Every question, answered.
A seven-figure decision deserves straight answers, not a sales script. This is every question a funded buyer brings to the El Salvador Freedom Passport, grouped by what you are deciding: what it costs, why you pay in Bitcoin, who can come with you, what a denial means, how long it takes, what it does and does not do for your tax, and whether the Spanish fast-track everyone repeats is real. Each answer leads with the verdict and links to the page that proves it. Numbers are canonical; facts are dated.
What it costs.
How much does the El Salvador Freedom Passport cost?
$1,050,000 all-in for a single applicant: a $1,000,000 government contribution, which includes the main applicant’s processing fee, plus the 21 CBI 5% advisory fee of $50,000. The $1,000,000 government contribution is flat across a family, and each additional applicant adds a $999 processing fee. Every line, single applicant through family of four, is itemized on the passport cost page.
Can I pay for the Freedom Passport in Bitcoin?
Yes, and you must. The $1,000,000 government contribution is settled in BTC or USDT only, with no fiat option, direct to a government-controlled wallet. The 21 CBI 5% advisory fee can be paid in BTC, Lightning, USDT, or fiat. This is the only sovereign citizenship program settled natively in Bitcoin. The mechanics are on the pay-in-Bitcoin page.
Can I include my family in one application?
Yes. The $1,000,000 government contribution is flat across the family, and each additional applicant adds a $999 processing fee rather than another seven-figure contribution. Children under 18 are included automatically; children aged 18 to 25 qualify if they are full-time enrolled in education; newborns become citizens by descent. The per-head math sits on the family pricing detail.
How is the $1,000,000 contribution actually processed?
In BTC or USDT, sent direct to a government-controlled address after due diligence has cleared. 21 CBI coordinates wallet verification, transfer timing, and on-chain confirmation. The amount is locked in US dollars at the moment of transfer, with a re-quote if Bitcoin moves materially before settlement. There is no intermediary custodian holding your funds, and Lightning is not supported for the contribution itself. The source-of-funds work that precedes it is on the source-of-funds page.
What happens if it does not clear.
What happens if my application is denied?
The $1,000,000 government contribution is collected only after approval, so it is not forfeited if your application is denied. Per-applicant processing fees and any due-diligence costs already incurred are non-refundable. The 21 CBI advisory fee is structured so that the bulk is payable at approval, which means a denial does not leave you out the full $50,000. We pre-audit the file before submission precisely to avoid surprises at this stage, the method is on the source-of-funds page.
Is there a cap on the number of Freedom Passports?
Yes. Approvals are capped at 1,000 per year, issued on a first-cleared-first-issued basis. A clean, well-documented file clears faster, which is why preparation matters more than speed of payment. Where the cap sits in the wider program is covered on the Freedom Passport program page.
Who is eligible for the Freedom Passport?
Applicants 18 or over, with a clean record and a documented source of funds that clears AML and source-of-funds screening. Nationals of Cuba, North Korea, Iran, and Syria are ineligible; residents of Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia, and OFAC-sanctioned persons, are also ineligible. What is required is a documented, legitimate profile, not a spotless one. Size up your own position with the fit check.
The point where most Bitcoiners get stuck.
How does source of funds work for a Bitcoin holder?
This is the single point where most Bitcoiners get stuck. Accepted evidence includes exchange records, custody statements, wallet history, transaction receipts, and on-chain proofs. Self-custody requires a coherent audit trail from source to address. Mixers, privacy-coin conversions, and unexplained jumps are flags. We pre-audit the trail before submission and tell you before you spend the $50,000 advisory whether your provenance is complicated. The full method is on the source-of-funds page.
From engagement to passport in hand.
How long does the process take?
6 to 8 weeks from engagement to passport in hand, processed remotely, with no residency requirement, interview, or language test during the application. Source-of-funds reconstruction and document gathering happen before the clock starts, so preparation is usually the longest stretch. The stages are mapped on the citizenship timeline page.
Do I need to visit El Salvador?
Not during the application. The process is remote, with no residency, interview, or language test. Two in-person touchpoints sit outside the application window: a consular biometric capture after issuance, and one in-country visit every five years at passport renewal. The citizenship itself is permanent and hereditary, the full picture is on the process page.
The honest tax picture.
What are the tax benefits?
El Salvador applies 0% capital gains tax on Bitcoin for foreign investors, 0% income tax on Bitcoin-sourced earnings for non-residents, and no inheritance or wealth tax. The country has been dollarized since 2001 and is Non-CRS. Home-country obligations still apply. The structure is detailed on the citizenship tax page and the Non-CRS page.
Does it make me a Salvadoran tax resident?
No. Citizenship and tax residency are separate. Tax residency requires physical presence plus genuine economic ties to El Salvador, not the passport alone. US citizens remain subject to worldwide income reporting regardless of any second citizenship. The full caveat sits on the citizenship tax page.
Does El Salvador allow dual citizenship?
Yes, without restriction. No renunciation of your existing nationality is required. The citizenship is permanent and hereditary, passing to your children. The legal footing is on the legitimacy page.
Where it takes you.
What about US, UK, and EU travel?
It depends on the destination. There is no visa-free access to the United States; you apply for a B-1/B-2 visa and are eligible for Global Entry. The United Kingdom requires a Standard Visitor visa. The European Union is visa-free under Schengen for up to 90 days in any 180, with ETIAS pre-authorization required from 2026. The full mobility picture is on the Schengen access page.
What is CA-4 and what does it give me?
CA-4 is the Central America free-movement zone. As a Salvadoran citizen you move freely across El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua under a single citizenship, without a visa or border formality between them. The wider mobility map is on the visa-free map.
The one answer the industry gets wrong.
This is the most repeated falsehood in the CBI market, and the one worth reading in full. The answer below is stated without softening, because the figure being sold is not real.
Does the Freedom Passport qualify me for a Spanish or EU fast-track?
No. A common CBI-industry misconception holds that any citizen of an Ibero-American country, the Philippines, Andorra, Equatorial Guinea, or Portugal automatically qualifies for Spain’s two-year reduced-residency pathway. That is incorrect. Article 22.1 of the Spanish Civil Code reserves the two-year track for nacionales de origen (nationals by origin): citizens by birth or filiation. A Salvadoran who acquires citizenship through the Freedom Passport, or any CBI program, is naturalized, not de origen, and falls under Spain’s standard ten-year residency requirement. The Spanish Supreme Court and the DGSJFP have consistently upheld this reading. El Salvador’s value sits elsewhere: Bitcoin-native citizenship, Non-CRS status, 0% Bitcoin capital gains, visa-free Schengen travel. It does not deliver a Spanish or EU fast-track.
Lawful, and you can verify it.
Is the Freedom Passport revocable if government policy changes?
No. Once granted, citizenship is constitutionally protected and cannot be unilaterally revoked by a change in administration, a protection established through Legislative Decrees No. 918 and No. 286. A future government could alter the program terms for new applicants, but citizenships already granted are protected. Program risk is not citizenship risk. The legal basis is set out on the legitimacy page.
Is 21 CBI authorized to submit applications?
Yes. 21 CBI (Bitcitizen LLC) is a Licensed Agent of The Bitcoin Office of El Salvador, authorized by Director Stacy Herbert to submit and process Freedom Passport applications, with a license valid from 27 February 2026 to 26 February 2027. Licensing authorizes submission and processing; it does not constitute pre-approval of any individual application. The authorization chain is on the legitimacy page.
If your question is not here, it is probably specific to your file.
The questions above cover the program. The ones that are not here tend to be specific to your situation, your nationality, your source of funds, your tax residence, and that is exactly what a confidential file-read is for. The first call goes straight to your file, not a sales script, with the honest answer even when it is no. Home-country obligations always apply, and US persons remain subject to FATCA; if formal renunciation is part of your plan, that is handled through our sister service exit.ly.
Book a confidential file-readWhere these answers come from.
This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Verify any line against the law and your own advisor before you act.
- Legal basis
- El Salvador Freedom Passport administered by The Bitcoin Office under Legislative Decrees No. 918 and No. 286; launched 7 December 2023; citizenship constitutionally protected once granted.
- Pricing
- $1,000,000 government contribution (incl. main applicant processing fee) plus the 21 CBI 5% advisory ($50,000); $1,050,000 single all-in; $1,052,997 family of four; +$999 per additional applicant. Itemized on the passport cost page.
- Mobility
- 132 destinations; Henley index rank 36; full Schengen (29) plus Japan, Korea, Singapore, and Hong Kong; no visa-free US or UK access; ETIAS from 2026.
- Tax & CRS
- 0% Bitcoin capital gains for foreign investors; 0% income on Bitcoin-sourced earnings for non-residents; no inheritance or wealth tax; dollarized since 2001; Non-CRS. Home-country obligations still apply.
- Authorization
- 21 CBI (Bitcitizen LLC), Licensed Agent of The Bitcoin Office, Director Stacy Herbert; license valid 27 February 2026 to 26 February 2027.
- Disclaimer
- General information only, not tax, legal, or investment advice. Consult a qualified professional about your specific circumstances.
Your question, your application.
Run the math, read the law, and if the Freedom Passport fits, book a confidential file-read with Adam. The first call goes straight to your file, source country and all, with the honest answer even when it is no.