The US EB-5, Quebec IIP and Portuguese Golden Visa have historically been highly popular amongst investors hailing from China, Russia and the GCC countries, however the arrival of the reduced-price Turkish CIP has been a game changer in several respects:

With a short-term (3-year) property investment requirement of only $250,000, Turkey’s offer of actual citizenship trumps many other second residency and citizenship programmes in terms of speed, value, simplicity and affordability – primary applicants are issued with passports in as little as 6 months. 

But, as the adage goes, there’s more:

The programme offers one of the easiest and most affordable paths into the USA. Turkish citizens are eligible to apply for the USA E-2 Investor visa, thanks to the commerce and navigation treaties in place between the two countries.

Unlike with the EB-5 visa programme, which requires a minimum invest of $900,000 as of 21 November 2019, there is no minimum prescribed investment amount on the E-2 programme.

And while the E-2 is a non-immigrant visa, it does allow the investor, their spouse and children to live in the US long term, as it is valid for 5 years, and renewable in 2-year increments, provided that the programme requirements are still met.

Not sold on Turkish citizenship yet?

Turkish citizens can also gain access to the UK by applying for a Turkish Businessperson Visa. Under the European Community Association Agreement (ECAA), also known as the Ankara Agreement, Turkish citizens can apply for a UK visa on the basis of viable self-employment, or on the basis of joining an existing business in the UK as a worker.

As an added bonus, Turkish citizens are also eligible for the US E-1 Visa Programme, which enables Turkish citizens to gain access to the US for the purpose of conducting inter-country trade.

NOTE: The E1 and E2 Treaty Visas are two of the most popular visa classes for those seeking to do business or invest in the USA. E1 is for non immigrant traders, and E2 for non–immigrant investors.

Under the E-2 programme, you can live, work, bring your spouse, children and even certain employees, provided they are entering the country for the purposes of trade or to manage the business, with the intention to leave the USA should they no longer meet the programme criteria.

The E2 is renewable every 5 years, so while it does not grant the visa holder formal permanent residence, for all practical intents and purposes, it can serve as a viable legal basis upon which to reside in the USA.

Under Montenegro’s newly launched CIP, third country investors can obtain citizenship by making a non-refundable government fund donation of €100,000 combined with buying a property worth no less than €250,000 (in the north of Montenegro) and €450,000 (in the south). 

While the Montenegro passport programme is more expensive than Turkey and Grenada, it offers substantially more from in the form of location, lifestyle appeal, US E-2 visa eligibility and the real possibility of EU accession.

So while the Montenegro CIP’s easy US access benefit may appeal to investors today, the prospect of medium-term EU accession will undoubtedly count in its favour as well going forward.