Nauru Is Now Naoero: What Citizenship Applicants Need to Know

Citizenship certificates issued under the Naoero Economic and Climate Resilience Citizenship Program now carry the country’s new official name, Republic of Naoero, following Nauru’s decision to revert to its Indigenous name.

The change takes effect immediately for certificates. Passports stay under the Nauru name for now.

Existing passports and any issued during the transition remain fully valid, and holders do not need to replace them once documents bearing the new name become available.

The Program Office describes the passport arrangement as an administrative transition only.

Applicants should expect to encounter both names in circulation for some time.

The Program Office and the Government of Naoero will update legislation, regulations, application forms, guidance documents and websites over the coming months, so documents and platforms may carry either name during that period.

Licensed agents have been asked to update their own marketing materials, brochures and presentations progressively.

What Has Not Changed

The program itself is untouched. The standard government contribution remains $115,000 regardless of family size, currently reduced to $90,000 under a limited-time offer for applications submitted before 31 December 2026.

Government, application, due diligence, banking and passport fees apply on top, with additional fees for dependants.

Processing continues to run at an average of 90 days from submission, with citizenship typically granted within three to four months and the passport issued around a month after that.

There is no language test, no minimum stay requirement and no need to travel – the oath of citizenship can be taken remotely by video link.

Applicants must hold a clean criminal record, have no outstanding visa refusals, and clear the government’s due diligence checks, including a remote video interview.

Main applicants can include a spouse, children under 18, dependent children aged 18 to 30, dependent parents over 55, and unmarried siblings of the main applicant or spouse.

The Program in Context

Nauru launched the program on 1 January 2025, more than two decades after closing an earlier economic citizenship scheme in 2002 that issued close to a thousand passports.

The current version was built with tighter checks to meet contemporary international standards, and applications must go through a government-authorised agent rather than direct to the Program Office.

Naoero’s passport gives access to 132 of the world’s 227 destinations – 55 fully visa-free, 26 by visa on arrival, three by eTA and 48 by eVisa – including the UAE, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Qatar.

It ranks 131st in the La Vida Passport Value Index, reaching 17.5% of global GDP and 27.7% of the worldwide visitor market.