US President proposes ‘Trump gold card’ to sell US citizenship for $5 million

President Donald Trump has proposed the replacement of the United States’ existing visa programme for foreign investors with a ‘Trump gold card’ that will simplify the route to US citizenship for wealthy foreigners.

The card – that would be bought for $5 million – would allow foreign nationals to live and work in the US, with a route to American citizenship.

“We are going to be selling a gold card,” President Trump said. “We are going to be putting a price on that card of about $5 million.”

He added: “It’s going to give you [US residency programme] green card privileges plus it’s going to be a route to citizenship, and wealthy people would be coming into our country by buying this card.”

Mr Trump said more details about the new scheme would be available in two weeks.

The proposal bears striking similarities to Malta’s citizenship-by-residency-and-investment programme, the Malta Exceptional Investor Naturalisation (MEIN) scheme.

The Maltese programme requires applicants to make a €600,000 contribution to Malta’s National Development and Social Fund if they wish to obtain citizenship after three years of residency, or €750,000 for a fast-track application that only requires 12 months of residency.

Applicants must also purchase or lease property of a certain value, and donate a minimum of €10,000 to a Maltese charity.

The Maltese scheme has come under fire from the European Commission, and it is currently the subject of a legal challenge before the European Court of Justice. However, in late 2024, Malta’s chances of winning the case improved considerably after an EU Advocate General proposed the dismissal of the Commission’s legal action.