Russian citizens.
Sanctions-aware investment migration for Russian nationals. Programmes that accept Russian applicants, banking realities, and post-2022 restrictions.
Common motivations
Visa-free travel beyond the post-2022 EU/UK restrictions on Russian passports
Banking access — Russian-passport KYC has tightened materially
Family-mobility for descendants outside Russia's restricted-travel envelope
Plan-B citizenship for ongoing political and operational uncertainty
Russian investment migration in 2026 operates in a materially different landscape than pre-2022. Programme acceptance is uneven: Turkey, UAE, and Vanuatu maintain consistent intake; the Caribbean five accept selectively with enhanced due diligence; EU programmes are substantially restricted. Banking is the more pressing operational constraint than programme acceptance — even a clean Maltese or Caribbean passport for a Russian-born holder triggers heavy KYC at Western correspondents. The practice's Russian-client work focuses on (1) clean source-of-funds files designed to survive enhanced diligence, (2) banking strategy parallel to the application, and (3) Plan-B layering — typically Turkey CBI for Eurasia mobility plus UAE Golden Visa for tax substance, occasionally with a Caribbean second passport once acceptance is confirmed. Sanctions exposure is screened at intake; politically-exposed Russians or sanctions-overlapping profiles are not eligible for any operative programme.
Best fits for Russian citizens
UAE
Antigua & Barbuda
St. Kitts & Nevis
Russian tax residency is determined by 183+ days of presence within a tax year. Russian tax residents are taxed on worldwide income at progressive rates; non-residents only on Russian-sourced. The 2022 Special Economic Measures expanded reporting obligations on foreign-held assets. Tax-residency change requires careful day-count management; Russia's exit-tax regime is narrow but reporting obligations on foreign accounts remain. UAE and Turkey are the dominant tax-positioning destinations for relocating Russians; both maintain documented banking access for properly diligenced files.
Russia permits dual citizenship — Russians can hold a Caribbean, Turkish, or Maltese passport without losing Russian citizenship, though notification to Russian authorities is required within 60 days under the Federal Law on Citizenship. Post-2022 sanctions and bilateral status changes have materially affected which programmes accept Russian applicants. Malta CBI suspended Russian acceptance in 2022; the Caribbean five tightened diligence; EU Golden Visas (Portugal, Spain, Greece) substantially restricted Russian intake. Turkey, UAE, and Vanuatu remain the most consistently accepting jurisdictions for Russian applicants with clean source-of-funds documentation.
Common questions for Russian clients
Turkey, UAE Golden Visa, and Vanuatu remain consistently accepting. Caribbean CBI cluster accepts Russian applicants with enhanced diligence (longer processing, fuller source-of-funds chains). EU Golden Visas have substantially tightened — Portugal and Greece accept selectively; Malta suspended Russian CBI intake in 2022.
Western correspondent banks apply enhanced KYC to Russian-CBI passports across the board. Even a clean St. Kitts or Maltese passport for a Russian-born holder triggers additional documentation. Plan banking strategy in parallel with the application — clean diligence files travel further than thin ones.
Yes — Russia permits dual citizenship. Russians acquiring a foreign passport must notify the Russian authorities within 60 days under federal law. Failure to notify carries administrative penalties.
Sanctions exposure is individual-level, not nationality-level. Russians not on sanctions lists, with documented clean source-of-funds, can typically pursue CBI subject to enhanced diligence. Politically-exposed persons (PEPs) or sanctions-overlapping profiles face programme-by-programme rejection.
More on investment migration for Russian citizens
Russian investment migration in 2026 operates in a materially different landscape than pre-2022. Programme acceptance is uneven: Turkey, UAE, and Vanuatu maintain consistent intake; the Caribbean five accept selectively with enhanced due diligence; EU programmes are substantially restricted. Banking is the more pressing operational constraint than programme acceptance — even a clean Maltese or Caribbean passport for a Russian-born holder triggers heavy KYC at Western correspondents. The practice's Russian-client work focuses on (1) clean source-of-funds files designed to survive enhanced diligence, (2) banking strategy parallel to the application, and (3) Plan-B layering — typically Turkey CBI for Eurasia mobility plus UAE Golden Visa for tax substance, occasionally with a Caribbean second passport once acceptance is confirmed. Sanctions exposure is screened at intake; politically-exposed Russians or sanctions-overlapping profiles are not eligible for any operative programme.