AFP, Sydney

A remote Pacific nation selling passports to fund climate action has approved just six applicants since early this year, but officials yesterday said that interest in joining the low-lying, largely barren island is increasing.

Pacific microstate Nauru has said it hopes to drum up more than US$5 million in the “climate resilience citizenship” programme’s first year, which would equate to 66 “golden passports” sold at US$105,000 each.

Almost six months after the scheme opened, Nauru has so far approved six applications -- covering two families and four individuals. But officials said the number of approvals to date does not reflect interest levels.

Nauru believes the passports could eventually generate $43 million which would account for almost 20 percent of projected government revenue.

The Nauru passport provides visa-free entry into more than 80 countries or territories.

More than 60 different nations offer some form of migration for investment schemes, Australia’s Lowy Institute has found.

But there are concerns that these programmes could be ripe for exploitation. A previous Nauru attempt to sell passports ended in disaster when, in 2003, officials sold citizenship to Al-Qaeda members who were later arrested in Asia.