
This is the World’s Most Valuable Citizenship: 4 Underrated Reasons Why
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The Isle of Man, a self-governing British Crown Dependency situated in the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland, offers two residence pathways for entrepreneurs: the Startup route (no minimum investment) and the Innovator route (£50,000 investment).
The program combines accessible entry requirements with access to a leading offshore financial center, offering a path to permanent residence through the Innovator category.
To qualify for the Isle of Man Business Migrant Program, applicants have to apply under one of two categories:
Startup Category
• For first-time business establishment in Isle of Man
• Must have innovative, viable and scalable business idea
• 2 years and 4 months validity
• No minimum investment required
• Can progress to Innovator category
Innovator Category
• Minimum £50,000 (approx. US$65,000) investment (unless progressing from Startup)
• Can establish new business or join/take over existing ones
• Must demonstrate investment plans
• Leads to indefinite leave to remain
The program offers a route to indefinite leave to remain under the Innovator category. Citizenship is governed by UK immigration rules as they apply to the Isle of Man.
Since residents of the Isle of Man are classified as British citizens, foreigners pursuing British citizenship with Isle of Man status can typically achieve it through naturalization after fulfilling the following criteria:
Additional requirements:
Browse 195 countries’ paths to citizenship in the hyper-detailed IMI Citizenship Catalog.
Applications for this program may be directed to Department for Enterprise, Isle of Man Government.
Legislation upon which this program is based Appendix X of the Isle of Man Immigration Rules.

What makes a citizenship valuable? James Nuveen analyzes why the Irish passport is the world’s most coveted travel document.
See more statistics on this program and others in the IMI Data Center.