March 8, 2025, 9:10 am | Read time: 3 minutes
The island state of Nauru is currently offering citizenships for sale. TRAVELBOOK explains what’s behind it.
Does living on a remote island sound like a dream to you? Then perhaps the offer from the third smallest country in the world is for you. The island state of Nauru is currently selling citizenship. But the reason behind the “Golden Passport” is, unfortunately, a sad one.
Overview
Nauru in the South Pacific Offers Citizenship for Sale
Spanning an area of 21 square kilometers, basking in temperatures around 30 degrees Celsius all year round, and encircled by the Pacific Ocean, the island state of Nauru holds the title of the third smallest state in the world. The island is about 3000 kilometers from Australia and is located south of the Marshall Islands.
Nauru currently offers citizenships for sale. With this “Golden Passport,” the visa-free entry would no longer be a problem. According to CNN, acquiring citizenship would cost 105,000 dollars (the equivalent of around 97,000 euros). The funds are intended to be a lifeline for Nauru, aimed at preventing the literal sinking of the island.
Island Threatens to Sink Due to Climate Change
Nauru is particularly affected by climate change due to rising sea levels, storm surges, and coastal erosion. However, the small island state unfortunately lacks the financial means to protect itself from these effects. The money is to be used primarily to relocate around 90 percent of the approximately 12,500 inhabitants to higher areas and build new communities there.
The President of Nauru commented on the initiative, stating: “While the world debates climate action, we must take proactive steps to secure the future of our country.”
Access to Several Countries with a Passport
It’s unlikely that individuals who purchase Nauru’s citizenship will ever set foot on the remote island. However, the Nauru passport allows visa-free access to 89 countries, including the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
The program is expected to bring in around 5.6 million dollars (equivalent to around 5.16 million euros) in the first year. This figure should eventually increase to around 42 million dollars (approx. 38.7 million euros) and account for around 19 percent of government revenue. Edward Clark, CEO of the Nauru Economic and Climate Resilience Citizenship Program, stated that as the program develops, they will carefully evaluate any “unintended consequences or negative impacts.”
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Rigorous Scrutiny When Buying Citizenship for Nauru
However, there will be a clear restriction on acquiring citizenship for Nauru, according to CNN: People with a criminal history will not be able to obtain a passport. In doing so, the island state is learning a lesson from a scandal in connection with an earlier program of this kind. In the mid-1990s, citizenship for Nauru was already up for sale once before — back then, two suspected Al-Qaeda terrorists were arrested in Malaysia with Nauru passports. The government, therefore, promises that the program will be reviewed very strictly. High-risk countries such as Russia and North Korea are excluded as a matter of principle.
Nauru is not alone in its approach to combat climate change; it joins other nations that have sought to fund climate protection initiatives through the sale of passports. The Caribbean nation of Dominica, among others, has been using this concept since 1993, and other countries could consider it in the future if the costs of climate change exceed their economic resources.