The Solomon Islands Citizenship by Investment program is likely to become the strongest economic citizenship program in Oceania. The island is ready to offer foreign investors a high passport ranking score along with enhanced global mobility. The Solomon Islands are also considered a safe tax harbor for high-net-worth individuals.
Let’s unpack what the Solomon Islands citizenship by investment could mean for you. This article provides an overview of potential investment options and the application process for citizenship by investment, along with tax and travel perks for investors.
What to Know About Solomon Islands Citizenship by Investment
Citizenship Act Amendment Bill
The Solomon Islands might soon offer a route to citizenship through investment.
In September 2024, the Bill to Amend the Citizenship Act was officially introduced to the Parliament. The said bill is a big step toward boosting the national economy via foreign investment.
The proposed investment citizenship program is a part of the island’s government plan aimed at strengthening the local economy and improving infrastructure.
The first draft of the bill has not been offered for public consideration yet; therefore, it is quite hard to make any specific comments. There are two things, however, that are known for sure.
First, the government of the Solomon Islands emphasizes that due diligence would become a crucial and critical point of the future investment program.
Second, it is expected that the program is to be launched by the end of 2025.
New CBI Program of Oceania
Once launched, the Solomon Islands passport program would become the third available citizenship by investment program in Oceania, along with Vanuatu and Nauru.
Vanuatu’s citizenship by investment program was launched in 2017 and is known to be the fastest route to obtain citizenship through investment. Unlike the Caribbean CBI programs, Vanuatu allows you to obtain a passport in 45 days.
The Nauru Climate Resilience Citizenship Investment program was introduced to the public at the beginning of 2025. The application process takes a bit longer and could last up to 4 months. Nauru offers visa-free travel to the UK and Ireland.
It is expected that Solomon Islands would make a strong emphasis on due diligence of all candidates; therefore, the application timeline could be between 1 and 4 months.
Solomon Islands vs. Caribbean CBI Programs
Due Diligence
The Prime Minister, Jeremiah Manele, has explicitly stated that the Solomon Islands CBI program will adhere to the highest international standards of due diligence. With this in mind, it would put Solomon Islands on the same level as Caribbean CBI programs when it comes to background checks.
Global Mobility
Even though a passport from the Solomon Islands offers a visa-free stay in more than 137 countries, a Caribbean passport has a relatively higher ranking.
For instance, Dominica’s passport opens borders to more than 145 countries, while St. Kitts and Nevis has 157 countries on the list of visa-free access.
Certain destinations like Hong Kong, South Africa, and Latin America remain closed for visa-free travel with a passport from the Solomon Islands. This is not the case for a Caribbean passport. On the other hand, the Solomon Islands can offer their citizens up to 180 days of visa-free stay in the UK, while Dominica has been deprived of this privilege.
Timeline of Application Process
It is clear that the government of the Solomon Islands does not want to make the CBI program the fastest one in the region or worldwide. Therefore it is expected that the whole timeline for submitting and reviewing documents will be more or less in line with the Caribbean approach.
Most Caribbean CBI countries consider applications within 90 days. This is not the case, however, for the St. Kitts and Nevis investment program, where review of an application can take up to 180 days.
Taxation Perks
The Solomon Islands does not have an annual real estate tax, which makes it an appealing destination for real estate investment. Unlike Dominica, all the rest of the Caribbean countries offering economic citizenship have a real property tax. For instance, Grenada’s property tax can vary between 0.2 and 0.5 of real estate’s market value. In St. Lucia, the property tax amounts to 0.25% of the property’s market value for residential premises and up to 0.5% for commercial dwellings.
Despite different geographic positions, both the Solomon Islands and Caribbean countries like Dominica, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, Antigua, and Grenada do not have wealth and inheritance taxes.
How to Become a Solomon Islands Citizen?
The current version of the Citizenship Act provides several routes a foreigner can acquire the Solomon Islands Citizenship:
- by marriage
- by birth
- by naturalization
Once the Bill of amendments is passed by the Parliament, the Citizenship Act will also allow acquisition of citizenship by investment.
Solomon Islands Citizenship Program
The investment program establishes certain eligibility requirements foreign investors should be able to meet:
- at least 18 years of age;
- has a clean criminal record
- has a legal source of funds to make an investment.
It is also expected that a potential investor would be able to secure Solomon Islands citizenship for his/her immediate family members: a spouse, parents and children.
The list of required documents might include the following:
- passport/driving license/ID;
- birth certificate;
- marriage/divorce certificate (if applicable);
- CV; and
- bank reference.
By Marriage
A person can apply for Solomon Islands citizenship if he or she is married to a Solomon Islands citizen. This is not the one condition a person should be able to meet. Besides that, an applicant should:
- be married to a birth citizen of the Solomon Islands for at least 5 years;
- be at least 18 years of age; and
- Be willing to keep residing in the Solomon Islands.
If a person is married to a naturalized Solomon Islands citizen, in that case it is not possible to apply for citizenship via marriage.
By Birth
The Citizenship Act of Solomon Islands does not grant automatic citizenship at birth. A person willing to apply for citizenship by birth should be able to meet the following criteria:
- be at least 18 years of age at the moment of application; and
- Either of a person’s parents or grandparents should be a citizen by birth.
By Naturalization
A person can apply for naturalization in the Solomon Islands, provided he or she meets the following criteria:
- Be at least 18 years of age at the moment of application;
- to ordinarily reside on the island for 5 years within the 10-year period prior to submitting the application;
- be fluent in the English language, which is sufficient for a daily conversation; and
- willing to reside in the Solomon Islands after approval of application.
It is worth noting that the residency requirement implies that an applicant should be able to reside legally on the island. Unlawful immigrants won’t be considered for naturalization.
Benefits of Solomon Islands Citizenship
Dual Citizenship
The current Citizenship Act of Solomon Islands does not impose any direct limitation for dual citizenship.
At the same time, section 25 of the Act prescribes that the citizenship of Solomon Islands could be revoked if a Solomon Islands citizen serves in the armed forces of another country.
Since serving in the armed forces of another country implies having a passport of this country, it appears that dual citizenship is indirectly restricted by the law.
It is possible to assume that the current bill to amend the Citizenship Act might directly allow dual citizenship. It is worth mentioning that dual citizenship is allowed by all Caribbean CBI investment programs, as well as by Nauru and Vanuatu.
Travel Benefits
The Solomon Islands passport has a higher passport ranking compared to Nauru and Vanuatu. It opens doors to 137 visa-free countries. Citizens of the Solomon Islands can enjoy trips to the following destinations without getting a visa:
- Canada (up to 180 days);
- United Kingdom (up to 180 days);
- China and Singapore (up to 30 days); and
- European countries (up to 90 days).
The Solomon Islands economic citizenship program might become the first CBI program in the world offering visa-free travel to Canada.
Tax Advantages
The Solomon Islands are known to be a tax paradise for high-net-worth individuals. There is no inheritance, wealth tax, or capital gains tax.
On top of that, there is no property tax, as well as no restrictions on acquisitions of real estate by foreigners.
An individual is considered to be a tax resident after living on the island for 183 days in one calendar year. All residents are being taxed on worldwide income. Foreigners are being taxed only on the income that is earned on the island.
Natural Resort
The Solomon Islands are known for their natural beauty, pristine white sandy beaches, and breathtaking views. The islands are considered exotic tourist destinations, which remain appealing for US, Australian, and European tourists.
The influx of tourists in 2024 has increased by 23% compared to the previous year.
The geographical position of the Solomon Islands, however, makes them vulnerable to cyclones and earthquakes.
Available Investment Options of CBI Program
It is unknown yet which exact investment options Solomon Islands can potentially offer investors. It could be one or a few of the following investment routes:
- donation or non-refundable contribution to the government;
- real estate investment;
- investment in local business enterprise or venture;
- purchase of non-interest government bonds; or
- other options (e.g., donation to the institution of higher education).
CBI investment programs in Vanuatu and Nauru, for instance, offer only one donation option in exchange for acquisition of citizenship.
On the other hand, Caribbean CBI programs offer a bigger variety of various options, from contribution to various government funds to purchase of bonds or real estate.
Some Caribbean countries, like Antigua and Barbuda, offer unique investment options like donation to the University of the West Indies in order to build the new campus. Therefore, it is also possible to assume that the Solomon Islands might offer relatively new investment routes compared to other CBI programs.
The Solomon Islands government has not yet announced the minimum investment threshold an investor should meet in order to be able to apply for citizenship.
It is possible to assume that the minimum investment requirements could vary between USD 100,000 and USD 140,000 per single applicant. In that case it would be in line with minimum investment requirements available for Vanuatu and Nauru citizenship programs.
Application Process for Solomon Islands Citizenship Investment
Preparation of Documents
This step requires collection of all required documents, including their legalization and translation. On average, the collection of documents can take from a few weeks to a few months. For instance, in some countries the process of a document’s legalization can take months due to the bureaucracy of state authorities.
The timeline could also be affected by force majeure circumstances. For example, if a country of your citizenship is in a state of war, it might be hard to get certain documents on time.
Due Diligence and Ground Checks
Once all documents are ready and in due order, they should be submitted further to the citizenship unit. This is a primary state authority that is responsible for processing applications.
Usually the whole process of submission of documents is done remotely through authorized or licensed agents (their sub-agents like Inter Citizen). The citizenship units for all CBI programs do not accept submission of applications directly from applicants.
The timeline for consideration of submitted applications differs significantly. For Caribbean CBI programs, it usually takes between 90 and 180 days to consider an application. For the Vanuatu Citizenship by Investment program, it takes up to 1 month, while for the Nauru Climate Resilience Investment Program, it could take up to 4 months.
It is yet unknown if the Solomon Islands Citizenship by Investment program would require applicants to participate in mandatory interviews. The mandatory interview is aimed at knowing more about applicants. The Caribbean CBI programs and Nauru widely use interviews as a part of their thorough due diligence process.
Investment Stage
Once due diligence is done, the citizenship unit can adopt either of the following decisions:
- Approve in principle;
- Deny application; or
- Delay for cause.
If the application is approved in principle, an applicant is required to make an investment. Usually, an applicant is given between 30 and 90 days to make the investment in the required amount.
Issuance of Citizenship
After all formalities are done, an applicant is required to take an oath. The official ceremony can take place either in person in the consulate or remotely in the presence of a public notary.
Within a few weeks after the oath ceremony, the certificate of citizenship is being issued. Starting from this moment, an applicant is being officially considered as a citizen of the Solomon Islands. The certificate of citizenship should be submitted further to state authorities in order to produce a passport.
Once the passport is ready, it will be delivered to you by mail to the address of your choice worldwide.
Conclusion
For high-net-worth individuals Solomon Islands citizenship by investment program can offer an alternative route to secure a second passport.
It is expected that money obtained from foreign investors will be used to increase the Government revenue streams. On the other hand, the citizenship of Solomon Islands is expected to offer investors enhanced global mobility, as well as variety of tax benefits.
