In November, following the newest U.S. presidential election, the variety of Google searches for methods to «depart the nation» elevated by 1,514 %, in keeping with information by VisaGuide.World. However as many shortly discovered, moving to another country is not as straightforward as it could appear. There’s often a visa course of concerned, loads of immigration legal professionals in between, and a prolonged wait time earlier than you possibly can get hold of that coveted second passport. Nonetheless, one tiny island nation is hoping to make issues a bit of simpler by promoting citizenship for $105,000—and it might be the one factor that saves it from local weather catastrophe. 

In 2025, the island nation of Nauru, positioned within the South Pacific between the Solomon Islands and Marshall Islands, launched its new passport scheme, permitting individuals to buy citizenship by means of funding. It is the vacation spot’s means of elevating as a lot money as potential to maneuver a lot of its 12,000 residents to larger floor because the coastal areas of the eight-square-mile island are getting ravaged by erosion on account of local weather change. Moreover, giant swaths that had been as soon as used to mine phosphate deposits (an ingredient in fertilizer) have each dried up and made some 80 % of the land uninhabitable, in keeping with The Guardian.

“For Nauru, it’s not nearly adapting to local weather change, however about securing a sustainable and affluent future for generations to come back,” David Adeang, the nation’s president, shared with AFP. “That is about greater than survival. It’s about guaranteeing future generations have a protected, resilient, and sustainable residence. We’re prepared for the journey forward.”

It is value noting that whereas you should buy the passport, there is not any requirement to reside there with a purpose to acquire or preserve citizenship.

«A second passport isn’t only a luxurious—it’s a strategic asset. It unlocks larger international mobility, granting visa-free or visa-on-arrival entry to extra locations,» Armand Arton, the founding father of the Passport Index, shared with Journey + Leisure. «Whereas these with highly effective passports take seamless journey with no consideration, tens of millions face bureaucratic, time-consuming hurdles at each border. That’s why residency and citizenship by funding (CBI) packages stay in excessive demand, providing freedom, safety, and new alternatives.» 

As for who this system targets, Arton famous it is a terrific possibility for anybody whose passport limits their journey choices. «With visa-free or visa-on-arrival entry to 90 nations, together with South Korea and Hong Kong, Nauru citizenship is a strategic improve for these with restricted mobility.» 

Kyle Maltz, the COO at Greenback Flight Membership, agreed it is a improbable technique to see extra of the world in the event you in any other case cannot, however added that this explicit visa comes with one different main bonus.

«One of the crucial distinctive issues about this program is the truth that you are investing in a real-world environmental undertaking that can have a considerable impression for a small group,» he mentioned. «Investing on this undertaking additionally comes with the advantage of a further passport/citizenship, which is a cool bonus.»

Based on Edward Clark, the top of Nauru’s Financial and Local weather Resilience Citizenship Program, the passport scheme is already attracting candidates. Clark instructed the AFP the federal government is hoping to obtain 66 purposes this 12 months, however its long-term aim is far larger, with the goal of attracting 500 candidates, which works out to about $52.5 million. “Growing climate-vulnerable nations are disproportionately affected by local weather change,» Clark instructed AFP. «And there’s due to this fact an pressing want to make sure they disproportionately profit from local weather innovation.”