Of all the citizenship- and residency-by-investment programmes running in 2026, essentially three are open to citizens of Russia and Belarus: Vanuatu, São Tomé & Príncipe and Turkey. The Caribbean programmes (Grenada, St Kitts, Dominica, Antigua, St Lucia) are currently closed to this passport. What follows is not a marketing "which is best", but an honest table: where you win on speed, where on mobility, and where you overpay for an illusion.
In short: three programmes — three different deals
- Vanuatu — the world's fastest passport (2–3 months), but without visa-free Schengen since 2025.
- São Tomé & Príncipe — the lowest entry threshold, but a new programme with timelines that have stretched to 5–6 months and a passport whose reputation has not yet settled.
- Turkey — the only one of the three where the money goes into a real asset (real estate) rather than a non-refundable contribution, and a G20 passport with a wider visa network — but processing is several times longer and more expensive.
None of the three grants visa-free Schengen. That is a systemic feature of the routes open to RF/RB specifically, not a flaw of any one programme — and we explain why below.
Comparison by the numbers
| Parameter | Vanuatu | São Tomé & Príncipe | Turkey |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry threshold (1 applicant) | from $130,000 | from $90,000 (≈$115,750 turnkey, incl. fees and support) | from $400,000 (property value) |
| Type of investment | non-refundable fund contribution | non-refundable fund contribution | a real asset — real estate (resale after 3 years) |
| Processing time | 2–3 months | 5–6 months (originally 1–2; grew due to tightened due diligence in 2026 and passport printing/issuance times) | 9–12 months |
| Visit to the country | not required | not required | no permanent residence required; the deal involves several formal steps on the ground (bank, notary, TAPU) |
| Visa-free Schengen/UK | no (abolished February 2025) | no | no (standard visa regime) |
| Visa-free list | ~90 destinations: Asia, part of the CIS, Oceania | 30–100 destinations (new programme, estimates diverge): Africa, part of Latin America, some Asian countries | 110+ destinations visa-free/on arrival: Japan, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, most of Latin America |
| Special bonus | — | CPLP membership (eases access to some Portuguese-speaking countries; each sets its own terms) | a route to the US E-2 business visa |
| Family in the application | spouse, children up to 25 (18–25 if in full-time study and financially dependent), parents/grandparents from 50 | spouse, children up to 30, parents from 55 | spouse and children under 18 only (adult children 18+ and parents cannot be included) |
All three programmes allow dual citizenship — you don't have to give up your RF/RB passport in any of the three cases. And none of them automatically changes your tax residency: that is a separate question decided not by a passport but by where you actually live (the 183-day rule, notifying the Russian tax service and interior ministry, CFC rules, CRS exchange) — see our article "What is — and isn't — available to citizens of Russia and Belarus in 2026".
Vanuatu: when speed matters most
No programme in the world issues citizenship faster — 2–3 months from filing to passport, fully remote. The price of that speed is a narrowed visa-free list: since February 2025 the EU has fully abolished visa-free entry for the Vanuatu passport. It suits those who need "in case" insurance or a second document to open accounts, not a working tool for frequent trips to Europe. Details are in "Vanuatu citizenship for $130,000".
São Tomé & Príncipe: when the entry threshold matters most
Formally the cheapest entry — from $90,000 — but that is before the registration fee and support: turnkey for a single applicant comes to around $115,750, comparable to the lower bound of Vanuatu. The programme launched only in 2025, so its real track record has not yet formed: timelines have already grown from the promised 1–2 months to an actual 5–6 (because of tightened due diligence and passport printing times), and visa-free estimates diverge severalfold across sources. Not a reason to walk away, but a reason not to budget your money and time against the most optimistic figure in the marketing. Details are in "São Tomé & Príncipe citizenship from $90,000".
Turkey: when mobility matters and you're ready to put money into an asset
The only one of the three where the investment is property rather than a non-returnable contribution: a $400,000+ object can be sold after 3 years or rented out the whole time. The G20 passport gives a noticeably wider network of visa-free and simplified entry, including major economies of Asia and Latin America, plus a separate bonus — a route to the US E-2 business visa. The price for this: processing stretches to 9–12 months and requires a real property deal, not just a transfer of a contribution. Details on the programme itself are in "Turkish citizenship for $400,000"; the tax side of Turkish residency and the 183-day rule we cover separately on turkeyzero.tax.
How to choose: three questions instead of "which is best"
- What matters more — speed or an asset? If you need a passport as fast as possible and don't view the outlay as an investment — Vanuatu or São Tomé. If you're ready to hold money in real estate for 3 years and want an asset, not just a document — Turkey.
- What is your turnkey budget, not the starting figure from an ad? The real amounts for Vanuatu and São Tomé at the single-applicant level are close ($130,000 and ≈$115,750); Turkey starts at $400,000 plus related costs.
- Do you need a specific visa-free geography? None of the three gives Schengen. If European mobility here and now is the priority, all three are the wrong tool for that job: you need a different instrument (for example, EU-country residency), and for an RF/RB passport the choice there is significantly narrower.
Risks and what to keep in mind honestly
- None of the three gives visa-free access to Schengen or the UK. This is not a gap in a specific programme but a systemic trait of the routes available to RF/RB in 2026.
- The rules change. Vanuatu's EU visa-free access was already phased out from 2022; São Tomé already tightened due diligence in its first year of operation. Plan timelines and requirements against a conservative scenario, not a figure from a presentation.
- Citizenship does not change tax residency. In all three cases residency is determined by where you actually live, not by the passport in your pocket — and your obligations to Russia (notification, CFC, CRS) remain regardless of the programme chosen.
- Turkey has a 3-year asset-holding requirement — this is not citizenship "once and for all with no conditions", as in Vanuatu and São Tomé, but an obligation to hold a specific property for the stipulated period.