Trump’s New “Gold Card” Website Launches, Offering Wealthy Foreigners a Pricey Path to U.S. Citizenship
A new website, trumpcard.gov, has officially launched, opening a waitlist for former President Donald Trump’s much-publicized “Gold Card” — a $5 million program that aims to offer wealthy foreigners a potential path to U.S. citizenship.
Despite the steep price tag, the card doesn’t guarantee citizenship. According to the site’s fine print, the $5 million provides only access to a “pathway” toward citizenship, not immediate legal status. Specific requirements remain vague, with White House officials promising more clarity in the coming weeks.
Traditionally, the path to U.S. citizenship through naturalization requires lawful permanent residency for at least five years, a minimum age of 18, English proficiency, and a record of good moral character. Trump has suggested the Gold Card is “somewhat like a green card, but at a higher level of sophistication.”
“FOR FIVE MILLION $DOLLARS, THE TRUMP CARD IS COMING!” Trump declared on Truth Social on June 11. “Thousands have been calling and asking how they can sign up to ride a beautiful road in gaining access to the Greatest Country and Market anywhere in the World.”
The site displays a sleek, gold-colored card featuring Trump’s likeness and asks users to provide basic information including name, region, email, and whether the application is for an individual or a business. Applicants must select one of eight global regions: Europe, Asia (including the Middle East), North America, Oceania, Central America, South America, the Caribbean, or Africa.
Trump first introduced the concept in February, framing it as a high-tier replacement for the existing EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa. That program allows foreign nationals to invest between $800,000 and $1.05 million in U.S. businesses in exchange for a green card, provided the investment creates or preserves American jobs.
“Wealthy people will be coming into our country by buying this card,” Trump said at the time. “They’ll be wealthy, and they’ll be successful, and they’ll be spending a lot of money, and paying a lot of taxes and employing a lot of people.”
He also suggested the program would not only cater to the ultra-rich but could also serve as a gateway for highly talented individuals whose way might be financed by sponsors. “It’s a road to citizenship for people — essentially people of wealth or people of great talent — where people of wealth pay for those people of talent to get in,” he added.
Programs offering residency or citizenship in exchange for investment exist in other countries, including Portugal, which provides residency and an eventual path to EU citizenship after five years.
Trump’s Gold Card has already sparked interest — and controversy — as it begins to shape what could become a new, elite gateway to American immigration.
