Citizenship by Climate Investment: Nauru

2 weeks ago, Nauru launched the Economic and Climate Resilience Citizenship Program. Nauru is the world's 3rd smallest country, an island highly exposed to rising sea levels.

The government is offering a pathway to citizenship through a direct contribution to the country's Treasury Fund. It's an example of another SIDS nation pro-actively trying to get ahead of mass migration from climate disaster, but instead of getting its citizens off the island like Tuvalu, Nauru is trying to get its citizens to higher ground.

It's also a unique take on citizenship by investment given the focus on climate initiatives. Normally, these CBI funds are earmarked for government projects, but in this case, the 1-time fees support a specific effort to protect and relocate vulnerable communities and essential infrastructure to higher elevations (Higher Ground Initiative).

What does the investor get?

Global mobility and passport benefits. A Nauruan passport provides visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to over 85 destinations worldwide. These include strategic financial hubs such as the United Kingdom, Singapore, Hong Kong (SAR China), and the United Arab Emirates.

The program also accepts unrestricted dual citizenship, allowing applicants to retain their current nationality if their country permits it. There are no residency requirements or minimum stay/visit requirements.

The direct contribution amount for a single Principal Applicant is $105,000 USD. For a family, the contribution structure is tiered: a Principal Applicant with up to three dependents is required to contribute USD 110,000, while a Principal Applicant including four or more dependents contributes USD 115,000. An additional sibling of either the Principal Applicant or their spouse can be included for an additional USD 15,000.

$105K + fees is pretty cheap in the world of CBI, and I'll be adding this to the tracker to follow up on to see if this program materially impacts the Higher Ground Initiative.