Straight answers, no brochure language.

Investment migration covers programs in which a government grants citizenship or residence in return for a qualifying contribution or investment, subject to due diligence. Citizenship by investment (CBI) grants nationality and a passport; residence by investment (RBI), often called a golden visa, grants the right to live in the country. They are different legal outcomes. See citizenship, residency and tax residency.

The programs are established by the laws of the issuing countries, so they are lawful there. Whether using one is lawful and sensible for you depends on your own country's rules: some do not allow dual nationality, many require disclosure of foreign citizenships or accounts, and tax residence is decided separately. Programs are also scrutinised: in April 2025 the EU Court of Justice ruled Malta's citizenship scheme contrary to EU law. See program risk.

It depends on the program. None of the five Eastern Caribbean citizenship programs requires residence. Many residence programs require a minimum stay or presence to renew or to progress to permanent status, and tax-based routes such as Swiss lump-sum taxation require genuine residence. Check the profile for each program on the programs directory.

Often, but not always. Countries that do not permit dual citizenship, including India, China and Singapore, may end your existing nationality if you voluntarily acquire another. If that applies to you, a residence-based route is usually the better fit. Always confirm your own country's rules before applying. Our Pathfinder has a setting that removes citizenship programs if this applies to you.

Not by itself. Tax follows residence, not nationality: if you keep living, working and keeping your home in your original country, it will usually continue to tax you whatever passport you hold. A second citizenship can be part of a wider relocation plan, but moving tax residence means genuinely moving your life. The United States, notably, taxes its citizens wherever they live. See the relocation playbook.

Start with the outcome you need (a passport, permanent residence or a renewable permit), then your home-country constraints, then how you regard the capital: as a cost, or as an asset to protect. Only then compare price, speed and country. Use the Pathfinder for a ranked shortlist, the Atlas to see options on a map, and the Global Matrix to compare costs.

Donation-based citizenship programs have the lowest headline outlay, with the Eastern Caribbean programs bound by a shared US$200,000 minimum. But the cheapest headline is not the lowest total cost: statutory fees, legal costs, dependants and the cost of capital all matter, and the lowest-cost programs tend to carry the highest external risk. See the true cost.

A donation is a non-recoverable contribution and the fastest route. Real estate and fund routes tie up capital for a holding period but can return some or all of it, at the cost of transaction friction and market risk. Business routes require running an enterprise; solvency and lump-sum routes are recurring costs, not investments. See choosing the investment route.

There is no single best passport, because value depends on where you need to travel, live and do business. Passport indexes count visa-free destinations, but weigh every destination equally and say nothing about stay length, conditions or right to reside. Compare candidates against your own list of destinations. See what passport indexes measure.

Most programs allow a spouse and dependent children, and some admit dependent parents and, occasionally, siblings, usually at additional cost. The definition of a dependant, especially the age limit for children, varies and affects both eligibility and price. See children, nationality and succession.

Published timelines range from a few months for the fastest citizenship programs to a year or more for others, and the tracked figure for each program is on its profile. Real timelines depend mostly on how complete your file is and on the due-diligence workload, so treat published times as the best case.

Many programs require applications to be submitted by a government-licensed agent, and will not accept direct applications. Even where it is optional, professional help with the file is advisable. Check that any intermediary is licensed for the program in question. See what makes a program credible.

The issuing government, always. Advisers prepare and submit the file, but approval authority rests with the state. Governments run their own due diligence, often through independent international agencies, on top of the checks your adviser and the receiving bank perform. Anyone who guarantees approval is misleading you.

The most common problems are source of wealth that cannot be documented, adverse media or background issues that were not disclosed, and document defects such as name mismatches and missing legalisations. Most are preventable. See why applications are refused and the source-of-wealth guide.

Whether applications already filed are protected depends on the change, and is rarely certain in advance. Plan on the basis that an unfiled application has no protection. Prepare early, commit capital late, prefer recoverable routes, and keep a second option. Track known changes on Program Watch.

More than the headline. The bill has six parts: the contribution or investment, statutory and processing fees, legal and due-diligence costs, transaction costs on real estate, the cost of capital that cannot be touched during the holding period, and any recurring obligations. Price it for your whole family, not per applicant. See the true cost.

Donations are not recoverable. Property and fund routes can return capital subject to market value, holding periods and resale rules, which differ by program. Some routes, such as lump-sum taxation, involve no capital at all but a recurring tax. See real-estate due diligence.

Banks assess you on identity, source of wealth and tax residence, not on the passport alone. Since the OECD's Common Reporting Standard, institutions routinely ask where you are genuinely tax resident, and a status that exists mainly on paper will not satisfy them. A well-documented source-of-wealth file helps far more than the passport does.

Programs and banks participate in international information-sharing frameworks. In 2018 the OECD published its analysis of residence and citizenship schemes it considered potentially high-risk for undermining the Common Reporting Standard, and financial institutions report accounts by tax residence. Assume that your financial accounts, and your residence status, will be visible to the relevant tax authorities, and plan on that basis.

Indohill advises ultra-high-net-worth families and family offices on citizenship, residency and wealth structuring, and advises governments on non-debt capital and the design of mobility programs. Our work follows a five-phase method: audit and intelligence, strategic architecture, regulatory matching, execution, and lifelong governance. See About.

A private consultation. We begin with an audit of your nationality rules, tax residence, screening profile and objectives, because those decide which programs are even possible. You can prepare by using the Pathfinder and reading the Insights guides. Request a consultation.

No, and neither can anyone else. Approval rests with governments, and programs change their rules. What we can do is prepare the strongest honest file, set realistic expectations, and plan so that a change in the rules is survivable.

Yes. Our sovereign advisory covers program design, governance architecture, fund structuring and country branding, built on the same standards of credibility described in our guide for governments. See Sovereign Advisory and designing a credible program.

We do not accept engagements from, and will end any engagement with, individuals or entities subject to applicable international sanctions, subject to an active Interpol Red Notice, or unable to demonstrate a lawful, verifiable source of funds and wealth. See Compliance.

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