Naoero citizenship program says it has issued more than 200 passports

Naoero’s climate resilience-linked citizenship program has issued more than 200 passports, according to data shared with licensed agent Globevisa Group. The program is using applicant contributions to fund infrastructure, economic diversification and climate adaptation as the island nation faces rising climate risks.

Why it matters: - Naoero’s citizenship program is designed to bring in funding for national development and climate adaptation. - The island nation of about 12,000 people faces rising sea levels, coastal erosion and saltwater intrusion into freshwater resources. - The program ties citizenship approvals to economic contributions that support infrastructure, renewable energy and other resilience projects.

What happened: - The Naoero Economic and Climate Resilience Citizenship Program has issued more than 200 Naoero passports. - Edward Clark, chief executive officer of the Naoero Program Office, provided the data to Globevisa Group, one of the program’s licensed agents. - The program operates under the Naoero Economic and Climate Resilience Citizenship Act 2024. - Naoero launched the program as a pathway to citizenship and as a funding mechanism for national development and climate adaptation.

The details: - The Program Office says relevant funds go into a national treasury fund. - Those funds support infrastructure development, economic diversification and climate resilience projects, including renewable energy initiatives. - China and Germany are among the top applicant groups. - Stateless applicants from regions including Kuwait also rank among the leading applicant groups. - The first approved citizens included a German family of four living in Dubai. - The family sought a second citizenship as a long-term backup while aligning with the program’s climate-focused funding goals. - Globevisa said some Chinese applicants use a second passport for long-term family planning and risk diversification. - Globevisa also said some stateless applicants focus on travel access that comes with Naoero nationality. - Main applicants must be at least 18 years old and meet character, source-of-funds and economic contribution requirements. - Applications must go through licensed agents authorized by the Program Office. - A single application can include spouses, children, parents, grandparents and siblings. - The program has no physical residency requirement. - Naoero allows dual nationality. - The passport is valid for 10 years. - Passport holders get visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to more than 85 destinations, including Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong. - Whether an applicant can keep an original nationality depends on the laws of the home country. - The process starts with contact through an authorized agent. - Documents are collected, notarized or legalized, and translated. - The licensed agent submits the application to the Program Office. - The Program Office conducts international due diligence and risk assessment before forwarding the file for government approval. - The Cabinet makes the final decision. - Approved applicants make the required economic contribution to the treasury fund. - The government then issues the citizenship certificate and passport. - As of November 2026, the limited-time contribution for a main applicant is $90,000 for applications submitted on or before Dec. 31, 2026. - Application fees, due diligence fees, passport fees and bank-related charges are separate. - Family-member fees vary by category. - The Program Office says standard approval takes about three to four months. - Globevisa’s recent cases show a four- to six-month span from formal submission to passport delivery. - Globevisa Group (Hong Kong) Limited is listed as a licensed agent for the program. - Globevisa assists with qualification checks, preliminary background checks, document review and submission coordination. - Globevisa was founded in 2002 and is headquartered in Singapore. - Globevisa says it operates more than 50 offices across more than 50 countries and regions and offers more than 190 immigration and wealth management programs.

Between the lines: - The program is pairing a citizenship offering with climate financing at a time when small island states face mounting adaptation costs. - The applicant mix suggests the program is attracting both mobility-driven buyers and people seeking a fallback nationality. - The use of licensed agents and multi-step due diligence suggests a tightly controlled application pipeline. - The government’s focus on transparent fund tracking points to pressure to show that citizenship revenue is being used for public projects, not just revenue collection.

What’s next: - The Naoero government is continuing talks on visa-free arrangements with additional countries and regions. - Program funds are expected to keep supporting infrastructure, economic diversification and climate resilience projects. - The Program Office says it will continue established due diligence and approval procedures. - Naoero is entering its third year of operation under the program, with future efforts centered on compliance, application review and monitoring fund use.

The bottom line: - Naoero’s citizenship program has moved beyond launch phase and is now functioning as both an immigration product and a climate-financing tool.