How much does citizenship cost: a family calculator for 2026

The price of a second citizenship has three parts: a contribution or investment, due diligence on every family member, and government fees for decisions and passports. Advertising usually quotes only the first part, and only for one person. Below is the total for 27 programmes where the amounts are backed by official tariffs and our programme pages.

How much citizenship by investment costs

The most affordable legal citizenship by investment programme in our database is Sao Tome and Principe: from $95,000 including the due diligence fee. The most expensive is the US EB-5 programme: $800,000 invested, and that only leads to a green card, with citizenship after 5 years of living in the US.

The main trap is the family. Vanuatu charges $130,000 for one, $150,000 for a couple and $180,000 for a family of four, plus $5,000 for due diligence. Turkey covers a spouse and children under 18 with the same property purchase from $400,000, and Jordan even includes financially dependent parents. Sierra Leone gives a passport to one person only for $100,000, and the family route starts at $140,000.

Programme	One person	Family of 4	What happens to the money
Vanuatu	~$140,000	~$190,000	Government fund contribution, not refunded
Sierra Leone	$100,000	from $175,000	Contribution, not refunded
Turkey	~$410,000	~$410,000	The property can be sold after 3 years
Egypt	from $260,000	investor only	Non-refundable contribution
Jordan	$750,000	$750,000	The investment is held for 3 years
USA, EB-5	$800,000	$800,000	Returnable, but at project risk

Caribbean programmes cost $200,000 to $250,000 before fees, but they are closed to citizens of Russia and Belarus. The calculator shows the total and flags this honestly. In Saint Kitts and Nevis and Grenada a second passport does not lift the bar, and without one the second passport quiz finds open programmes for your budget.

Citizenship cost by country

A detailed breakdown of cost items, timelines and refunds for each country:

How much citizenship by naturalisation costs

Naturalisation fees are pocket money next to investment: from $10 in Kazakhstan to $3,500 per adult in Mexico for the whole route. The real price here is years of living in the country, rent and resident taxes, and the calculator deliberately leaves them out: they differ for everyone.

For reference, government fees for the whole route per adult: Kyrgyzstan about $120 for CIS citizens, Argentina about $210, Uruguay about $250, Germany about $400 at the final stage, Serbia about $750 including the citizenship decision, one per family. Bureaucracy here charges in time rather than money: an Argentine court file can take longer than a puppy takes to grow into a dog.

How much citizenship by descent costs

Roots are the best-value currency: the state charges tens or hundreds of dollars for a decision. Recognition as a Polish citizen costs 219 zloty, about $60, while the Polish Card and the permanent residence it brings are free. A Romanian passport is about $60, Greek citizenship by origin about $150, recognition of Italian citizenship about $680 in consular fees, Armenian citizenship about $140.

Most of the money here goes not to the state but to finding documents: archive records, apostilles, translations, sometimes a language certificate. The amount depends on how many generations and countries the family passed through, so the calculator lists it separately under not included.

How long you wait for the money

The price of a passport always comes with a timeline. Cheap routes are usually the slowest and fast ones the most expensive.

Route	Time to passport
Vanuatu, contribution	usually 1-3 months
Turkey, property from $400,000	6-8 months
Grenada, contribution from $235,000	8-12 months, closed to Russian citizens
Italy by descent	processing up to 3 years
Argentina, naturalisation	after 2 years of living in the country, plus court
Paraguay	no earlier than 3 years of living there with permanent residence
Germany, naturalisation	5 years of living in the country
Portugal, naturalisation	10 years for most foreigners

What changed in prices and rules in 2026

Caribbean programmes are getting more expensive and risk visa-free access. Grenada raised its contribution to $235,000 back on 1 July 2024, and on 25 June 2026 the EU told five Caribbean countries to wind down their programmes by 1 June 2028.
A Vanuatu passport no longer opens Europe. Visa-free Schengen travel has been fully suspended since 2023, and since 1 July 2025 biometrics must be given in person.
Descent got narrower. Since 2025 Italy recognises citizenship by blood only with a parent or grandparent who held exclusively Italian citizenship.
Naturalisation got longer. Germany abolished the 3-year route on 30 October 2025, and since 19 May 2026 Portugal requires 10 years instead of 5.
Argentina. Since 30 June 2026 citizenship cases have again been handled by the federal court, and citizenship by investment was only announced on 2 October 2026.

Citizenship for a child by birth: what costs more than the fees

In Argentina and Brazil a child gets citizenship at birth automatically, including a child of tourists, and government fees are minimal. The main costs are the birth, housing during pregnancy and documents for the parents' residence permits. In Chile, since 13 April 2026 a child of tourists does not get citizenship at birth, and in Portugal it is available by declaration only if a parent has lived in the country for 5 years. More in the article on giving birth in Chile.

How not to overpay

Check your roots first. If the family has Polish, Romanian, Greek or Armenian ancestors, recognition of citizenship costs tens or hundreds of dollars instead of hundreds of thousands.
Count the whole family. Surcharges for a spouse, children and parents and due diligence on each family member change the total more than the difference in base price between countries.
Check that the programme is open to your passport. Caribbean countries do not accept Russian or Belarusian citizens, and a second passport does not lift the ban.
Remember non-refundable fees. Due diligence fees are not refunded on refusal, so the file is worth checking before filing.

What the passport price does not include

The calculator adds only money required by the state or the programme: contributions, required investments, due diligence, fees and passports. Local-currency amounts are converted at the official central bank rate, each rounded up to $5, and the total equals the sum of the lines.

Translations, apostilles and notary: depend on the number of documents.
Living in the country for naturalisation: housing, insurance, resident taxes.
Flights for filing, biometrics and passport collection.
Murblz support: its cost depends on the programme and the family, and a manager will calculate it in the chat.

The law does not stop you from filing on your own. But mistakes cost more than the fees: due diligence rejects files over a gap in the source of funds, and a certificate without an apostille comes back. Murblz support removes these risks: we check documents before filing, prepare the file and see the application through to the passport. The six-question quiz will help match a programme to your budget.

FAQ

How much does it cost to buy citizenship?

Legal citizenship by investment programmes cost from $95,000 in Sao Tome and Principe to $800,000 under the US EB-5 programme in 2026, where the passport comes through a green card and 5 years of residence. The family total is almost always higher than the advertised price: surcharges for a spouse and children, due diligence on each person and fees.

Which citizenship is the cheapest?

By descent: recognition as a Polish citizen costs about $60, a Romanian passport about $60. Among naturalisation routes, Kyrgyzstan is the cheapest for former USSR citizens: about $120 in fees per adult. Among contribution programmes, Sao Tome and Principe starts at $95,000.

Do you get the money invested in citizenship back?

A government fund contribution is not refunded: that is how Vanuatu, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone and the Caribbean programmes work. Property in Turkey stays yours and can be sold after 3 years. An EB-5 investment is returnable but depends on the project's success.

How much does citizenship cost for a family of four?

Vanuatu is about $190,000, Turkey about $410,000 for property with the title deed fee, and the spouse and children under 18 are covered by the same purchase. For naturalisation, mostly fees count: in Germany about $1,100 for two adults and two children at the final stage.

Why is Malta missing from the calculator?

The programme no longer exists: the EU Court struck it down on 29.04.2025. Montenegro closed intake on 31.12.2022, Moldova in 2020, and Argentine citizenship by investment has been announced but applications are not accepted. The calculator only prices working programmes.

How long does a passport by investment take?

Usually 1-3 months in Vanuatu, 6-8 months in Turkey and 8-12 months in Grenada from first contact to passport.

Has Grenadian citizenship become more expensive?

Yes. Since 1 July 2024 the minimum fund contribution has been $235,000, and real estate from $270,000 plus a $50,000 government fee. The programme is closed to Russian citizens.

What is the cheapest route to European citizenship in 2026?

Descent: recognition as a Polish citizen costs about $60, Romanian about $60. There are no citizenship by investment programmes left in the EU.

How much does Murblz support cost?

The cost of support depends on the programme, the family and how many documents need to be found. A manager will calculate it in the chat: send the programme and the total from the calculator, which is enough for a first estimate.

How much does citizenship cost

Price a second citizenship for your family