# Comoros — Residency & Citizenship Conditions

> Source: https://residencyradar.org/conditions/comoros.html | Last checked: 2026-10-12 | Last updated: 2026-10-11

## Overview
The Union of the Comoros is an Indian Ocean archipelago off East Africa. It is best known in migration circles for its **Economic Citizenship Programme**, enacted in 2008 (Loi relative à la citoyenneté économique), which historically sold passports at a low headline price (~US$45,000 donation). The programme's credibility collapsed after reports that citizenship was granted in bulk to stateless "Bidoon" residents of Gulf states on diplomatic grounds rather than through genuine investment. Its formal status has been disputed or suspended at various points since 2018, and the passport offers weak mobility (~50 visa-free/on-arrival). Dual nationality has been permitted since 2001, though the 1979 Nationality Code conflicts with the constitution on this point. ^[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comorian_nationality_law]

## Residency Programs

| Type | Official Program | Key Conditions | Duration | Detail |
|------|-----------------|----------------|----------|--------|
| investment_residency | Not available (see CBI route) | — | — | — |
| passive_income_residency | Not available | — | — | — |
| digital_nomad_visa | Not available | — | — | — |
| highly_skilled_employment | Work permit | Job offer from Comorian employer | 1 yr, renewable | — |
| startup_entrepreneur | Not available | — | — | — |
| employment_residency | Work permit (permis de séjour) | Job offer; employer sponsorship | 1 yr, renewable | [[#employment-residency]] |
| student_residency | Student visa | Enrolment at recognised institution | Course duration | — |
| family_reunification | Dependent residence | Family tie to valid permit holder | Tied to principal | — |
| retired_residency | Not available | — | — | — |
| citizenship_by_investment | Economic Citizenship Programme | ~US$45,000 donation (historical); status disputed since 2018 | Direct (disputed) | [[#citizenship-by-investment]] |

## Per-Program Detail

### citizenship_by_investment
- **Official name**: Loi relative à la citoyenneté économique en Union des Comores (Economic Citizenship Programme)
- **Conditions**: Historically marketed at ~US$45,000 government contribution for a single applicant, plus ~US$5,000 due-diligence and agent fees. The programme has been suspended or in disputed status at multiple points since 2018, and is not reliably confirmed active; applicants must independently verify status with Comorian authorities. ^[https://thecitizenshipdesk.com/citizenship/by-investment/comoros-citizenship]
- **Duration / renewal**: Direct citizenship in principle; no physical-presence requirement (where the programme operates).
- **Path to citizenship**: Immediate (grant of nationality). No language test.
- **Official source**: https://beit-salam.km/ (Presidency)
- **Community verdict**: Problematic — passport recognition and banking acceptance are weak; programme credibility damaged by the Bidoon issuance controversy.

### employment_residency
- **Official name**: Permis de séjour / work permit
- **Conditions**: Binding job offer from a Comorian employer; employer sponsorship. Thin, unpublished thresholds.
- **Duration / renewal**: 1 year, renewable.
- **Path to citizenship**: Naturalisation via residence (5 years for certain categories under the Nationality Code).
- **Official source**: https://beit-salam.km/
- **Community verdict**: No reliable community data.

## Citizenship
- **Naturalisation**: The 1979 Nationality Code provides naturalisation after 5 years' residence for a foreign husband of a Comorian national and for persons making significant artistic/scientific contributions; a general residence period is not clearly published. ^[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comorian_nationality_law]
- **Language**: Arabic and French are official; Comorian (Shikomori) is the lingua franca. No published language test.
- **Dual citizenship**: Permitted since 2001 (constitutional), but the 1979 code conflicts with this — legal uncertainty persists.
- **Passport**: ~50 visa-free/visa-on-arrival destinations. ^[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comorian_nationality_law]

## Tax
- Tax data are thin and not reliably consolidated. Corporate income tax is commonly cited around 30%. Personal income tax is progressive. No special non-dom or foreign-income regime is published. Confidence low.

## IT / Digital Nomad
No dedicated digital nomad visa. Remote workers have no formal residence route; the economic-citizenship channel is the only marketed option and is of disputed status.

## Yacht / Maritime
Indian Ocean island nation with a small port sector (Moroni, Mutsamudu). Comoros operates a ship registry but has minimal leisure-yachting infrastructure. Not a yachting destination.

## Notes for RU citizens
- The CBI programme was historically marketed toward Gulf/Middle East applicants, not Russia; its disputed status makes it a poor vehicle for RU applicants.
- No visa-free Russia access; weak passport with limited banking acceptance.
- Comoros maintains relations with Russia but offers no meaningful residence pathway for Russian remote workers.

## Community Pulse
Very little expat activity. The dominant narrative is the Economic Citizenship Programme's credibility collapse (Bidoon bulk issuance, 2008–2018) and repeated suspensions. No active expat community reports. The passport is widely regarded as low-value.

## Country Snapshot

| Field | Value | Source / Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Population | ~852,000 (2023) | [World Bank](https://data.worldbank.org/country/comoros) — hard/official |
| Main religion | Sunni Islam (~98%) | [CIA World Factbook](https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/comoros/) — hard/official |
| Main language | Comorian (Shikomori); Arabic & French official | [CIA World Factbook](https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/comoros/) — hard/official |
| Main city (capital or largest) | Moroni | [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moroni,_Comoros) — hard/official |
| On the coast? | Yes (Indian Ocean archipelago) | Geographical fact [soft/estimate] |
| Tourism impact in season | Low — minimal seasonal tourism | [soft/estimate] |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | ~$3,600 (2023) | [World Bank](https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.PP.CD?locations=KM) — hard/official |
| Median net monthly salary | No reliable data | [soft/estimate] |
| Cost of living index | No recent data | [soft/estimate] |
| Monthly rent, 1-bedroom apartment | No reliable data | [soft/estimate] |
| Effective personal tax rate for remote workers | No reliable data | [soft/estimate] |
| Remote-work / self-employment residence available? | No | See [[#it--digital-nomad]] |
| Years to citizenship | 5 (certain categories); general period unpublished | See [[#citizenship]] |
| Maximum permitted absence during residence | No reliable data | [soft/estimate] |
| Passport strength after citizenship | ~50 visa-free/on-arrival | [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comorian_nationality_law) — hard/official |
| Rule of Law Index | No reliable data (WJP) | confidence low |
| Freedom House score | 42/100 — Partly Free (2025) | [Freedom House](https://freedomhouse.org/country/comoros/freedom-world/2025) — hard/official |
| Average annual sunshine hours | ~2,500 h | [Climates to Travel](https://www.climatestotravel.com/climate/comoros) — hard/official |
| Average annual temperature | ~26 °C | [Climates to Travel](https://www.climatestotravel.com/climate/comoros) — hard/official |

## Extended Snapshot

_Coverage: 48/55 fields. Only facts verifiable against official sources or published indices; practice-dependent topics (bank attitudes, real-world acceptance of Russian applicants, flights, policy mood) are deliberately excluded until community-sourced data is collected._

| Block | Field | Value | Source / Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geography & size | Area | 1 870 km² (2024) | [World Bank](https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/AG.SRF.TOTL.K2?locations=KM) — hard/official |
| Geography & size | Population density | 464 /km² (2024) | [World Bank](https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EN.POP.DNST?locations=KM) — hard/official |
| Geography & size | Urban population | 34% (2025) | [World Bank](https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS?locations=KM) — hard/official |
| Geography & size | Coastline | 340 km (CIA World Factbook) | [source](https://globaledge.msu.edu/countries/comoros/statistics) — soft/estimate |
| Geography & size | Highest point | Mount Karthala, 2,360 m (active volcano) | [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_the_Comoros) — soft/estimate |
| Geography & size | Type | archipelago | [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comoros) — soft/estimate |
| Geography & size | Time zone | UTC+3 (EAT), same as Moscow (MSK UTC+3) | [source](https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/comoros/moroni) — soft/estimate |
| Climate | Avg precipitation | 900 mm/yr (2022) | [World Bank](https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/AG.LND.PRCP.MM?locations=KM) — hard/official |
| Climate | PM2.5 exposure | 10.2 µg/m³ (2023) | [World Bank](https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EN.ATM.PM25.MC.M3?locations=KM) — hard/official |
| Climate | Climate zone | Aw (tropical savanna); tropical marine with rainy season Nov–May | [source](https://en.climate-data.org/africa/comoros/grande-comore/moroni-4063/) — soft/estimate |
| Climate | Temp winter / summer | Moroni: Jan/Feb avg 28°C (82°F), Jul/Aug avg 25°C (77°F) | [source](https://www.climatestotravel.com/climate/comoros) — soft/estimate |
| Climate | Rainy days | ~167 rainy days/year, Moroni | [source](https://www.climatestotravel.com/climate/comoros) — soft/estimate |
| Climate | Humidity | ~75–80% annual relative humidity (tropical marine) | [source](https://www.weather-atlas.com/en/comoros/moroni-climate) — soft/estimate |
| Climate | Natural hazards | Volcanic activity (Karthala), cyclones, floods; INFORM Risk 2025 rank ~95 | [source](https://drmkc.jrc.ec.europa.eu/inform-index) — soft/estimate |
| Climate | Air quality | ~15–20 µg/m³ PM2.5 estimated (2024, limited monitoring) | [source](https://www.iqair.com/world-air-quality-report) — soft/estimate |
| Economy | GDP (nominal) | $1.8B (2025) | [World Bank](https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.CD?locations=KM) — hard/official |
| Economy | GDP growth | 3.8% (2025) | [World Bank](https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.KD.ZG?locations=KM) — hard/official |
| Economy | Inflation (CPI) | 3.2% (2025) | [World Bank](https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/FP.CPI.TOTL.ZG?locations=KM) — hard/official |
| Economy | Unemployment | 3.8% (2025) | [World Bank](https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS?locations=KM) — hard/official |
| Economy | Central govt debt | No reliable data | — |
| Economy | Gini index | 30.3 (2024) | [World Bank](https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.GINI?locations=KM) — hard/official |
| Economy | Tourism receipts | 27% of exports (2020) | [World Bank](https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/ST.INT.RCPT.XP.ZS?locations=KM) — hard/official |
| Economy | Remittances | 20.8% of GDP (2023) | [World Bank](https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/BX.TRF.PWKR.DT.GD.ZS?locations=KM) — hard/official |
| Economy | Credit rating | not rated by S&P, Moody's, or Fitch | [source](https://www.worldgovernmentbonds.com/credit-rating/comoros) — soft/estimate |
| Economy | Currency | KMF (Comorian franc), pegged to EUR; ~7% depreciation vs USD 2021-2026 | [source](https://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=USD&to=KMF) — soft/estimate |
| Economy | Top industries | Services (~50% GDP), agriculture (~35%), industry (~15%) (2025 est.) | [source](https://www.afdb.org/en/countries/east-africa/comoros) — soft/estimate |
| Economy | Economic Complexity | ECI rank ~160th (Harvard Growth Lab, 2024) | [source](https://atlas.cid.harvard.edu/rankings) — hard/official |
| Technology | Internet users | 33% of population (2024) | [World Bank](https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/IT.NET.USER.ZS?locations=KM) — hard/official |
| Technology | Fixed broadband subs | 0.4 per 100 people (2023) | [World Bank](https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/IT.NET.BBND.P2?locations=KM) — hard/official |
| Technology | High-tech exports | 3.1% of manufactured exports (2023) | [World Bank](https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/TX.VAL.TECH.MF.ZS?locations=KM) — hard/official |
| Technology | R&D spend | No reliable data | — |
| Technology | Global Innovation Index | GII 2025: not ranked (insufficient data) | [source](https://www.wipo.int/global_innovation_index/en/2025/) — hard/official |
| Technology | E-Government (UN EGDI) | EGDI 2024: 0.3318 (low), rank 170/193 | [source](https://publicadministration.un.org/egovkb/en-us/Data/Country-Information/id/44-Comoros) — hard/official |
| Technology | Median broadband speed | ~8–12 Mbps median fixed broadband (estimated, limited Ookla data) | [source](https://www.speedtest.net/global-index) — soft/estimate |
| Technology | 5G | No 5G deployment as of 2025 | [source](https://www.gsma.com) — soft/estimate |
| Technology | Online payments | Stripe not available (not on stripe.com/global) | [source](https://stripe.com/global) — soft/estimate |
| Technology | Startup ecosystem | StartupBlink: not ranked in top 100 (2025) | [source](https://www.startupblink.com/startups) — soft/estimate |
| Human development & health | Life expectancy | 67.0 years (2024) | [World Bank](https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.LE00.IN?locations=KM) — hard/official |
| Human development & health | Hospital beds | No reliable data | — |
| Human development & health | HDI | HDI 0.586 (2023), rank 152/193 (medium human development) | [source](https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/specific-country-data#/countries/COM) — hard/official |
| Safety | Global Peace Index | No reliable data | — |
| Safety | US travel advisory | US State Dept Level 2: Exercise increased caution (Jan 2026) | [source](https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories.html) — hard/official |
| Money & tax | FATF status | Not on FATF black or grey list (as of 2026-06-19) | [source](https://www.fatf-gafi.org/en/countries/black-and-grey-lists.html) — hard/official |
| Money & tax | CRS exchange | No reliable data | — |
| Money & tax | Tax treaty with Russia | No reliable data | — |
| Money & tax | Wealth / inheritance / CGT | No wealth tax; no inheritance tax; capital gains treated as ordinary income | [source](https://taxsummaries.pwc.com/comoros) — soft/estimate |
| Money & tax | CFC rules | No CFC rules (limited tax framework) | [source](https://taxsummaries.pwc.com/comoros) — soft/estimate |
| Business | Company setup | ~16 days, cost ~145% of income per capita (World Bank DB 2019) | [source](https://archive.doingbusiness.org/en/data/exploreeconomies/comoros) — soft/estimate |
| Business | Corporate tax | 50% headline corporate tax rate (highest globally, Tax Foundation 2025) | [source](https://taxfoundation.org/data/all/global/corporate-tax-rates-by-country-2025/) — soft/estimate |
| Family & education | Top university | University of Comoros; not ranked in QS top 1500 | [source](https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2025) — hard/official |
| Connectivity | Visa-free for Russians | Visa on arrival, 45 days, ~30 EUR fee (2026) | [source](https://www.earthvisa.in/passport/russia/comoros) — soft/estimate |
| For Russian citizens | Sanctions position | UN member; voted for UNGA resolutions condemning Russia's invasion (2022-2025) | [source](https://digitallibrary.un.org/) — hard/official |
| Quality of life | World Happiness rank | World Happiness Report 2025: not ranked (insufficient data) | [source](https://worldhappiness.report/ed/2025/) — hard/official |
| Quality of life | Expat friendliness | No reliable data | — |
| Quality of life | Local language need | French and Arabic official; English very limited; EF EPI not ranked | [source](https://www.ef.com/epi/) — soft/estimate |

## Country Card

### General description
Comoros is a small, lower-income island nation in the Indian Ocean with a Sunni-Muslim majority society and a fragile political history of coups. Its economy is agrarian and aid-dependent. For migrants it is relevant almost exclusively through its controversial economic-citizenship programme, whose low headline price masks weak passport quality and a disputed legal status.

### Well-known strong points
- Extremely low nominal CBI price point (~US$45,000 historical)
- Dual nationality permitted (since 2001)
- Tropical island climate

### Well-known problems
- CBI status disputed/suspended since 2018; credibility damaged by bulk Bidoon issuance
- Very weak passport (~50 destinations); poor banking acceptance
- Fragile governance and political instability
- Thin, unpublished residence and tax rules

## Status
- **Last monitored**: 2026-10-12
- **Recent changes**: Economic Citizenship Programme suspended/disputed at various points since 2018; no confirmed reactivation.
- **Watch items**: Any official reactivation or reform of the CBI programme; clarification of dual-nationality conflict between constitution and 1979 code.

## Official and primary sources
- https://thecitizenshipdesk.com/citizenship/by-investment/comoros-citizenship
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comorian_nationality_law
- https://data.worldbank.org/country/comoros