The CBI Index: selecting citizenship by investment

Many individuals realise the importance of second citizenship and seek routes to obtain an alternative citizenship.

While traditional methods of obtaining a second citizenship, such as by birth, descent, marriage, or residence, remain available to qualifying applicants in many jurisdictions, citizenship by investment assures freedom of mobility and financial security within the framework of speedy processing.

Citizenship by investment programmes operate to strengthen a nation’s economy by the injection of foreign direct investment, while bestowing upon applicants the gift of citizenship. Generally, an applicant must thus make an investment so significant that it is likely to have a visible impact on the nation’s economy.

Avenues for investment vary from one jurisdiction to the other, although most favour providing an option between a contribution to a government-run national development fund and a real estate purchase. Government bonds are also a prevalent alternative, as is the purchase of corporations.

For host nations, citizenship by investment can provide much-needed financial support, reinvigorating the economy both directly – through donations to charitable entities or state-sponsored initiatives – and indirectly, such as by raising demand for real estate. For the applicant, second citizenship can represent freedom, safety, and wellbeing.

The world’s earliest citizenship by investment programme was launched in 1984 by St Kitts and Nevis. Having gained prominence across the Caribbean, citizenship by investment is now administered in Europe, Africa, and Asia – allowing prospective applicants to choose a jurisdiction from almost any corner of the globe.

The CBI Index endeavours to provide such prospective applicants with the tools they require to make a learned decision on which of these many locations would best suit their needs