The São Tomé and Príncipe Citizenship by investment Department has updated the document submission rules.
Lyle Julien, an investment migration expert at Immigrant Invest, commented on the changes.
New rules for adult applicants
São Tomé and Príncipe published a memorandum dated September 17th, 2026, clarifying document submission requirements for adult relatives of investors. Previously, they had been temporarily excluded from citizenship applications.
Applications have resumed under the new rules of the Citizenship Law[1]Source: Law No. 07/2022 on Citizenship of São Tomé and Príncipe, published in Diário da República, I Série, No. 25 dated March 10th, 2022, in the Citizenship Rights Africa archive.
Children may participate in the programme together with the investor if they are:
- no older than 30;
- unmarried;
- financially dependent on the investor.
The application may include both the investor’s children and the children of their spouse.
Parents and grandparents may participate in the programme together with the investor if they are over 55 and financially dependent on the investor.
Close relatives cannot be added to the application after submission. The only exception is a child born while the application is being processed and before a decision on citizenship is made.
Lyle Julien,
Investment programmes expert
The naturalisation process, document issuance, and passport issuance for adult relatives remain suspended. Parliament is currently preparing amendments to the citizenship law to establish a mechanism for granting citizenship to dependants.
What has changed in the process
The São Tomé and Príncipe Citizenship by Investment Unit has issued guidance for licensed agents. The updated rules clarify:
- procedure for withdrawing an application;
- appeal process following an application refusal;
- requirements for unmarried partners;
- how to prove the source of funds used for the investment;
- list of documents required from applicants who were previously married.
An application for São Tomé and Príncipe citizenship can only be submitted through a licensed agent. Immigrant Invest is a licensed agent for the São Tomé and Príncipe citizenship by investment programme.
How to obtain São Tomé and Príncipe citizenship
Applications are accepted from investors over 18 with no criminal record or serious illnesses. Applicants do not need to travel to or live in São Tomé and Príncipe to submit an application.
The minimum contribution to the state fund is $90,000 for a single applicant. For a main applicant with three dependants, the contribution is $95,000. An additional $5,000 is payable for each extra dependant.
Immigrant Invest experts help investors review their family composition, prepare the documents and submit a São Tomé and Príncipe citizenship application in line with the new rules.
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