São Tomé and Príncipe Citizenship for the Family: Spouse, Children up to 30, Parents and Grandparents

Family pricing is where São Tomé is strongest. Up to four people pay one contribution, and each next relative adds $5,000. Rules below are from the CIU eligibility page, the CIU FAQ and the decree, checked on 25 October 2026.

Who counts as a dependant

Relative	Condition
Spouse	a monogamous marriage or a de facto partnership
Children	up to 30; from 18 to 30 unmarried and dependent, according to BRIDGES
Parents and grandparents	from 55 (CIU FAQ and BRIDGES), of the applicant or the spouse
Siblings	not provided for, according to BRIDGES

Two points are not consistent between sources. The CIU eligibility page lists parents and grandparents as “at least 18”, while the FAQ on the same site says “from 55”. And one BRIDGES article mentions children up to about 31, while the CIU and the BRIDGES programme page say 30. I plan with 55 and 30 and ask the agent to confirm before filing.

For children under 18 whose custody is shared, BRIDGES says a court or administrative document is needed. In practice that means consent from the other parent in a form the UCID will accept.

Due diligence for relatives

The decree requires due diligence on the main applicant and on every dependant who is criminally responsible under São Tomé law. Adult children and parents need their own police certificates from every country of nationality and residence in the last five years.

What a family pays

Family	Contribution	Fee	Documents	Total
Couple	$95,000	$5,000	$1,500	$101,500
Couple + 2 children	$95,000	$5,000	$3,000	$103,000
Couple + 2 children + 2 parents	$105,000	$5,000	$4,500	$114,500

My calculation from the decree and the CIU fee table. The agent’s fee and translations are extra.

Adding a relative later

If someone joins after approval in principle, the CIU charges a $5,000 submission fee plus $10,000 for a spouse, $5,000 for another dependant or $500 for a newborn up to one year (newborns pay no submission fee). The decree sets the same amounts for relatives of an existing citizen. A child born later is the cheap case. Everyone else is cheaper to include from the start.

Children born later

According to BRIDGES, São Tomé citizenship passes to children by descent. For a baby added after approval the CIU lists the $500 newborn amount, so ask your agent which route applies to your case.

What the family gets from the passport is in the passport guide.