In a bold move to attract highly skilled professionals from around the world, President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador has announced a groundbreaking plan to provide 5,000 free passports. This initiative forms a key component of the government’s program aimed at luring top-tier scientists, engineers, doctors, artists, and philosophers to the country.
Taking to Twitter (X), President Bukele outlined the initiative, stating, “We are offering 5,000 free passports (equivalent to $5 billion in our passport program) to highly skilled scientists, engineers, doctors, artists, and philosophers from abroad.” Emphasizing the significance of the endeavor, he highlighted that this represents less than 0.1% of the population, ensuring that granting full citizenship rights, including voting rights, poses no logistical hurdles.
President Bukele underlined the potential transformative impact of these individuals on Salvadoran society and the nation’s future trajectory. Moreover, to facilitate their seamless integration, the government pledges to ensure 0% taxes and tariffs on the relocation of families and assets, including valuable items such as equipment, software, and intellectual property.
This visionary initiative follows El Salvador’s historic decision to recognize Bitcoin as legal tender, making it the first country globally to do so. The legislation, which was published in the official gazette on June 9th, 2021, and went into effect on September 7th, 2021, underscores El Salvador’s commitment to embracing innovation and fostering economic growth through forward-thinking policies.
