According to Relocation, Sierra Leone has expanded its citizenship programme for foreign investors, adding two new options: fast-track citizenship for US$1 million and naturalisation through residence in the country with an investment of at least US$90,000.
According to information from the Go-FOR-GOLD Sierra Leone programme, the first new option provides for fast-track citizenship subject to a payment of $1 million.
This option is aimed at wealthy applicants who require the fastest possible citizenship process. The programme also includes checks on the source of funds and the applicant’s good character.
The second route is considerably cheaper, but requires the investor to have a genuine connection to the country. To participate, applicants must invest at least 90,000 dollars in an approved business or enterprise in Sierra Leone.
After this, the applicant must reside in the country for at least 90 days a year for a period of five years. Once these conditions have been met, the applicant becomes eligible to apply for citizenship through naturalisation.
Thus, the minimum period of physical presence over five years is 450 days.
These new options complement Sierra Leone’s existing investment citizenship programme, launched under the Go-FOR-GOLD brand.
The basic investment route involves a non-refundable fee of $140,000 for the principal applicant. An additional fee is required to include a spouse in the application, whilst separate fees apply for other dependants.
One of the programme’s distinctive features is the opportunity for participants in the main investment route to obtain citizenship without the need for permanent residence in Sierra Leone.
The country’s government positions Go-FOR-GOLD not only as a mechanism for attracting foreign investors, but also as a tool for financing environmental and economic projects.
Sierra Leone has become one of the new entrants to the rapidly growing market for citizenship-by-investment programmes. Such schemes are most common in the Caribbean, where programmes of this kind operate in Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Lucia.
Official source: Go-FOR-GOLD Sierra Leone – the official citizenship programme.