Naturalisation and citizenship‑by‑investment (CBI) programmes differ widely in whether the names of newly‑granted citizens become public. Some jurisdictions are required by law to list each new citizen in an official gazette or parliamentary act, while many CBI states keep applicant identities confidential, and a few have changed their rules over time.
Countries that publish names through parliamentary acts
- Belgium – The Moniteur belge printed a 2024 naturalisation law that included each person’s full name, place of birth and date of birth.
- Denmark – The 2024 act of parliament lists every new citizen by name together with the municipality of residence.
- Iceland – The 2022 law on granting citizenship lists each applicant with a birth year and country of birth.
Countries that publish names via official gazette notices
- Japan – Under Article 10 of the Nationality Act, the Minister of Justice must announce each naturalisation in the Official Gazette; the notice contains the pre‑naturalisation name, date of birth and municipality.
- South Korea – The Nationality Act requires the Minister of Justice to publish each acquisition of Korean nationality in the Official Gazette, with details set by a presidential decree.
- Switzerland (canton of Zürich) – The cantonal handbook mandates that every naturalisation appear in the municipality’s official publication, limited to name, gender, current citizenship and year of birth.
- France – Naturalisation decrees are published in the Journal officiel; Article L221‑14 of the administrative code imposes privacy safeguards that prevent search‑engine indexing.
Malta – mandatory publication for all citizens, including investors
Malta’s regulations require that the names of anyone who becomes a citizen by registration or naturalisation be printed in the Government Gazette. This duty applies to the Individual Investor Programme as well. A 2020 legal notice briefly gave the Minister for Home Affairs discretion to withhold names, but the government reversed that change and a 2021 legal notice removed the discretion entirely.
Citizenship‑by‑investment programmes that generally do not publish names
| Country | Legal requirement / practice | Recent change |
|---|---|---|
| Grenada | 2013 CBI Act originally required a six‑monthly report with names, addresses and nationalities. The clause was removed in later amendments; 2024 parliamentary report no longer lists names. | |
| Vanuatu | Section 21 of the 2006 Citizenship Act required publication in the Gazette within 30 days. The 2014 amendment abolished the requirement; names are kept in a register only. | |
| Saint Lucia | Section 24 of the 2025 CBI Act mandates an annual report containing names, addresses and nationalities. Since 2019 the government has omitted the names as a policy, though the law has not been amended. | |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Six‑monthly reports list only nationalities of applicants and dependants; no names are required. | |
| Nauru (2024 law) | Bars the program office from sharing applicant information with any third party except law‑enforcement or court proceedings. | |
| São Tomé and Príncipe (2025 decree) | Quarterly reports identify each applicant and dependant for internal authorities only; no public publication duty. | |
| Turkey | The Official Gazette publishes decisions that remove citizenship; grants are sent privately to the applicant and the processing office. |
Exceptions and revocation disclosures
- Dominica – Historically published names of new citizens in the national gazette (≈7,700 entries from 2007‑2022). Publication stopped in March 2019, but the 2024 citizenship deprivation order lists every person whose citizenship was revoked, including country of origin and gender.
- Saint Kitts and Nevis – Announced a 2025 revocation order affecting 13 individuals and their dependants without naming them.
United States – publishes only loss of citizenship
The U.S. does not have a CBI programme and does not publish new naturalisations. Under the Privacy Act 1974, naturalisation files are not publicly disclosed. However, Section 6039G of the Internal Revenue Code requires the IRS to list, in the Federal Register, individuals who renounce U.S. citizenship each quarter; the latest notice covers the quarter ending 30 June 2026.
Practical considerations for prospective applicants
- Read the current law – The statutory text (and any amendments) determines whether names must be published. For example, Vanuatu’s 2014 amendment removed the gazette duty, while Saint Lucia’s Section 24 still obliges publication.
- Treat policy‑based confidentiality as mutable – Malta’s 2020 notice briefly allowed the minister to withhold names, later reversed. Future governments can alter practice even if the law remains unchanged.
- Expect possible public revocation – Some jurisdictions, such as Malta and Dominica, publish the names of individuals whose citizenship is withdrawn.
- Compare transparency scores – IMI’s 2024 CBI Transparency Index shows average transparency fell to 33 % across programmes, indicating limited public disclosure overall.
When assessing a citizenship programme, the likelihood that your identity will become public is a key factor alongside investment cost, residency requirements, and tax implications. Verify the latest legal provisions and any recent policy shifts before committing to an application.
Source article: www.imidaily.com
