Africa
São Tomé & Príncipe
Citizenship by Investment
A discreet Lusophone citizenship in the Gulf of Guinea.
A discreet Lusophone citizenship in the Gulf of Guinea.
This small Portuguese-speaking archipelago offers a low-threshold citizenship framework with limited application volumes. It suits clients whose priority is discretion and a second legal identity rather than maximum visa-free reach.
Why São Tomé & Príncipe
This is a discretion instrument rather than a mobility instrument: a low-volume Lusophone citizenship for clients whose priority is a second legal identity and a quiet file. Visa-free reach is modest and should never be the reason a client chooses it.
Benefits
- Low entry threshold relative to Caribbean programmes
- Lusophone ties across the Portuguese-speaking world
- No residence, language or education requirement
- Family included in a single application
- Highly discreet, low-volume process
Qualifications
Every adult applicant is screened to private-banking standard. The points below are the statutory floor; the desk may ask for more depending on the source of wealth.
- Full international due diligence on adult applicants
- Verified source of funds and clean criminal record
- Certified and legalised civil documents
- Government and agent fees per applicant
Investment requirements
Thresholds below are the statutory minimum for a single applicant unless stated. Family composition changes the figure.
Government contribution
Non-refundable contribution to the national fund.
US$220,000
Tourism or agriculture project
Approved development in a priority sector.
US$400,000
Application fees & costs
The headline threshold is one of four layers. We set all four out in writing before an engagement is signed.
Qualifying investment
US$220,000 contribution
The threshold that satisfies the programme. Everything below sits on top of it.
Government and processing fees
Per applicant
Set by statute and confirmed in writing before any engagement is signed.
Due diligence
Per adult applicant
Independent international vetting, typically from age sixteen.
Professional fees
Fixed, agreed in advance
Our fee is quoted as a single figure for the whole family, never as a percentage.
Programme status
Accepting applications
Open with deliberately limited intake. Timelines are longer than the Caribbean and documents must be legalised in Portuguese.
Hampton & Kent and São Tomé & Príncipe
Our São Tomé & Príncipe desk files through licensed local counsel and owns the mandate from the first conversation to the document in hand. We do not hold client investment capital, and government contributions are paid directly to the relevant state account. Where São Tomé and Príncipe is not the right instrument for a family, we say so before any fee is discussed.
Programme terms are set by the government of São Tomé and Príncipe and change without notice. Nothing on this page constitutes legal or tax advice.
The route, stage by stage
How a São Tomé & Príncipe mandate progresses
- 01
Assessment
Suitability review and expectation setting.
Weeks 1 – 3
- 02
Documentation
Legalised file prepared in Portuguese.
Weeks 3 – 10
- 03
Submission
Application lodged with the authorities.
Months 3 – 6
- 04
Decision
Approval, contribution and passport issue.
Months 6 – 12
Next steps
Three ways to test São Tomé & Príncipe against your own position
Programme check
A confidential read of your file against the current São Tomé & Príncipe criteria, before anything is committed.
Request a review →Programme cost
A written figure covering investment, statutory fees, due diligence and our fee for your exact family.
Ask for a figure →Mobility map
Model what a São Tomé & Príncipe document adds to the passports your family already holds.
Open the index →Consider alongside
Programmes that pair well with São Tomé & Príncipe
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- Timeline
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- Timeline
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- 156
Citizenship
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The most efficient route for larger families.
- From
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- Timeline
- 5 – 9 mo
- Access
- 151
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São Tomé & Príncipe enquiries
Need more information on São Tomé & Príncipe?
We will confirm eligibility, current thresholds and realistic timelines before any engagement is discussed.
Direct lines
Private clients
private.office@hamptonkent.comPartner desk
partners@hamptonkent.comLondon office
+44 20 3901 7742