By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Leading global investment migration firm, Henley & Partners, has welcomed the announcement by the Government of Montenegro that it will launch its long-awaited citizenship-by-investment program in October.
It follows the decision a few weeks ago by another European nation, Moldova, to award Henley & Partners the mandate to design, implement, and promote its much-anticipated Moldova Citizenship-by-Investment (MCBI) program.
Henley & Partners has accumulated over 20 years of experience working with governments in North America, the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia on the design, set-up, operation, and promotion of some of the world’s most successful residence and citizenship programs, raising more than USD 7 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI).
The firm has been advising the Montenegro Government for more than eight years on the possible introduction of an investment migration program. Dr. Juerg Steffen, Chief Operating Officer at Henley & Partners, says they are looking forward to working with the government to make it a success story for the country. “With Moldova and Montenegro, these two new attractive European programs will significantly diversify and expand the global citizenship-by-investment market. These programs have the potential to create a series of genuinely significant liquidity injections into an economy, both in and of themselves, and as pathfinders for more strategic investments that can help modernize and diversify the economy of often smaller nations, creating a better life for their citizens,” explains Dr. Steffen.
The Montenegro Citizenship-by-Investment Program will be limited to just 2000 applicants during a period of three years with a minimum investment of EUR 250,000. The government will, in addition, charge a fee of EUR 100,000 per application which will be directed to a special fund for underdeveloped areas. Montenegro is ranked 42nd on the Henley Passport Index, offering citizens access to 123 destinations, including Hong Kong, Singapore, the UAE, and all the countries in Europe’s Schengen Area.
“The investment migration industry is maturing. There is both a growing demand from investors for European options, just as developing European sovereign states understand the potentially transformative value of effectively managed citizenship-by-investment programs. It is a mutually beneficial exchange, and it is also very much the direction in which the world is heading, as globalization becomes an undeniable feature of modern life,” concludes Dr. Steffen.
Adedapo Adesanya 
Business Post Contributor 
Dipo Olowookere
Montenegro’s Citizenship By Investment Program is one of the most under-rated options in the world. Once the join the EU in 2020, the value of the passport – and property investments in the country – is going to appreciate in value substantially.