Official first-year results · report dated 1 September 2026
One year of Sao Tome CBI: what do the official results mean for a new applicant?
The Sao Tome and Principe Citizenship by Investment Unit reports 548 applications in year one: 350 approved, 186 in process and 12 rejected. The fastest approval was 26 days and the average approval time was two months, while the average time to passport was four months.
Source: Sao Tome and Principe Citizenship by Investment Unit, First Year Report, 1 September 2026. Historical results are not a guarantee of future approval.
First year in numbers
What serious applicants should take from the numbers
Submitted applications
Approved applications
Fastest approval
Average to approval
Average to passport
National Transformation Fund
Approval time is not the same as passport time
The report gives a two-month average to approval and a four-month average to passport. Travel, banking and family plans should use the full timeline rather than the fastest approval example.
The program has a real international applicant base
Applicants represented 72 nationalities. China led with 159 applications (29.01%), followed by Russia with 122 (22.26%) and Iran with 50 (9.12%).
Family files are mainstream
Families of two to four represented 47% of applications, single applicants 43%, and families of five to eight 10%. Relationship evidence and due diligence should be planned for every person from the start.
Post-approval document issuance still takes time
The report acknowledges that citizenship-document issuance has not kept pace with approvals. It records 117 citizenships granted and 29 passports issued while post-approval capacity is being strengthened.
The contribution is funding visible national projects
About half of approved applicants completed their qualifying contributions, generating more than USD 9.8 million for the National Transformation Fund and supporting energy and government IT projects.
Remote issuance improves access
The report says fully remote issuance of national ID cards and passports was introduced in January 2026 after a legislative amendment, making the route more accessible to international families.
72 nationalities served
China, Russia and Iran are the largest named applicant markets
The three leading named nationalities account for 331 applications, roughly 60% of all submissions. That is why MigraPapers prioritizes clear multilingual intake, while still reviewing nationality, residence, family structure, source of funds and documents case by case.
FAQ
Questions raised by the first-year report
Does the 26-day approval mean my case will be approved in 26 days?
No. It was the fastest case in the reporting period. The average approval time was two months and each file remains subject to completeness, due diligence and official decision.
Is the passport issued immediately after approval?
Not necessarily. The report shows a two-month average to approval and a four-month average to passport, and it acknowledges post-approval issuance delays.
Have Chinese and Iranian applicants already used the program?
Yes. The report records 159 applications from China and 50 from Iran, but historic demand does not replace individual eligibility review.
Is this a family program?
It supports family files. The report says 47% of applications involved families of two to four and another 10% involved families of five to eight.