Ranked: The World’s Most Powerful Passports

Over the past decade, investment-based residency and citizenship programs, commonly known as golden visas, have become a 25B USD global industry. An online gaming company analyzed the world’s most expensive golden visa and citizenship-by-investment programs.

The ranking is based primarily on the minimum investment needed to qualify, representing the fundamental cost barrier. To provide further context, the analysis incorporates available data on application and approval volumes, as well as measures of public interest interpreted from global online search trends. All information is sourced from official government records and verified reports, covering programs active as of 2025. For consistency, all costs have been converted to U.S. dollars.

Singapore offers the world’s most expensive passport, requiring applicants to invest 7.8M USD before obtaining citizenship. Launched in 2004, the program has approved approximately 2.1K applicants, averaging about 100 per year. Thanks to Singapore’s strong reputation, it remains one of the most popular programs, with 2.2K online searches.

Trump’s new proposed program swings the USA into second place, becoming the second most expensive Golden Visa, costing 5M USD. Despite lacking an official announcement, it generates the highest public interest, registering 75.9K searches, more than three times Singapore’s 2.2K.

Hong Kong stands third, with its Capital Investment Entrant Scheme requiring a 3.8M USD investment. Launched just a year after Singapore’s program, Hong Kong approves significantly more applicants, around 300 per month, which is 200 more than Singapore’s yearly average.

New Zealand takes fourth place, standing out as one of the newest programs in the list. Its Active Investor Plus Visa requires spending of 2.8M USD. Since launching in 2022, 115 individuals have taken part, while public interest remains strong with 4.4K searches, more than three times that of Hong Kong.

Bermuda rounds out the top five most expensive passports in the world. The Economic Investment Certificate Program (EIC) requires a 2.5M USD investment for residency approval. Since its launch in 2021, the program has granted residency to 89 applicants, steadily attracting investors.

Samoa comes in sixth, standing out as one of the only programs on this list that offers direct citizenship rather than just residency. With a 1.4M USD investment, applicants receive full citizenship, a rare feature among similar programs. Despite generating 3.1K searches and increasing interest, this option has not received any applications or approvals.

Saudi Arabia follows in seventh, requiring a 1.1M USD investment. Since its 2019 launch, the Premium Residency Investor Visa has gained significant attention, with 4M searches, double the volume of New Zealand’s program.

Seychelles takes eighth place, costing applicants 1M USD to qualify. Since its launch in 2010, the Investor Permanent Residence Program has attracted 40.4K searches.

El Salvador takes ninth place, tying with Seychelles. The Freedom Passport Program requires 1M USD and, despite launching only two years ago, has already approved between 2K and 3K passport holders, making it the fastest-growing program on the list. Like Samoa, it is one of the few countries offering full citizenship through a substantial investment.

Canada finishes off the list of countries with the world’s most expensive passports. Launched in 2006, the Quebec Immigrant Investor Program (QIIP) requires an 871K USD investment to qualify. It attracts strong interest, with 1.5M searches, three times more than Hong Kong’s program.