The Short Answer
None of the destinations Transita covers sells a passport. Investment buys residence, and citizenship follows on the same timeline as everyone else. The fastest investment-led path in our data is New Zealand's Active Investor Plus, at about 5 years to citizenship.
What this guide does not cover
Transita has no data on citizenship-by-investment (passport-for-payment) programmes. Countries that run them are outside the destinations we cover, so this guide compares residence-by-investment and founder routes instead, and says how long each takes to reach a passport.
Investor and Founder Routes, Side by Side
| Route | Government fee | Processing | Path to citizenship |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active Investor Plus (New Zealand) | $16,400 | 6–10 months | About 5 years from arrival |
| Innovator Founder Visa (United Kingdom) | $1,580 | 3–6 months | About 6 years from arrival |
| Golden Visa (United Arab Emirates) | $1,000 | 1–3 months | About 30 years from arrival |
| E-2 Treaty Investor (United States) | $460 | 2–6 months | No path to residence on its own |
| Thailand Privilege (Membership Visa) (Thailand) | $19,100 | 1–3 months | No path to residence on its own |
The government fee is the visa fee only. The investment itself is a separate and much larger sum, set out in each route's requirements.
New Zealand: Residence on Grant
Investor residence visa: invest at least NZD $5M for 3 years (Growth category) or NZD $10M for 5 years (Balanced category) in acceptable New Zealand investments. Residence comes with the visa, so the citizenship clock starts on arrival. New Zealand then applies a strict presence test before naturalisation, so you have to actually live there. It is the closest thing in our data to fast citizenship through investment, at about 5 years.
UK: Founders, Not Passive Investors
The UK has no passive investor visa in our catalogue. The Innovator Founder visa is for people building a business, and reaches settlement in about 3 years. Citizenship then follows the normal rules, about 6 years from arrival in total. See the UK citizenship guide for the steps.
UAE, US and Thailand: Residence Without a Passport
Long-term, self-sponsored residence granted to investors (about USD 540,000 in capital or property) and to exceptional talent such as scientists, doctors, and PhD holders, who face no investment requirement. Talent and top-tier categories are valid for 10 years and renewable. It is a strong residence product. As a route to citizenship it is not, at about 30 years in our data.
The US E-2 Treaty Investor visa is renewable but does not lead to a green card on its own, so it does not start the citizenship clock. The Thailand Privilege membership is a long-stay visa you buy, with no path to residence.
Two programmes you will still see in older articles are gone. Australia closed the Business Innovation and Investment Program to new applications on 31 July 2024. You cannot apply for a subclass 188 today. Applications lodged before that date are still being processed. Ireland's Immigrant Investor Programme: Programme paused February 2023 but historically required €1M investment for PR. Australia's route is listed on its pathway page for reference only.
If Speed Is the Goal
Money rarely beats eligibility. A skilled or founder visa in a five-year country usually reaches a passport sooner than an investor visa in a slow one. The easiest countries ranking lists every destination by years to citizenship, and the citizenship-by-descent checker is worth a minute first: an ancestor beats any investment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which country gives citizenship fastest for an investment?
Among the 16 destinations Transita covers, none sells citizenship directly. The quickest investment-led route is New Zealand's Active Investor Plus, which grants residence and leads to citizenship in about 5 years, subject to New Zealand's presence requirement.
Does the UAE Golden Visa lead to citizenship?
Not in practice. The Golden Visa gives long-term, self-sponsored residence, but Transita's estimate for UAE citizenship is about 30 years, which reflects that naturalisation there is effectively closed to most residents.
Is citizenship by investment the same as a golden visa?
No. Citizenship by investment grants a passport directly for a payment. A golden visa grants residence for an investment, and citizenship only follows after the country's normal naturalisation rules. Every investor route in this guide is the second kind.
Can I still apply for Ireland's investor programme or Australia's business investment visa?
No. Programme paused February 2023 but historically required €1M investment for PR. Australia closed the Business Innovation and Investment Program to new applications on 31 July 2024.
Does Transita cover Caribbean citizenship by investment programmes?
No. Transita covers 16 destinations and none of them runs a passport-for-payment programme. We do not hold data on Caribbean, Maltese or other citizenship-by-investment schemes.
Related guides
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Build my workspaceofficial sources: AIP · immigration.govt.nz·Innovator Founder · gov.uk·Golden Residence · u.ae·E-2 · uscis.gov·Privilege Entry Visa · thailandprivilege.co.th