Overview of the Restricted Nationalities Lists of Citizenship by Investment Programs

Many of the world’s citizenship by investment programs (CIPs) impose restrictions on the countries and territories from which they accept applications. We’ve compiled an overview.

Citizens of a country (and, in some cases, territories, such as Chechnya) are either eligible, ineligible, or partly eligible to apply for a citizenship program; While some programs impose blanket restrictions on certain nationalities under any circumstance, others impose partial restrictions that allow more room for individual considerations. Others yet impose no restrictions at all but treat applications from risk-prone regions with extra care.

If you find we’ve made a mistake in compiling this list, please email the editor on cn@imidaily.com.

Antigua & Barbuda

• Afghanistan
• Iran
• North Korea
• Somalia
• Sudan
• Yemen

Nationals of the countries listed are eligible to apply for citizenship by investment in Antigua and Barbuda but only if they meet the following criteria:

“Individuals born in these restricted countries but who migrated before the age of majority and/or have maintained permanent residence in Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Australia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, for a period of not less than 10 years and maintain no economic ties to any restricted country.”

Cyprus

Nationals of North Korea, Sudan, and Somalia are ineligible to apply for citizenship by investment in Cyprus.

Dominica

Nationals of the following countries and territories are treated on a “case-by-case basis”:

• Afghanistan
• Chechnya
• Iraq
• Pakistan
• Sao Tome Principe
• Saudi Arabia
• Somalia
• Turkmenistan
• Uzbekistan
• Yemen

While nationals of the following countries

• Iran
• North Korea
• Sudan

will only be considered if such persons

(1) have not lived in these countries for the last 10 years,

(2) have no substantial assets there, and

(3) are not performing and have not performed any business or similar activity, in whole or in part, in or with these countries.

Grenada

Grenada does not explicitly restrict citizens of any countries or territories.

Malta

Nationals of Afghanistan, Iran, and North Korea – and even non-nationals who reside, do business with, or have significant ties or connections to these countries – are permanently ineligible for the Individual Investor Programme.

Furthermore, the IIP’s official website states that “citizens from countries that are on the US travel ban also cannot apply”. Presumably, what they refer to is Executive Order 13780, signed by President Trump on March 6th last year and upheld by the Supreme Court in June 2018. As of the most recent revision in April 2018, the ban covered Chad, Libya, Somalia, Yemen, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, and Syria.

Moldova and Montenegro

No explicit restrictions have been published.

Saint Kitts & Nevis

Nationals of Afghanistan, Cuba, Iran, Myanmar, and North Korea are ineligible for citizenship by investment in Saint-Kitts & Nevis unless the applicant is a permanent resident of the United Kingdom, the United States, or Canada.

Saint Lucia

Irani and North Korean applicants are ineligible.

Turkey

Some restrictions, notably on investment types, apply to nationals of

• Armenia
• Cuba
• Nigeria
• North Korea
• Syria

Vanuatu

Citizens of Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, North Korea, and Yemen are ineligible for citizenship by investment in Vanuatu.