Sable International will be hosting free one-on-one consultations to discuss citizenship-by-investment across South Africa in February and March. Join us to discuss the best options for you and your family.

What are residency- and citizenship-by-investment programmes? 

Residency-by-investment (RBI) and citizenship-by-investment (CBI) are terms for a number of programmes offered by governments around the world that allow someone to invest in a country’s economy in exchange for temporary/permanent residency or citizenship. Whether it is residency or citizenship is dependent on the country’s programme. Each country has different requirements and different investment options. 

The benefits of our top five residency- and citizenship-by-investment choices

While each programme offers unique benefits, there are some benefits that all the programmes on this list share, such as:

• Tax benefits
• Global mobility
• Financial protection – you can open an offshore bank account and diversify your investment portfolio
• Immediate family members can be included on all programme applications
• All countries on this list allow dual citizenship and will allow you to retain your South African citizenship

How we chose our top residency- and citizenship-by-investment-programmes

The factors that have influenced this list include:

• Global mobility – these programmes can all lead to a strong passport, promising visa-free access to up to 187 countries.
• Physical presence – these countries require a low physical presence in the country to obtain or maintain residency, so there’s no need to relocate if you don’t wish to.
• All programmes offer some form of return on investment (ROI)
• Other monetary factors – besides ROI, there are other financial benefits to these programmes, such as favourable tax and wealth laws.

The Immigrant Investor Programme – Ireland’s investor visa

Ireland has become an attractive destination to many multinational companies, who have chosen it as the home for their European headquarters. This is because Ireland has one of the fastest growing economies in the European Union (EU) and maintains a high position on the list of Europe’s top destinations for foreign investment. Ireland has a high standard of living and ranks high in earnings, education, security and health.

Ireland’s Immigrant Investor Programme, also known as Ireland’s investor visa, is a residency-by-investment programme and not a citizenship-by-investment programme. However, this programme remains appealing for two reasons: Its low residency requirements and the business expansion opportunities. 

Investors are granted a Stamp 4 visa (Irish permanent residency) which grants you full residency and working rights and you can start a business in Ireland too. If you are not yet ready to relocate to Ireland, you can retain this Stamp 4 visa with just one day a year spent in Ireland. Ireland’s investor visa also includes dependent children up to the age of 24, provided they are financially dependent on you and in full-time education. 

To qualify for the Immigrant Investor Programme, you can make a donation of €500,000 or make an investment starting at €1 million. Ireland’s residency-by-investment can be turned into full Irish citizenship if you relocate to Ireland. The Irish passport is now the only one that offers holders the ability to live and work in both the EU and, through a common travel agreement, the UK.

So you can either stay in South Africa and enjoy the life you’ve built here with a good backup plan should you want to immigrate later, or you can start your move to Ireland now and apply for full citizenship in 2027.

Portugal’s Golden Visa programme

Portugal tops many impressive lists such as being the fourth best place to retire, fifth on UNICEF’s 2019 list of family-friendly countries, and fourth on the Institute for Economics & Peace’s 2021 Global Peace Index. This is coupled with Portugal’s high standard and low cost of living, its breathtaking views of golden beaches and the beautiful mountainous landscape. While Portuguese winters can be reminiscent of a Cape winter, Portugal enjoys a long, warm and beautiful summer and an overall climate similar to South Africa.

The Golden Visa, Portugal’s residency-by-investment programme, allows holders to live and work in Portugal and travel for 90 days visa-free throughout the European Schengen Area. After holding the Golden Visa for five years, you may be eligible for Portuguese permanent residency and citizenship. As a Portuguese national, you can apply for a Portuguese passport – one of the strongest passports in the world. Citizenship can be applied for in tandem with permanent residency. The Golden Visa’s physical presence requirement is only 35 days over the entirety of the five years. Portugal also has a range of tax benefits. Those who spend more than 183 days in Portugal can register for a Non-Habitual Residence tax programme, which makes them exempt from almost all foreign source income tax. There is also no wealth or gift tax.

The Golden Visa investment options start at €280,000 for a property rehabilitation project in a low density area within Portugal. We have years of experience in the Portuguese property market and our investment migration specialists will guide you in your investment decision to ensure you find something suitable for your individual needs. We are completely independent from the large real estate houses and will only promote areas and developments where we feel there is the potential for growth and the opportunity for a return on investment. Other investment options are available at €350,000, €400,000 and €500,000.

Malta’s citizenship-by-investment programme – Exceptional Services by Direct Investment

Malta’s citizenship-by-investment programme, also known as the Exceptional Services by Direct Investment (ESDI) programme, allows applicants to apply for Maltese citizenship after 12 or 36 months of Maltese residency. Malta is a beautiful island in the Mediterranean with one of the most stable economies in Europe. Malta offers dual citizenship and Maltese nationality can be passed on to future generations through descent. The Maltese passport is currently ranked as the seventh strongest passport in the world and allows visa-free travel to 185 destinations. Malta also sits comfortably as the eighth best place to retire. 

Maltese residency can be processed and approved in as little as 60 days and your Maltese citizenship application will be approved in 36-40 months depending on which timeline you choose. This programme requires a large non-refundable government contribution which starts at €600,000 for the main applicant based on an application for citizenship after 36 months. This is increased to €750,000 should the main applicant opt to apply for citizenship on the expedited 12-month timeline. In addition to your government contribution and residence requirement, the other ESDI requirements include:

• A property lease or real estate investment
• A once-off charitable donation

Montenegro’s citizenship-by-investment programme

Montenegro offers a citizenship-by-investment programme, with approvals granted approximately nine months from the date of submission. Montenegro’s CBI programme has no physical presence requirements and only one visit to Montenegro is required during the application process. While not yet a fully-fledged member of the European Union, Montenegro adopted the Euro currency back in 2002 and is expected to be inducted into the EU in 2025. Regardless, the Montenegro passport still offers visa-free travel to over 120 countries, inclusive of all Schengen states.

Montenegro has one of the lowest personal income tax rates in the world at 9%. Montenegro also has an E-2 Investor visa treaty with the United States, meaning Montenegrin citizens can establish a business and reside in the US.

The Montenegrin citizenship-by-investment programme permits you to invest in government qualifying real estate projects and developments, with an investment of €450,000 into the developed southern region of the country or €250,000 into the undeveloped northern region of the country. We can advise you on suitable qualifying investment options and on which region would benefit you the most.

Grenada’s citizenship-by-investment programme

Grenada, also known as the Spice Island, offers citizenship-by-investment through a property investment or donation. Your Grenadian citizenship will be obtained in as little as six months. In addition to your spouse and children who may accompany you, Grenada’s CBI programme allows you to include parents older than 55 as well as single siblings with no children. There is no physical presence requirement in Grenada before or after citizenship is granted and you do no need to visit Grenada during the application process.

A Grenadian passport allows you visa-free access to 144 countries including the UK, Hong Kong, Russia and other destinations across Europe. Grenada has an E-2 Investor visa treaty with the United States. This opens up a US visa path to Grenadian citizens who wish to reside in the US and who are willing to invest in and operate a business there. The Grenadian passport is also one of the few passports in the world that allows 30 days visa-free access to China. Further, Grenada has a source-based income tax with no taxes on wealth, inheritance or the repatriation of profits.

The investment route starts at $220,000 in a qualifying real estate investment that, after the holding period, can be sold onto another CBI investor. The donation route to citizenship starts at $150,000 with the funds being used to develop the economy of Grenada.

How we can help your citizenship-by-investment journey

We do not simply tell you how to invest your money and then send you on your way. We will hold your hand every step of the way from helping you select the right programme to meet your specific needs, assisting you with identifying a suitable investment option, guidance on the documents required for your application and how best to secure them, and, if applicable, with any residency renewals. We prompt you to apply for your retention of South African citizenship and can even help you with the sale of your investment asset at the end of the programme, where applicable. Your exit strategy is of utmost importance to us from the very beginning as we understand that circumstances can change.

We have a 100% success rate for all the investment migration programmes on our list and we look forward to achieving the same with you. DM/ML

Interested in one of the programmes we have listed? We will be touring South Africa in February and March. Join us for a consultation when we visit your city, or contact our investment migration team on +27 (0) 21 657 1584 or [email protected] for more information.