Cambodia Citizenship By Investment Program | A Complete Guide
What is Citizenship By Investment Program?
Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programs, also known as the Passport Programs, are government initiatives that allow foreign nationals to obtain citizenship in a country by making a significant financial contribution or investment in that country’s economy. This process offers a legal and relatively fast route to acquiring a new nationality and passport, often within a few months, depending on the program and country.
Currently, there are ten globally stable and reputable passport programs:
- Caribbean: Saint Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Dominica, and Saint Lucia.
- Pacific: Vanuatu.
- Southeast Asia: Cambodia.
In addition to these countries, Malta, after canceling its passport program, has introduced a new fast-track citizenship law called MEIN (Malta Exceptional Investor Naturalization). By donating a certain amount of money, investors can secure naturalization and citizenship within 1 to 3 years.
Overall, while the global Citizenship by Investment programs require significant financial investment, they offer several advantages:
1. Quick Passport Acquisition: In most CBI countries, once the investment is made, applicants can obtain a passport within 3 to 4 months, or even just a few weeks.
2. Lenient Background Checks: Although there has been increased scrutiny on background checks due to pressure from the EU and the US, compared to major countries’ green card programs, the background checks for CBI programs in smaller countries are still relatively lenient, sometimes even superficial.
3. No Residency Requirement: Almost all CBI countries have a zero-immigration-residency policy. In most cases, applicants can apply for and hold citizenship without ever having to reside in the country.
4. Broad Dependent Eligibility: Many CBI programs allow multiple generations of the primary applicant’s family, including grandparents and grandchildren, to be included regardless of age or status.
What is Cambodian Citizenship By Investment Program:
According to Article 12 of the 1996 Cambodian Law of Nationality, which came into effect in 1996, foreigners who make significant contributions to the Cambodian economy can be directly granted Cambodian citizenship.
Currently, the economic models for the Cambodian passport program can be divided into two categories:
1. Donation Model: This model requires applicants to donate 1 billion Cambodian Riel, which is approximately $245,000 USD, to the Royal Government of Cambodia.
2. Business Investment Model: This model requires applicants to invest 1.25 billion Cambodian Riel, approximately $305,000 USD, in local investment projects listed or approved by the Royal Government of Cambodia or the Cambodian Development Council (CDC).
In addition to investment requirements, passport program applicants must also participate in a Cambodian language, history, and culture test organized by local government and achieve a passing score. After this, applicants can theoretically obtain a Cambodian passport quickly, within three to four months.
How to apply for Cambodian Citizenship By Investment Program?
As of 2024, in the actual application process, due to local government’s inaction, it has become extremely difficult for investors to successfully apply for Cambodian citizenship by investment program.
Theoretically, Cambodian passport program follows a three-step process: first, visiting Cambodia, transferring funds, and completing donation or investment; second, receiving a recommendation for investment from the Cambodian Development Council (CDC); and third, having citizenship application approved by the King of Cambodia and receiving passport.
However, in reality, you need to have deep connections with Cambodian government agencies to potentially obtain a passport through investment. Your investment requires a recommendation letter issued by the Cambodian Development Council, and there’s no clear, transparent official procedure outlining what kind of application will receive a CDC recommendation.
Even if you obtain an investment recommendation letter, your passport application nominally requires the King of Cambodia’s approval, but in actuality, it needs the Cambodian government’s nod of approval. This is also very difficult and lacks transparent rules.
Theoretically, in addition to the investment, applicants for the Cambodian passport program need to pay the following additional fees:
- Deposit: You need to deposit $5,000 USD into a local bank to prove you have the financial means to live in Cambodia.
- Government Fees: You’ll need to pay a one-time fee of $25,000 USD before submitting the application, and another one-time fee of $40,000 USD after the application is approved.
- Passport Production Fee: This is $15,000 USD, payable when the passport is completed.
- Dependent Visa Fee: Each dependent needs to pay $5,000 USD.
However, in the actual review process, different applicants are asked to pay varying service fees, with everything depending on the individual.
Overall, the cost-effectiveness of the Cambodian, Egyptian, Jordanian, and Vanuatu passport programs has been significantly surpassed by six other passport program countries. If you’re interested in passport programs but aren’t particularly fond of these countries, it’s advisable to consider other alternative options.
Dependents:
For the Cambodian investment citizenship program, the main applicant’s spouse and children under 18 can be included as dependents to jointly naturalize.
Minimum Residency Requirements:
The Cambodian passport program does not impose any minimum residency duration requirements for applicants. However, you must provide a frequently used Cambodian address when registering and applying for the passport.