better for families of six and above. In the table, we select whichever fund produces the lower total cost for each family size.

Newcomers: São Tomé and Príncipe vs. Nauru

São Tomé and Príncipe and Nauru start from the same base contribution: $90,000. But for Nauru, that’s a limited-time offer running until June 30, 2026; after that date, the standard contribution returns to $115,000. From the initial payment structure onward, the fee logic diverges—and São Tomé is cheaper at every family size.

São Tomé charges a fixed application fee of $5,000 and $750 per person for documents (passport, national ID, certificate), per the official CIP schedule. There is no separate due diligence fee. That means the “marginal” cost per additional family member equals $5,750 (of which $5,000 is the dependent contribution + $750 for documents).

Nauru adds more layers. Each additional family member increases the contribution by $2,000 and adds $2,000 in application/processing fees.

Nauru’s due diligence is structured differently: $6,000 for the main applicant and $3,000 for each dependent aged 16+. Dependents under 16 do not pay due diligence. Then:

• “Marginal” cost per child under 16: $4,000
• “Marginal” cost per adult dependent: $7,000

Because the child rate is lower, the gap narrows as the family grows—but it doesn’t disappear entirely:

• One applicant: São Tomé is cheaper by $5,250 (about $95,750 vs. $101,000)
• Family of four: São Tomé is cheaper by $13,000 ($103,000 vs. $116,000)
• Family of six: São Tomé is cheaper by $9,500 ($114,500 vs. $124,000)
• Family of eight: São Tomé keeps the advantage, but less—about $6,000 ($126,000 vs. $132,000)

The “flip” happens only for a very large family—around 12 people. For a typical family, São Tomé remains the cheapest option.

São Tomé, launched in August 2025, received 98 applications in its first 4.5 months. A São Tomé passport does not open Schengen, the UK, or North America. Nauru has 87 visa-free destinations in its base set, but UK access was withdrawn in December 2025—hurting the portfolio. São Tomé has about 75 destinations.

Important caveat: Nauru’s LTO ends on June 30. After that, the base contribution rises to $115,000, and the advantage of São Tomé becomes even more pronounced for any family size.

Five Caribbean Countries

The five Caribbean programs sit in the $258,000–$270,544 corridor for a family of four. The spread inside that range is roughly $12,544. Within this “corridor,” ranking can change depending on family size—and two common pricing assumptions about the Caribbean turn out to be wrong.

Saint Lucia

Saint Lucia is often mentioned as the most expensive CBI option in the Caribbean. But that’s a mix-up of two different routes.

The $30,000–$45,000 administrative fee commonly referenced usually applies to real estate applicants—not to NEF donors. Those charges are not separately listed on the official NEF page.

What is actually added to the $240,000 NEF contribution:

• Processing: $2,000 (main applicant) + $1,000 per dependent
• Due diligence: $8,000 (main applicant) + $5,000 per dependent aged 16+

Total for a family of four: $258,000. Passport cost: $64,500. This allows Saint Lucia to beat every other Caribbean program at this family size.

Grenada

Grenada is about $300 behind Saint Lucia for a family of four (roughly $258,300 vs. $258,000). All fees follow the official IMA schedule:

• NTF contribution: $235,000 (single or family up to four)
• Application: $1,500 per person (any age)
• Due diligence: $5,000 per person aged 17+
• Processing: $1,500 per person aged 17+ (and $500 for those under 17)
• Mandatory interview: $1,000 per person aged 17+
• Passport: $350 adult, $250 minor
• Oath of allegiance: $50 per person aged 18+

For families larger than four, each additional dependent under 55 adds $25,000 to the NTF contribution (and siblings add $75,000). That’s why, starting at sizes above four, Grenada’s per-passport cost becomes higher than Saint Lucia’s.

Antigua and Barbuda

Antigua and Barbuda has four investment routes (NDF donation, UWI Fund donation, real estate, and business investment). For our comparison, only the two donation funds matter.

NDF: $230,000 + $20,000 processing (for any family).

UWI Fund: $260,000, with processing “built in” for the first six family members. The logic is simple: up to six favors the NDF, while six and above favors the UWI Fund.

For example, for a family of eight, the cost works out to about $36,988 per passport—the best “price per passport” deal among Caribbean programs for larger households.

Another advantage of Antigua is flexibility in who qualifies: spouse, children up to 30, parents and grandparents over 55, and unmarried siblings of any age.

Dominica

Dominica’s Economic Diversification Fund (EDF) is one of the most “affordable” entry options for a single applicant: $210,361. For families, the contribution increases to $250,000 (up to three dependents), and each additional minor dependent adds $25,000. That jump removes Dominica from the top spot for a family of four: it becomes more expensive than Saint Lucia, Grenada, and Antigua.

Government fees on top of EDF:

• Due diligence: $7,500 (main applicant) + $4,000 per dependent aged 16+
• Naturalization certificate: $500 per person
• Interview: $1,000 per person aged 16+
• Processing: $1,000 per application
• Passport: $361 per person

The structural advantage is that EDF does not carry an extra layer of government fees typical of the real estate route (roughly $75,000–$100,000 on top of the property value).

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Saint Kitts charges $250,000 under the Sustainable Island State Contribution (SISC) for a single applicant or a family of up to four. There’s no separate additional “government” processing fee—this is the only Caribbean program structured that way.

At the same time, additional charges follow a different logic:

• Due diligence: $10,000 (main applicant) + $7,500 for each dependent aged 16+
• Application processing: $250 per applicant
• Passport: $361 per applicant
• Naturalization certificate: $50 per applicant
• Bank due diligence: $100 per applicant

Then an add-on applies: $25,000 per additional dependent under 18 and $50,000 for those aged 18 and above.

Beyond the Caribbean

Turkey

Turkey is a special case in this review. The scenario is purchasing real estate for $400,000 (with a three-year retention). The spouse and children under 18 are included in the same application with no extra CBI passport cost.

Instead of typical CBI fees, additional costs are standard transaction and citizenship-related payments:

• title registration fee (tapu harcı, formally around 4%, but typically shared with the seller)
• notary services and transfers (around $1,000+)
• residence permit application fee
• citizenship application fee

These depend on the property and municipality. A conservative estimate for mandatory government expenses “on top” is about $5,000.

What makes Turkey different from all other programs in this list:

1) the property is traded on the open market—an investor may see value growth rather than “writing off” the entire amount as non-recoverable.

2) limited dependent eligibility: no parents, no adult children, and no siblings. Turkey may be attractive on passport cost for a large “nuclear” family, but it’s almost never suitable for “multi-generation” applications.

Egypt

Egypt offers a donation of $250,000 plus a fixed government payment of $10,000 — regardless of family size. Children are eligible up to age 21.

Like Turkey, Egypt uses an open-market real estate investment model (there it’s around $350,000). In our calculations, we included the donation option because it’s the lowest available price among the routes.

The key nuance is in the details: the spouse does not receive citizenship at the same time. She becomes a candidate through spouse naturalization after two years. So on the day of application, a family of four effectively starts with three passports in hand—not four.

Sierra Leone

GO-FOR-GOLD in Sierra Leone: $140,000 for the main applicant and $10,000 for each “standard” dependent (spouse, children under 18, parents, grandparents).

Due diligence is added on top: $5,000 for groups up to five applicants and $10,000 for six to ten. After an October 2025 expansion, the dependent circle widened: siblings up to 30, multiple spouses, adult children, and even unrelated business partners (at $30,000 each).

Mobility is limited: about 66 visa-free destinations, mainly within ECOWAS. As of January 2026, Sierra Leone is included in the list of countries facing a full suspension of entry to the United States.

Vanuatu

Vanuatu: Development Support Program (DSP)—$130,000 for a single applicant, up to $180,000 for a family of four, plus $10,000 for each additional member. FIU due diligence is $5,000 once per application, not per person.

Processing time is 30–60 days. In terms of speed among CBI programs, this is one of the strongest figures. In recent years, access to Schengen and the UK has been lost for these passports, but mobility within the Pacific region and parts of Asia remains.

When Real Estate Truly Beats Donations

On paper, donations often look cheaper for mandatory government costs for all family sizes. But Caribbean real estate routes add $50,000–$100,000 in additional government expenses on top of the property price.

The argument for real estate is capital recovery. For example, if a family buys a property in Grenada for $270,000 and sells it after a five-year holding period, much of the investment may be recovered. In that case, the “non-recoverable net” cost for a family of four drops to roughly $38,300, or $9,575 per passport—the lowest “effective” metric in the Caribbean.

In Turkey, the capital recovery effect can be even more interesting. Caribbean CBI properties are often transferred between subsequent CBI applicants, meaning the secondary market is less “deep.” In Turkey, real estate is traded on a liquid domestic market with real pricing.

Example: a family of four buys a property for $400,000 and pays around $5,000 in taxes and fees. If after three years the property is sold for $410,000, the family recovers about $5,000 and leaves with four passports.

If the property sells for $390,000 instead, the final loss is about $15,000—or roughly $3,750 per passport. Even with a moderate price drop, Turkey’s “effective” passport cost can end up lower than São Tomé’s.

Both recovery scenarios depend on resale—and are not guaranteed.

Important on Timing and Family Structure

Prices change. Promo offers end (for example, Nauru’s LTO runs until June 30, 2026). Governments may revise fees without prior notice. Any number in this kind of review is a snapshot in time, not a promise.

All totals above assume the same family composition: a main applicant, spouse, and minor children under 12. In real life, families rarely match that template.

For instance, adding a parent older than 55 to a Grenada application costs an extra $50,000 only in terms of the NTF contribution. Adding an adult sibling costs about $75,000.

In Dominica, a parent older than 65 triggers an additional EDF fee of $40,000 and an extra $4,000 in due diligence. In Antigua, a sibling of any age added when applying via the UWI Fund adds about $20,000. These differences can completely reshuffle the “cheapest” ranking.

The only reliable way to calculate cost correctly for your exact structure is to work with a qualified licensed agent who will map your family composition to each program’s specific thresholds and rates and prepare the required assessment. The table above gives a baseline indicator; the agent provides the final price.

Disclaimer: all amounts in this article are taken from official government sources, including stpcip.com, imagrenada.gd, cipsaintlucia.com, cip.gov.ag, cbiu.gov.dm, ciu.gov.kn and goforgold.center (accessed February 2026). Dominica passport issuance cost (US$361/person) is confirmed via Immigrant Invest, a licensed CBIU agent. Governments may update tariffs, contribution thresholds, and eligibility rules at any time; any discrepancies between figures in this article and those on official websites should be resolved in favor of the government source. This material is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or immigration advice. Before making investment or application decisions, readers should consult a qualified licensed agent or attorney.

If you’re considering citizenship by investment (CBI), don’t look only at the headline donation amount—mandatory state fees matter too: due diligence, processing, certification/oath, and passport issuance. At Digital Nomad, we help families estimate the real cost of a compliant path based on the exact applicant structure and how dependents are treated in each program—so the “best deal” at the start doesn’t turn into a higher final bill.

Our Telegram channel about various types of Greek residence permits, digital nomad programs, and the Greek Golden Visa: @digitalnomadgr