Dated changes to citizenship and residency programmes, visa regimes and Russian reporting rules that affect a decision in 2026. Each entry states what changed, what it means in practice and which Aftera article it comes from. Earlier changes still in force are kept at the bottom.
São Tomé suspends passports for adult dependants
What changed. By a letter of the Prime Minister of 25 August 2026, naturalisation of adult dependants — children over 18, parents and grandparents over 55 — is suspended while the relevant provision of Nationality Law 07/2022 is reviewed by Parliament. Applications including them are still accepted and processed.
What it means. Citizenship documents and passports for these dependants are not issued until the revised law is approved, published and in force. The government calls the measure temporary; the revision is expected after the parliamentary elections of 27 September 2026. Main applicants, spouses and minor children are not affected.
Source: /blog/grazhdanstvo-sao-tome-90000-2026
Cyprus parliament discusses lowering the PR threshold to €250,000
· Cyprus
What changed. The Cypriot parliament is discussing a reduction of the minimum investment for permanent residency from €300,000 to €250,000.
What it means. It is a proposal, not law: the threshold remains €300,000 + VAT.
Source: /blog/pmzh-kipra-2026
Greece: €250,000 Golden Visa only for commercial-to-residential conversions
· Greece
What changed. Under current Greek law the €250,000 threshold is preferential: the property must be in specific areas and be a conversion from commercial to residential use. Other properties carry higher thresholds.
What it means. Choosing a qualifying object decides the budget. Turnkey for a family of four starts from €287,425.
Source: /blog/zolotaya-viza-grecii-2026
São Tomé tightens due diligence; timeline grows to 5–6 months
What changed. The government of São Tomé & Príncipe tightened due-diligence vetting of applicants in late June 2026.
What it means. Together with passport printing and issuance times, this moved the realistic timeline from the marketed 1–2 months to 5–6 months from filing to passport. Aftera budgets 5–6 months.
Source: /blog/grazhdanstvo-sao-tome-90000-2026
European Commission asks the five Caribbean states to wind down CBI by 1 June 2028
· Caribbean (all five)
What changed. According to the Office of the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, the governments of Antigua & Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts & Nevis and Saint Lucia received European Commission letters asking them to wind the programmes down by 1 June 2028, with a 24-month transition. Interim measures expected by September 2026 at the latest: full exclusion of persons under EU restrictive measures and enhanced vetting of all nationalities.
What it means. No programme is closed, no visa-free access is suspended, issued passports are valid and filed applications are processed. The Commission has not published the letter. The Caribbean response will be considered in the next report, scheduled for December 2026. Planning horizon for visa-free Schengen on a Caribbean passport: three to four years.
Source: /blog/gde-pasporta-rabotayut-2026
Ireland introduces visas for Saint Kitts and Saint Lucia citizens
· Saint Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia
What changed. Ireland introduced a visa requirement for citizens of Saint Kitts & Nevis and Saint Lucia from 15 June 2026 (announced on 11 June by Ireland's Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration).
What it means. Saint Kitts citizens still enter the UK on an ETA and keep visa-free Schengen. Visa-free counts in brochures are benchmarks, not guarantees.
Source: /blog/gde-pasporta-rabotayut-2026
Dominica announces a mandatory in-person visit to collect and renew the passport
· Dominica
What changed. Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit announced that successful applicants must travel to Dominica in person both for the initial issue of the passport and for each renewal; this can no longer be done remotely.
What it means. Effective date, treatment of applications already filed and minimum length of the visit had not been clarified by the government at the time of Aftera's article (17 August 2026). This adds to the existing interview requirement for every applicant aged 16 and over.
Source: /blog/dominika-samyy-dostupnyy-pasport-karibov-2026
UK requires a full visitor visa for Saint Lucia citizens
What changed. The UK removed Saint Lucia from the list of countries whose citizens travel on an ETA. A visitor visa is now required, and a transit visa for changing planes at a UK airport.
What it means. A Saint Lucia passport no longer gives visa-free UK entry. Ireland followed with a visa from 15 June 2026.
Source: /blog/gde-pasporta-rabotayut-2026
MFA initiative to extend the notification duty to Russians living abroad
· Russia (notification duty)
What changed. An initiative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs proposes extending the duty to notify about a second citizenship or residence permit — and the liability for not doing so — to Russians permanently residing abroad, who currently usually fall outside it.
What it means. As of Aftera's article (21 July 2026) this is an initiative, not a law in force. Those living between two countries should plan the notification in advance: 60 days via the MVD, Gosuslugi or a consulate.
Source: /blog/uvedomit-fns-mvd-vtoroe-grazhdanstvo-vnzh-2026
Schengen visas for Russians switch mainly to single-entry
· Russia / Belarus passport holders
What changed. From January 2026 the European Commission moved Schengen visa issuance for Russian citizens predominantly to single-entry visas; multi-entry visas are the exception (humanitarian grounds, close relatives in the EU).
What it means. Every trip to Europe now needs a new document set and a new wait. Before 2022 Russians received about 4 million Schengen visas a year; in 2025, about 500,000. A Greek Golden Visa card removes the need for a visa per trip.
Source: /blog/pasport-rf-rb-vizy-2026
EU Regulation 2025/2441: a CBI scheme alone is a ground to suspend visa-free access
· Caribbean (all five)
What changed. The revised EU visa suspension mechanism (Regulation (EU) 2025/2441, adopted 26 November 2025) entered into force. Operating a citizenship-by-investment scheme — citizenship for pre-determined payments without a genuine link — became a standalone ground for suspension.
What it means. The EU no longer has to show poor administration or a specific undesirable person passing through a programme. Suspension can last 12 months, extendable by up to 24 months, before a full visa regime is reinstated.
Source: /blog/gde-pasporta-rabotayut-2026
New FTS automatic-exchange list: 71 states and 9 territories
· Russia (CRS)
What changed. FTS Order No. ED-7-17/883@ of 14 October 2025 came into force, replacing the 2024 list (63 states, 12 territories). Added: Kenya, Moldova, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, Senegal, Saint Martin, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda. Removed: Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Gibraltar, Turks and Caicos.
What it means. Turkey, the UAE and Vanuatu remain on the list: accounts there are reported to the Russian tax service regardless of your passport.
Source: /blog/crs-avtoobmen-2026
European Commission's 8th report names the five Caribbean CBI states
· Caribbean (all five)
What changed. In its eighth report under the visa suspension mechanism the European Commission named Antigua & Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts & Nevis and Saint Lucia, stating that a CBI programme as such is grounds for suspending visa-free access, and recommended measures pending discontinuation of the schemes.
What it means. Visa-free Schengen via a Caribbean passport can no longer be treated as permanent. ETIAS pre-travel authorisation is due from late 2026.
Source: /blog/gde-pasporta-rabotayut-2026
Vanuatu: visa-free Schengen entry abolished
· Vanuatu
What changed. Aftera's Vanuatu articles date the end of visa-free Schengen entry for Vanuatu citizens to February 2025, following the Council of the EU's decision of 12 December 2024 to remove Vanuatu from the visa-free list for good — the first such withdrawal because of a CBI programme. The waiver had been partially suspended in March 2022 and fully on 4 February 2023.
What it means. A standard Schengen short-stay visa is required. The UK has required a visa since 19 July 2023 and Ireland since 7 March 2024. Vanuatu's visa-free list is about 90 destinations, mostly Asia, part of the CIS and Oceania.
Source: /blog/grazhdanstvo-vanuatu-130000-2026
CFC fixed-profit amounts now depend on the number of companies
· Russia (CFC)
What changed. From 2025 the fixed-profit CFC regime (Art. 227.2 of the Tax Code) uses: 1 CFC — 27,990,000 roubles; 2 CFCs — 52,718,000; 3–4 CFCs — 52,718,000 plus 22,727,300 for each from the third; 5 or more — 120,899,900.
What it means. These are taxable profit amounts, not tax. The regime is chosen by notice before 31 December and applies for at least 5 consecutive periods; it pays off mainly with large real profits.
Source: /blog/kik-dlya-vladeltsa-biznesa-2026
Caribbean thresholds raised, discounts banned
· Grenada, Antigua & Barbuda, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Dominica
What changed. In 2024 Antigua, Grenada and Saint Kitts raised minimum thresholds and banned discounts; Dominica joined the agreement on a $200,000 minimum and introduced mandatory interviews for everyone over 16.
What it means. Current fund minimums for one applicant: Dominica $200,000, Antigua $230,000, Grenada $235,000, Saint Lucia $240,000, Saint Kitts $250,000. None accepts RF/RB citizens.
Source: /blog/grazhdanstvo-karibov-2026
US three-year domicile rule for E-2 via investment citizenship
What changed. Since 23 December 2022, 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(15)(E), as amended by § 5902 of the FY2023 NDAA, requires an applicant who acquired treaty-country nationality through investment to have been domiciled there for a continuous three years at some point before applying for E-1/E-2.
What it means. Turkey's programme is fully investment-based, so the clause applies directly. As of February 2026 no refusal specifically on this ground had been publicly described, but the Turkey → E-2 route must be planned with it, with a licensed US immigration attorney.
Source: /blog/viza-ssha-e2-cherez-turciyu-2026