Antigua and Barbuda citizenship by investment starts at a $230,000 contribution to the National Development Fund, with a licensed agent, government processing and due diligence fees, a mandatory interview, and a five-day visit to the country within your first five years as a citizen. Before you commit funds, know this: a U.S. presidential proclamation effective January 1, 2026, suspended tourist, business, student, and immigrant visas for Antigua and Barbuda nationals, so an Antiguan passport alone will not currently get you into the United States.1The White House. Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States
The Four Investment Routes
The programme, created by the Citizenship by Investment Act of 2013, offers four qualifying paths. Amounts below are the contribution or purchase price; government fees are separate.
National Development Fund
A non-refundable $230,000 contribution covers a single applicant or a family of up to four. Families of five or more pay the same $230,000, but processing fees rise by $10,000 per additional dependent. The money finances government infrastructure and social programs.2Citizenship by Investment Programme. Antigua and Barbuda Citizenship by Investment – NDF
Real Estate
Buy an approved property worth at least $300,000. Two applicants can each put $300,000 into the same approved project and each qualify. You cannot resell the property for five years, unless you replace it with another approved property of equal or greater value in Antigua and Barbuda.3Citizenship by Investment Programme. Real Estate
Business Investment
A single applicant invests at least $1,500,000 in an approved business. Two or more investors can make a joint investment totaling at least $5,000,000, with each contributing no less than $400,000. The business must be government-vetted to confirm it benefits local workers and the economy.4Citizenship by Investment Programme. Business Investment
University of the West Indies Fund
Aimed at larger families, this route requires a $260,000 contribution covering processing fees for the first six family members. One family member also receives a one-year tuition-only scholarship at the University of the West Indies. Each additional dependent beyond six adds a $10,000 processing fee.5Citizenship by Investment Programme. University of the West Indies (UWI) Fund
Government Fees on Top of the Investment
Processing and due diligence fees apply across the NDF, real estate, and business routes. The UWI Fund bundles processing fees for the first six family members but still charges due diligence separately.6Citizenship by Investment Programme. Schedule of Fees
Processing is $10,000 for a single applicant and $20,000 for a family of up to four. For five or more, it’s $20,000 plus $10,000 for each additional dependent.
Due diligence fees fund the background check:
- Principal applicant: $8,500
- Spouse: $5,000
- Dependent child under 12: no charge
- Dependent child aged 12 to 17: $2,000
- Dependent aged 18 and older: $4,000
Every person on the file pays a $300 passport fee, and every application pays a $1,500 interview fee. For a family of four using the NDF, realistic all-in costs before legal counsel come to roughly $270,000 or more.
Who You Can Include on the Application
The principal applicant must be at least 18. Dependents who can be added:7Citizenship by Investment Programme. Citizenship by Investment Programme – Dependants
- The legal spouse of the principal applicant.
- Children aged 0 to 30, if financially dependent on the principal applicant.
- Parents and grandparents aged 55 or older of the principal applicant or spouse, if financially dependent on the principal applicant.
Adding dependents after citizenship is granted costs more. A child under six costs $10,000, a child aged 6 to 17 costs $25,000, and a dependent 18 or older costs $50,000, all before due diligence and passport fees.6Citizenship by Investment Programme. Schedule of Fees
Documents You’ll Need
Applications use standardized forms AB1 through AB5, prepared by your licensed agent. Every person on the file needs certified copies of a valid passport and a full birth certificate showing parental details. Marriage certificates or divorce decrees establish spousal relationships. Any document not in English needs a notarized English translation.8Citizenship by Investment Programme. Application Forms
Financial documentation is central. Applicants provide 12 months of bank statements plus records proving the legal origin of their wealth, such as employment contracts, business ownership records, or property sale documents. The principal applicant supplies a 10-year employment history.
Police Clearance Certificates
Everyone 18 or older on the application must provide a police clearance certificate from every country where they’ve lived for six consecutive months or more since turning 18. It must come from a national law enforcement authority and confirm no criminal record.9Citizenship by Investment Programme. Police Certificates
Authentication
Documents from countries that are party to the 1961 Hague Convention need an apostille seal. Documents from non-Hague countries must be validated by the appropriate government department in that jurisdiction. Each supporting document must be certified and authenticated under the laws of the country where it was issued.
How the Application Moves
You cannot apply directly. Applications go through a licensed agent authorized by the Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU), who prepares the file, submits it, and acts as your liaison with the government. The CIU keeps a public directory of licensed agents.10Citizenship by Investment Programme. Licensed Agents
After submission, the CIU runs its due diligence using international law enforcement databases and independent third-party investigators. The principal applicant and every dependent aged 16 or older must complete a mandatory interview, held virtually or in person at an Antigua and Barbuda consulate.
If the review clears, the CIU issues a Letter of Approval in Principle. You then have a set window to transfer your investment into the designated government or escrow account and prove it. The final step is the Oath of Allegiance, taken in Antigua and Barbuda or at one of 15 authorized overseas missions. Once the oath is recorded, the government issues a Certificate of Registration, which is used to apply for the passport.
Processing has slowed. Where the timeline was once four to six months, current estimates for new applications run closer to six to ten months, depending on file completeness and how complex the due diligence turns out to be.
Physical Presence and Passport Renewal
Citizens are not required to live in Antigua and Barbuda, but every citizen must complete a five-day visit within their first five years of citizenship. Immigration entry and exit records verify it.
The first passport issued to a CBI citizen is valid for only five years. Renewing to a standard ten-year passport depends on completing the five-day visit, taking the Oath of Allegiance if you haven’t already, and, for real estate investors, holding the qualifying property for the full five years. Every family member, including children, must independently meet the visit requirement and file a separate renewal.
The government has also enacted a mandatory 30-day physical residency requirement for CBI applicants, added in response to the U.S. concern that the programme historically had no residency obligation.
The U.S. Visa Suspension
This is the single most important thing to understand before applying in 2026. Under a presidential proclamation effective January 1, 2026, the United States suspended the following visa categories for nationals of Antigua and Barbuda: immigrant visas, B-1 and B-2 visitor visas, F and M student visas, and J exchange visitor visas. For any other nonimmigrant category, consular officers must reduce visa validity to the extent the law allows. The stated reason is concern about the CBI programme’s security screening.1The White House. Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States
In practice, an Antigua and Barbuda passport alone will not currently get you a standard U.S. tourist, business, or student visa. The proclamation allows case-by-case waivers, but those are discretionary. If you hold another passport from a country not affected by the restrictions, you can still use that document for U.S. travel. Whether Antigua and Barbuda’s new 30-day residency rule will lead to the ban being lifted is not yet clear.
Restricted Nationalities
Citizens of Afghanistan, Iran, North Korea, Somalia, Yemen, and Sudan are not outright barred but face extra requirements. They must show they emigrated before adulthood, or that they’ve held permanent residence outside any restricted country for at least 10 years and have no economic ties to a restricted country. All standard due diligence still applies.11Citizenship by Investment Programme. Frequently Asked Questions
If You’re a U.S. Taxpayer
A second citizenship does not change your federal tax obligations. The United States taxes citizens and permanent residents on worldwide income regardless of where they live or how many passports they hold. Two reporting rules matter most once you open foreign accounts or hold foreign assets.
FBAR
Any U.S. person whose foreign financial accounts had a combined value above $10,000 at any point in the calendar year must file a Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FinCEN Form 114). It’s due April 15, with an automatic extension to October 15 if missed, and is filed electronically through the FinCEN BSA E-Filing System separately from a tax return.12Internal Revenue Service. Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR)
Form 8938 (FATCA)
U.S. taxpayers with specified foreign financial assets above certain thresholds also file Form 8938 with their federal return. Thresholds depend on filing status and residence:13Internal Revenue Service. Do I Need to File Form 8938, Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets
- Unmarried, living in the U.S.: over $50,000 on the last day of the year, or over $75,000 at any point in the year.
- Married filing jointly, living in the U.S.: over $100,000 on the last day, or over $150,000 at any point.
- Unmarried, living abroad: over $200,000 on the last day, or over $300,000 at any point.
- Married filing jointly, living abroad: over $400,000 on the last day, or over $600,000 at any point.
Penalties for failing to file either report can reach tens of thousands of dollars per violation. Confirm your reporting obligations with a tax professional before opening accounts or buying property in Antigua and Barbuda.