Nauru citizenship by investment in 2026: costs, timeline and the UK and Ireland visa decisions

Nauru citizenship by investment is a Pacific citizenship-by-investment programme that grants full citizenship in exchange for a one-off contribution to the Nauru Treasury Fund, with no residency, language or visit requirement. It is formally the Naoero Economic and Climate Resilience Citizenship Program, launched at COP 29 in November 2024 and marketed as a way of financing climate adaptation.

In short: Nauru citizenship by investment requires a contribution of USD 90,000 from a single applicant, a limited-time figure in force until 31 December 2026. Approval typically takes three to four months. The Nauru passport does not carry visa-free access to the United Kingdom or Ireland, both of which imposed visa requirements on Nauruan nationals during 2025.

That last point is the one most published summaries of the Nauru programme still get wrong, and it is the point that decides whether this programme is of any use to you. This article sets out the official costs as they stand today, how they have changed since launch, and what the passport does and does not currently open.

Figures verified 21 September 2026.

Key facts at a glance

Table 1: Nauru citizenship by investment, official government and programme costs for a principal applicant. Figures checked 21 September 2026 against the Naoero Program Office contribution schedule at ecrcp.gov.nr.

Professional and legal fees sit on top of the figures above and are not published here, because they depend on family size and complexity. We set out every cost in writing before you commit.

What does Nauru citizenship by investment actually cost a family?

The headline USD 90,000 is the contribution for one person. Nobody publishes the all-in official cost for a family, so here is the arithmetic, worked from the Naoero Program Office schedule as at 21 September 2026, for a principal applicant, a spouse aged 16 or over and two children under 16.

• Contribution: USD 90,000 for the principal applicant, plus USD 2,000 for the spouse. Children under 16 attract no additional contribution under the published schedule. Subtotal USD 92,000.
• Application fee: USD 5,000 for the principal applicant, plus USD 2,000 for each of the three dependents. Subtotal USD 11,000.
• Due diligence fee: USD 6,000 for the principal applicant, plus USD 3,000 for the spouse. Children under 16 attract no due diligence fee under the published schedule. Subtotal USD 9,000.
• Bank due diligence and transaction charge: USD 1,700 for a principal applicant with up to three dependents.
• Passport fee: USD 500 each, for four passports. Subtotal USD 2,000.

Total official cost for that family of four: USD 115,700, as at 21 September 2026. That figure is government and programme cost only. It excludes professional and legal fees, translation, apostilles and courier costs, and it assumes both children are under 16. A family with children aged 16 or over pays more, because the contribution, application and due diligence fees all step up for each dependent at that age.

The single most expensive mistake we see people make when budgeting for a citizenship-by-investment programme is comparing one country’s contribution against another country’s total. Compare like for like, at your actual family composition.

Has the price changed since the programme launched?

Yes, substantially, and in the applicant’s favour. This is commonly reported as a contribution of USD 105,000 with a discount running to 30 June 2026. Both halves of that are now out of date. The Naoero Program Office schedule, checked on 21 September 2026, states a contribution of USD 90,000 for a principal applicant and an offer period running to 31 December 2026. The USD 25,000 discount has applied since 3 February 2026.

The fee structure has moved further than the contribution. Table 2 sets the November 2024 launch schedule against the schedule in force today.

Table 2: Nauru citizenship by investment, launch schedule of 13 November 2024 compared with the schedule in force on 21 September 2026. Both sets of figures are published by the Nauru programme’s own office.

Applying both schedules to the same family of four (principal applicant, spouse aged 16 or over, two children under 16) gives USD 157,000 at launch against USD 115,700 today, a fall of USD 41,300. The fee reductions, not the headline discount, account for most of that. The application fee alone fell by USD 20,000 for a single applicant.

One caveat we cannot resolve from the official sources. The Program Office describes the current USD 90,000 as a USD 25,000 discount, which implies an underlying contribution of USD 115,000, while the launch release still published on the same official website gives USD 105,000 for a single applicant. The two pages are inconsistent, and the programme does not state what the contribution reverts to after 31 December 2026. Anyone planning to apply in early 2027 should treat the post-offer price as unpublished rather than assume either figure.

Where can you actually travel on a Nauru passport?

This is the question on which the Nauru programme now turns, and it is where most published summaries are wrong. The Nauru programme’s own launch release of 13 November 2024 claims visa-free access to 89 destinations, and that claim is still live on the official website. It predates both of the decisions below, so any figure published before December 2025 overstates the position.

The United Kingdom requires a visa from Nauruan nationals. The requirement took effect at 15:00 GMT on 9 December 2025 under the Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules HC 1491. Nauru was removed from the list of countries eligible for an Electronic Travel Authorisation, and ETA applications for Nauruan nationals closed at 15:00 GMT on 20 January 2026. Nauruan nationals also now require a direct airside transit visa to transit a UK airport.

Ireland requires a visa from Nauruan nationals. The requirement took effect on 10 March 2025, announced by the Irish Minister for Justice and published by Immigration Service Delivery. A transit visa is required as well. Ireland acted nine months before the United Kingdom, and this is routinely missed, because Ireland is not in Schengen and does not appear in most passport-index tables.

The Schengen position is not what the EU list appears to say. Nauru is listed in Annex II to Regulation (EU) 2018/1806, the list of third countries whose nationals are exempt from the Schengen visa requirement. That listing carries footnote 11, which states that the exemption applies only from the date a visa waiver agreement concluded with the European Union enters into force. We could not identify a concluded EU and Nauru short-stay visa waiver agreement as at 21 September 2026. An Annex II listing should therefore not be read as confirmation of Schengen visa-free access for Nauruan passport holders, and anyone planning European travel on a Nauruan passport should confirm the position with the consulate of the member state concerned before booking.

If European access is the objective, a residence-based route reaches it and a Nauruan passport currently does not. Our guide to the Portugal Golden Visa sets out the main alternative, and our Caribbean citizenship-by-investment comparison covers the programmes most often considered alongside Nauru.

Why did the UK impose a visa requirement on Nauru?

The United Kingdom set out its reasoning in unusually direct terms, and it is worth reading, because it is a statement about the programme rather than about the country. The explanatory memorandum to HC 1491 records that the decision was driven by Nauru’s introduction of the citizenship-by-investment programme, which permits a person to acquire citizenship solely by making a one-off payment, without any wider relationship or prior residency.

The memorandum goes further at paragraphs 5.3 to 5.6. It notes that citizenship by investment is, in the Home Office’s words, inherently high-risk, citing documentation by the Financial Action Task Force and the OECD of the vulnerability of poorly designed programmes. It assesses Nauru’s design as particularly vulnerable to misuse. It records that operation of the programme is outsourced to a private firm wholly owned by an investment migration marketing agency, that the agency both submits applicants and receives an agent fee of USD 25,000 per accepted client under the programme legislation, and that this creates at least the appearance of a conflict of interest which, in the UK’s view, compromises the credibility of the due diligence.

We take no view on the firm concerned. The relevant point for an applicant is narrower: a G7 government has publicly assessed this programme’s due diligence as compromised and acted on that assessment, and Ireland acted nine months earlier. That is a pattern, and it is the pattern rather than the price that should drive the decision.

Precedent exists for it going further. The Council of the European Union fully suspended the EU visa waiver agreement with Vanuatu on 8 November 2022 over that country’s citizenship-by-investment programmes. We are not predicting any EU decision on Nauru, and no such decision has been taken. The point is narrower: the downside risk on this programme is concentrated in travel rights, and travel rights are the main reason people buy it.

How long does Nauru citizenship take, and who can apply?

The Naoero Program Office states a processing time of three to four months from submission to citizenship approval, checked 21 September 2026. That is fast by the standards of the sector, and it is one of the programme’s genuine advantages. For comparison, a Portugal Golden Visa applicant is currently waiting years rather than months for a residence card, as we set out in our guide to Portugal Golden Visa processing times.

The core eligibility requirements published by the programme are a minimum age of 18, a clean personal background, and proof of the source of funds. Applicants undergo due diligence checks and an interview. On approval, the applicant makes the contribution, takes the Oath of Allegiance and receives a certificate of citizenship and a Nauruan passport. There is no requirement to visit Nauru, to reside there, or to speak the language, and Nauru permits dual citizenship.

Family members can be included on a single application. The published schedule prices dependents aged 16 and above separately from younger children, and prices siblings of the applicant or spouse at USD 15,000 each. Confirm the current dependent definitions with the Program Office before you build a family budget on them, because this is the part of the programme that has moved most since launch.

One point of naming to avoid confusion. The programme’s official materials now use Naoero, the Nauruan-language name for the country, where the November 2024 launch release used Nauru. Both names refer to the same country and the same programme.

Is the Nauru programme worth it?

Our position is that Nauru citizenship by investment is now a narrow product, and that it is being sold considerably more widely than it suits.

It can make sense in one situation: you hold a passport with poor global mobility, you want a second citizenship quickly and at the lowest available cost, your travel needs are concentrated in Asia, the Pacific, Africa or the Caribbean rather than in Europe, and you accept that the visa-free list may shrink further. At USD 90,000 for a single applicant and roughly USD 115,700 in official costs for a family of four, it is among the cheapest citizenships available anywhere, and the three to four month timeline is real.

It does not make sense if what you want is European access. The United Kingdom and Ireland both now require visas, the Schengen position is unconfirmed rather than assured, and a programme whose due diligence has been publicly criticised by a G7 government is not a programme to buy travel rights from. In practice the question that settles this for most families who ask us about Nauru is not the price. It is whether they need to be able to get to Europe, and once the UK and Ireland position is on the table most of them turn out to have wanted European access rather than a cheap passport.

The honest summary: Nauru is a legitimate, functioning, government-run programme with real advantages on price and speed, sitting under a demonstrated risk of further withdrawals of travel access. Both halves of that are true, and the sector usually publishes only one of them.

Frequently asked questions

How much does Nauru citizenship by investment cost?

Nauru citizenship by investment costs USD 90,000 as a contribution for a single applicant, for applications filed before 31 December 2026, plus a USD 5,000 application fee, a USD 6,000 due diligence fee, a bank due diligence and transaction charge from USD 1,200 and a USD 500 passport fee. Figures checked 21 September 2026 against the Naoero Program Office schedule. Professional fees are additional.

Can you travel to the UK visa-free on a Nauru passport?

No. The United Kingdom has required a visit visa from Nauruan nationals since 15:00 GMT on 9 December 2025, under the Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules HC 1491. Nauruan nationals are also no longer eligible for a UK Electronic Travel Authorisation and require a direct airside transit visa to transit a UK airport.

Can you travel to Ireland visa-free on a Nauru passport?

No. Ireland has required a visa from Nauruan nationals since 10 March 2025, and a transit visa is also required for transiting Ireland.

Does a Nauru passport give visa-free access to the Schengen area?

This is not confirmed. Nauru appears in Annex II to Regulation (EU) 2018/1806, but its entry carries footnote 11, under which the exemption applies only once a visa waiver agreement with the European Union enters into force. We could not identify a concluded EU and Nauru agreement as at 21 September 2026, so Nauruan passport holders should confirm the requirement with the relevant member state consulate before travelling.

How long does Nauru citizenship by investment take?

The Naoero Program Office states three to four months from submission to citizenship approval. That is faster than any European residence-by-investment route.

Does Nauru require you to live in or visit the country?

No. Nauru citizenship by investment has no residency, visit or language requirement, and Nauru permits dual citizenship.

Is the Nauru citizenship by investment programme legitimate?

Yes, in the sense that it is established in Nauruan law and run by a government programme office. Legitimacy is not the concern. The concern is durability of the travel benefit: the United Kingdom, in the explanatory memorandum to HC 1491, assessed the programme’s design as particularly vulnerable to misuse and removed visa-free access on that basis.

Will the USD 90,000 price go up after 31 December 2026?

The Naoero Program Office describes USD 90,000 as a limited-time offer ending 31 December 2026 but does not publish the figure that applies afterwards, and its own pages are inconsistent on the underlying contribution. Treat the 2027 price as unpublished.

Figures verified 21 September 2026.

Sources

• Naoero Program Office, contribution and fee schedule, ecrcp.gov.nr/contribution. Checked 21 September 2026.
• Nauru Economic and Climate Resilience Citizenship Program launch release, 13 November 2024, ecrcp.gov.nr. Checked 21 September 2026.
• Home Office, Explanatory memorandum to the Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules HC 1491, 9 December 2025, paragraphs 5.1 to 5.8, gov.uk. Checked 21 September 2026.
• Immigration Service Delivery, Ireland, Irish visa requirement for nationals of Eswatini, Lesotho and Nauru, effective 10 March 2025, irishimmigration.ie. Checked 21 September 2026.
• Regulation (EU) 2018/1806, Annex II and footnote 11, consolidated text of 30 December 2025, EUR-Lex. Checked 21 September 2026.
• Council of the European Union, full suspension of the EU and Vanuatu visa waiver agreement, 8 November 2022, consilium.europa.eu. Checked 21 September 2026.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or investment advice. Investment migration rules and tax rules change frequently and depend on your personal circumstances. Figures are correct as at the date shown and should be confirmed before you act. Speak to a qualified adviser, and contact Citizenship360 for guidance specific to your situation.