How Much Does Nauru Citizenship Cost, and Does the Passport Get You Into Europe or the UK?

01

What is the legal basis, and when did the program start?

The program rests on the Naoero Economic and Climate Resilience Citizenship Act 2024 (No. 15 of 2024), certified and in force on 20 August 2024. The government launched it publicly at COP 29 on 13 November 2024. The Act was amended in December 2025 (No. 50 of 2025), March 2026 (No. 13 of 2026) and May 2026 (No. 21 of 2026).

The December 2025 amendment lets Cabinet designate a "Special Project" with a temporary contribution discount (s 9(7)). The current fees are in Schedule 1 of the 2024 Regulations (SL 31 of 2024), as replaced on 29 January 2026.

02

How the investment works

You pay a contribution to the government, plus filing and approval fees. Schedule 1 of the Regulations, plus the Program Office's bank charge:

By our arithmetic (not official totals), a single applicant pays US$102,700 under the special project (US$127,700 standard), and a married couple US$110,700 (US$135,700). Other family members add the per-head fees.

Cabinet designated the special project, the Iruwa Initiative, under s 9(7) of the Act (SL 4 of 2026). It cuts the main applicant's contribution from US$115,000 to US$90,000; all other fees stay as prescribed. It began on 29 January 2026 and was extended to 31 December 2026 (SL 28 of 2026). It covers applications "accepted prior to the closing date". From 1 January 2027 the standard US$115,000 applies unless Cabinet extends it again. The Program Office says your agent will typically charge its own advisory fee on top.

A US$25,000 agent fee and a US$10,000 administration fee come out of the contribution, not on top of it.

03

Who qualifies, and how strict is the screening?

You must be at least 18 and apply through a licensed agent. You can include a spouse, children, parents, grandparents and siblings.

Every applicant aged 16 or over provides police certificates from each country of citizenship and any country lived in for six months or more in the past 10 years. Convictions carrying 12 months' imprisonment or more, International Criminal Court charges and UN sanctions designations all disqualify.

The Program Office says its staff, the Nauru Police Force and international due-diligence firms run checks, typically over one to two months. It requires every principal applicant to attend an interview with a due-diligence firm, online or in person, and may also interview dependants aged 16 or over.

Cabinet decides. You then take an oath of allegiance, in person, by video link or before a notary.

04

How long does it take, and must you live there?

The Program Office states a standard processing time of three to four months from submission, if all documents are in order. It says there is no residence requirement. The Act sets no annual cap, and the Program Office publishes none.

Citizenship can be cancelled for fraud or misrepresentation, or later for UN sanctions designation or certain convictions, with no refund.

05

Why does the UK now require a visa?

The UK imposed a visit visa requirement on Nauru nationals from 15:00 on 9 December 2025, under Statement of Changes HC 1491. Nauru was removed from the Electronic Travel Authorisation list the same day.

The Home Office said the change was driven by the citizenship by investment program, whose design was "particularly vulnerable to misuse". It also saw "a clear appearance of a conflict of interest" in how the program is run.

06

Can Nauru nationals enter the Schengen area visa-free?

No. Nauru appears on the EU's visa-exempt list, but a footnote says the exemption applies only once an EU-Nauru visa waiver agreement enters into force. No such agreement appears in EUR-Lex's table of agreements, and Germany's Federal Foreign Office lists Nauru nationals as needing a visa.

Since 30 December 2025, Regulation (EU) 2025/2441 makes an investor citizenship scheme a ground for suspending a country's visa-free status. The Commission's December 2025 report under that mechanism does not mention Nauru.

07

Is there tax?

Nauru's Revenue Office deducts an Employment and Services Tax from pay and service fees earned in or from Nauru. Its 2024-25 guide sets 20% for most employees, and the tax deducted is final. We found no official guidance on how Nauru taxes citizens living abroad.

08

Notes by audience

The Program Office says the passport gives visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to "over 85" destinations, including Hong Kong, Singapore and the UAE. Hong Kong's Immigration Department allows Nauru nationals 90 days without a visa.

• Hong Kong SAR, Singapore, Malaysia, Korea and the UAE: your passport is visa-free for Schengen short stays and needs no UK visa. A Nauru passport needs both.
• Mainland China, Indonesia and the Philippines: you already need Schengen and UK visas, and so does a Nauru passport.
• Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman: you need a Schengen visa but not a UK visa. A Nauru passport needs both.

Check your home country's rules on holding a second citizenship before applying.

09

FAQ