São Tomé and Príncipe’s Citizenship Investment Unit (CIU) has issued a memorandum to licensed marketing agents announcing three simultaneous changes to the country’s citizenship by investment (CBI) program, including a formal hold on applications from individuals holding three or more foreign nationalities.
The memorandum, dated 10 April and signed by CIU Director Disney Leite Ramos, cites Nationality Law No. 07/2022, which prohibits the granting of São Toméan nationality to individuals holding three or more foreign nationalities.
An amendment to this restriction had been expected but has not materialized, a matter flagged in IMI’s most recent Private Briefing. Parliament has yet to finalize the required legislative changes.
“Effective immediately, acceptance of new applications from individuals holding three foreign passports or more will be placed on hold,” the memorandum states.
Ramos told IMI that “the legislative amendment regarding individuals holding three nationalities or more will be addressed soon upon the completion of the requisite parliamentary procedures.”
Philippe May, Founder and CEO of EC Holdings, called the restriction “regrettable, as there is a certain demand from people holding three passports.” He added, however, that the practical impact is limited. “Not very important,” he said.
Remote ID Issuance
The memorandum’s most operationally consequential change concerns biometric enrollment. Until 9 April, passport issuance required in-person fingerprint and signature capture, either in São Tomé and Príncipe or at designated embassies in Lisbon or Brussels.
A legislative amendment now permits remote issuance of the national ID through video verification with the Civil Registry and Notary Office.
Ramos framed the change around compliance rather than convenience. “STP wishes to ensure full compliance and proper identity verification, confirming that each applicant is genuine and in good standing,” he said. “The government of STP has put a team in place to assure smoothness for this process.”
May described the shift as “rather positive,” noting that “very few find it convenient to travel to Lisbon or Brussels” for biometric capture.
Adult Dependents on Hold
A third change concerns adult dependent children above 18 years of age. The CIU says a revised dependency framework is being finalized and passport issuance for adult dependents remains on hold until it is published. Ramos said the revised dependency law “is already underway and expected to be implemented in due course.”
A Young Program Adjusting in Real Time
São Tomé launched its CBI program in September 2025 with a US$90,000 donation to the National Transformation Fund, making it the most affordable CBI option on the market.
The program attracted over 200 applications in its first few months and had issued its first passport by January 2026. In February, the CIU revoked an agent’s license for underselling the program.
The three-nationality hold and the adult-dependent freeze both reflect gaps between the program’s operational ambitions and its underlying legislative framework.
The remote biometric change, by contrast, removes a friction point that had required applicants to travel to one of only three locations worldwide for enrollment.
