São Tomé and Príncipe: 548 applications in the first year, Russia in second place

In brief

• 548 applications in the first year: 350 approved, 12 rejected, 186 in process.
• Most applications came from China (159) and Russia (122), followed by Iran (50) and Germany (28).
• The average time from filing to approval is 2 months; the fastest approval took 26 days.
• Citizenship has been granted in 117 cases and 29 passports have been issued. A passport takes 4 months on average.
• More than USD 9.8 million has gone into the National Transformation Fund.

What the report contains

The report is signed by the director of the Citizenship by Investment Unit. These are the first full official figures since the programme launched in 2025. In February 2026 the programme reported 98 applications; by September there were more than five times as many.

There are few rejections: 12 out of 362 decisions, about 3%. That does not mean there is no vetting. Applications are filed only through a licensed agent, who screens out weak files before filing.

What this means for you. The programme is running at full capacity and decides files quickly. The low rejection rate reflects screening at the door, not lenient checks.

Why so many applications come from Russia

122 applications, or 22.26%, put Russia in second place after China. The reason is clear: São Tomé accepts Russian citizens, does not require them to give up a Russian passport and allows every step without travelling to the country. Since January 2026, after a legislative amendment, citizenship documents and passports are issued remotely.

By comparison, many Caribbean programmes do not accept Russian citizens, and where they do, vetting is noticeably stricter. That is why São Tomé has become one of the few fast and open programmes for Russian families. The conditions for Russian citizens are covered in the article on São Tomé citizenship for Russians.

What this means for you. If you are a Russian citizen, you are in the largest applicant group after China. The programme knows such files well, but source-of-funds documents must be prepared carefully.

Timing: approval and passport

The report separates two timelines. Approval comes on average 2 months after filing. The applicant then pays the contribution, receives citizenship and applies for a passport. A passport takes 4 months on average.

The gap between 350 approvals and 117 grants of citizenship is explained by the fact that after approval the family must pay the contribution and complete the formalities. So the timeline to count is not the approval but the passport in hand.

What this means for you. Plan for about 4-6 months from filing to passport. The two-month figure covers approval only.

Who applies: families and singles

47% of applications are families of 2-4 people, 43% single applicants and 10% families of 5-8. Families of three and four together account for 35% of all applications.

This matches the programme price: a contribution from USD 90,000 for one person and from USD 95,000 for a family of up to four. For a family the difference from a single application is small, so the programme is usually taken for the whole family at once. The full calculation is in the article on the cost of São Tomé citizenship.

What this means for you

1. If you are choosing between São Tomé and another budget programme, use the report's timelines: 2 months to approval and about 4 months to a passport.
2. Prepare source-of-funds documents in advance. The agent checks them before filing, and that determines whether your file ends up among the 3% of rejections.
3. Count the contribution for the whole family: for four people it is barely different from the contribution for one.
4. Watch the politics. After the election of 27 September 2026 the government is still being formed, and steps requiring a cabinet signature may take longer. Details are in the piece on the election and the São Tomé citizenship programme.

How São Tomé compares with Vanuatu we set out in the article São Tomé or Vanuatu, and visa-free destinations are listed in the review of the São Tomé passport.

How this piece was prepared

The figures come from the first annual report of the São Tomé and Príncipe Citizenship by Investment Unit as at 1 September 2026. Programme prices are under Decree-Law 07/2025 and the published fee schedule. The report does not disclose timelines for individual grants of citizenship, so average timelines may differ from your case. It is not legal advice on a specific case.