Questions about second citizenship and residency by investment

EKO Citizenship and Residency (إيكو للجنسية والإقامة) is an advisory firm based on the 13th Floor of Al Reem Tower, Al Wehda Street, West Bay, Doha, Qatar, and serves clients worldwide. It advises individuals and families on official citizenship by investment and residency by investment programmes, in Arabic and English. It does not grant citizenship or residency: final decisions rest with each government.

Adi Hussain founded EKO Citizenship and Residency in Doha. He moved from multinational consulting into the citizenship and residency industry and has over a decade of experience in it. Read his profile

Citizenship by investment: St Kitts and Nevis, Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, St Lucia, Türkiye and São Tomé and Príncipe. Residency by investment: Portugal, Greece, Malta and Cyprus. All are official government programmes. See the 2026 official minimums tracker.

13th Floor, Al Reem Tower, Al Wehda Street, West Bay, Doha. Sunday to Thursday, 9:00 to 17:00. You can also reach us on WhatsApp at +974 5999 2328 or by email at info@ekocitizenship.com.

Yes. The first consultation is free and confidential, in Arabic or English.

A lawful route, set out in a country’s legislation, under which the government grants citizenship to applicants who make a qualifying contribution or investment and pass security and source-of-funds checks. The final decision always rests with the government.

“Golden visa” is the common name for residency by investment: a residence permit granted for a qualifying investment. EKO advises on Portugal and Greece (renewable permits) and on Malta and Cyprus (permanent residence). Residency lets you live in the country while keeping your nationality. It is not a passport. Compare golden visas

Citizenship gives you a passport and citizen rights. Residency gives you the right to live in the country while you keep your nationality, and may allow naturalisation later under each country’s law.

Yes. They are official government programmes set up under each country’s laws, and every applicant goes through strict due diligence.

Among the programmes EKO advises on, the lowest official minimum is São Tomé and Príncipe: from US$90,000 for a single applicant, plus fees. Next is Dominica, from US$200,000. The cheapest is not always the best fit, so compare family cover, fees and travel needs. All official minimums

No. Government, due-diligence and passport fees are extra and vary with the size of the family.

No. Qatar has no citizenship by investment programme. Foreign residents of Qatar can apply, from Doha, to official programmes run by other countries. What is possible while living in Qatar

Yes. The programmes are run by other governments under their own laws, and you can prepare and submit an application while living in Qatar. Each programme has its own eligibility rules, so check your situation first.

Most citizenship programmes have no permanent-residence requirement, and some ask for a short visit. Residency programmes have their own rules.

Typically passports, civil documents (birth and marriage certificates), police certificates from your country of nationality and countries of residence such as Qatar, proof of the source of funds and medical certificates. Many need attestation and certified translation. The exact list depends on the programme.

Most programmes allow a spouse and dependent children, and some allow parents, under each programme’s rules.

Each programme has restricted nationalities and exceptions, and the lists change. Tell us your nationality and country of residence and we will show you what is actually open to you.

It varies by programme and due-diligence stage. No adviser can promise a timeline.

No. Every application goes through government due diligence, and the final decision rests with the government. EKO explains requirements, fees and risks before any step.

Ask any firm for its Qatar commercial registration and office address, get a written split of government, due-diligence and professional fees, and make sure payments go only to official channels. Treat any promise of approval or a fixed timeline as a warning sign. The full checklist

From each programme’s official source: government units, official gazettes and legislation. Every guide and programme page lists its sources and the date they were last checked.