Bhutan or Tajikistan
Two countries side by side across the same rows as the full comparison. A dash means the value is missing: fields are not filled with guesses. about the data
| Bhutan | Tajikistan | |
|---|---|---|
| Salary in IT | — | — |
| Citizenship | 20 years | 5 years |
| Partner can work | no | — |
| Parents | no | — |
| Pets | difficult | — |
| Pet limit | no limit | no limit |
| Quarantine | 20 days | — |
| Residence permit fee | — | — |
| Rent, 2 bedrooms | $ 196 · estimate | $ 671 · estimate |
| Basket | $ 16,2 | $ 25,1 |
| Life expectancy | 73.26 | 71.93 |
| Homicides/100k | 2.47 | 0.89 |
| Natural hazards, 0–10 | 2.8 | 4.8 |
How the two sets of routes differ
Long-stay routes in this reference: Bhutan — 13, Tajikistan — 23. Types present in both: work, study, family and investment. Bhutan adds: talent. Tajikistan adds: repatriation.
Fees, thresholds and deadlines
Bhutan: the fee is 40 USD wherever it is published. Routes with a published decision deadline: 8; the shortest is 5 days. Tajikistan: fees range from 20 to 100 USD. Routes stating an income threshold: 1; the lowest is 500,000 USD a month. Routes with a published decision deadline: 23; the shortest is 1 days.
Beyond the first permit
Permanent status: Tajikistan after six months; the other country publishes no term. Citizenship: Bhutan after 20 years, Tajikistan after 5 years. Neither recognises a second citizenship.
Bhutan in brief
Bhutan is the most closed case for long-term relocation in this guide. Grounds for staying are limited to a narrow list: a tourist visa through a licensed tour operator with a mandatory daily Sustainable Development Fee (US$100 per day plus a one-off US$40 visa fee for most foreigners; a separate "entry permit"/visa-on-arrival arrangement with a reduced fee applies to citizens of India, Bangladesh and the Maldives), work permits tied rigidly to a specific employer and position (up to one year for skilled workers, up to three years for highly skilled workers), and student and business visas. There is no separate permanent resident status between a temporary permit and citizenship. Naturalisation is governed by the Bhutan Citizenship Act 1985: 15 years of residence for those with a Bhutanese parent or for civil servants, 20 years in all other cases, plus an exam in the Dzongkha language and knowledge of the country's culture; the government expressly retains the right to reject an application without giving reasons. Dual citizenship is not permitted — acquiring another citizenship automatically terminates Bhutanese citizenship. Marriage to a Bhutanese citizen gives the foreign spouse a residence status (Special Residence Permit or Immigration Card depending on the date of marriage) but does not speed up naturalisation. Land and real estate are reserved by the Land Act of Bhutan 2007 for citizens, the institution of the monarchy, the state and recognised Bhutanese organisations — foreigners, including spouses of Bhutanese citizens, are not on this list and may only rent housing. The country lies in a zone of high seismic hazard in the Himalayas.
Tajikistan in brief
Tajikistan is the cheapest country in this part of the guide: rent in Khujand is half that of the capital, and the capital itself is already low. Permanent residence is not tied to years of waiting — the law allows no more than a month for a decision on the application. Citizenship is formally available after five years of continuous residence, and a facilitated route applies for marriage to a citizen of the country lasting three years or more. The restrictions are significant. Dual citizenship is not allowed outside intergovernmental treaties, and a decision to grant citizenship can be revoked within five years of being made — this is an unusual rule and worth bearing in mind. Control of corruption at −1.22 and a seismic risk of 8.1 out of 10 are among the worst figures in the guide. One thing worth saying separately about what is not in this data: the language requirements for naturalisation and the rules for bringing in animals could not be confirmed against official sources, so they are left blank rather than filled in with paraphrases.
Other comparisons
Bhutan or… Taiwan · South Korea · Japan · Thailand · Kazakhstan · Lebanon · Uzbekistan · Malaysia
Tajikistan or… Azerbaijan · Philippines · Bangladesh · Kuwait · Iraq · Mongolia · Oman · People's Republic of China
More on each: Bhutan · Tajikistan. Build your own comparison — up to four countries
This material is for reference and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Visa rules, tax thresholds and prices change. Before deciding anything, check the official sources and consult a licensed professional in the relevant country.