Five countries in the Caribbean sell citizenship to foreign investors: Saint Kitts and Nevis, Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, and Saint Lucia. Each runs a government Citizenship by Investment program that grants full nationality and a passport in exchange for a contribution to a national fund or a qualifying real estate purchase. Minimum investments now start at $200,000 after a 2024 regional agreement set a price floor across the region.1Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States. Caribbean Countries Pressing Forward With The Implementation Of The Memorandum Of Agreement On Citizenship By Investment Programmes None require you to live there. All allow dual citizenship. Processing typically runs three to six months.
What Each Country Charges
Before 2024, competition had pushed some contributions as low as $100,000. Four of the five nations signed a Memorandum of Agreement in March 2024 that set $200,000 as the minimum, and pricing across the region reflects that floor today.
Saint Kitts and Nevis operates the oldest program in the Caribbean. The Sustainable Island State Contribution is $250,000 and covers a family of up to four. The real estate route starts at $325,000 in an approved development, with a seven-year holding period before resale.2Citizenship by Investment Unit (St. Kitts and Nevis). Developer’s Real Estate Investment
Dominica takes contributions through its Economic Diversification Fund. The minimum is $200,000 for the main applicant.3Citizenship by Investment Unit (Dominica). Economic Diversification Fund Real estate is also available at $200,000 in an approved tourism development.4Citizenship by Investment Unit (Dominica). Dominica Real Estate Investment Dominica remains the cheapest overall option once fees are added.
Antigua and Barbuda asks $230,000 into the National Development Fund for a single applicant, plus $10,000 in processing fees.5The Citizenship by Investment Programme (Antigua and Barbuda). NDF Real estate starts at $300,000.6The Citizenship by Investment Programme (Antigua and Barbuda). Real Estate Families of six or more can use the University of the West Indies Fund at $260,000, which is the cheapest large-family route in the region.7The Citizenship by Investment Programme (Antigua and Barbuda). University of the West Indies (UWI) Fund
Grenada sets its National Transformation Fund minimum at $235,000 for a family of up to four. Real estate starts at $270,000 with a five-year holding period. Grenada is the only Caribbean CBI country whose citizens can apply for the U.S. E-2 treaty investor visa.8U.S. Department of State. Treaty Countries For anyone whose plan involves operating a business in the United States, that difference matters more than the price gap.
Saint Lucia has the widest menu. The National Economic Fund is $240,000 for an applicant with up to three dependents. A National Action Bond costs $300,000 plus a $50,000 non-refundable administration fee; the bond earns no interest and must stay in the applicant’s name for five years before the principal is returned. Real estate starts at $300,000.9CIP Saint Lucia. Saint Lucia Citizenship by Investment
What the Passport Actually Gets You
Visa-free or visa-on-arrival access runs to roughly 145 to 155 destinations depending on which country issues the passport. Saint Kitts and Nevis and Antigua and Barbuda top the list at over 150. Coverage includes the United Kingdom, the Schengen Area, Singapore, Hong Kong, and much of Latin America and Africa.
Two boundaries matter. The United States and Canada are not on any of these visa-free lists; you still need a visa for both. And only Grenada opens the E-2 investor route to the U.S.
You are not required to move. Dominica, Grenada, and Saint Lucia handle the whole process remotely, with no visit at any stage. Saint Kitts and Nevis wants you to collect the passport and certificate in person or at a consulate. Antigua and Barbuda is the exception on residency: new citizens must spend at least five days on the islands within their first five years and swear an oath of allegiance before the passport can be renewed.
Citizenship is permanent and passes to your children by descent. Passports are valid for ten years and, in most of these countries, renewable remotely. All five allow dual citizenship, so you keep whatever nationality you already hold.
The Schengen Question
The travel value is real, but not guaranteed forever. In December 2025 the European Commission released a report criticizing all five Caribbean CBI programs, citing low rejection rates and the cumulative issuance of more than 100,000 investor passports. The Commission stated that running a citizenship-by-investment program can by itself justify suspending Schengen visa-free access.
The EU has since strengthened its visa suspension mechanism. Any move against the Caribbean would likely start with diplomatic passports before touching ordinary ones, following the pattern used with Georgia. Vanuatu is so far the only country that has actually lost its Schengen waiver under the mechanism. A sudden Caribbean suspension is considered unlikely in the near term, but Schengen access should be treated as a benefit that could narrow, not a permanent feature of the passport.
Who Qualifies
Every applicant must be at least 18, have the funds to meet the threshold, and hold a clean criminal record. Every person on the application needs the same clean record. Medical clearance from a licensed physician, confirming no communicable disease, is part of the initial paperwork.
Qualifying dependents generally include:
- A legally married spouse.
- Financially dependent children under age 30, with the exact cutoff varying by country.
- Parents or grandparents, usually over age 55, who live with or are supported by the applicant.
A denial in one country can effectively close all five. Under the regional Memorandum, information about denied and revoked applicants is shared across programs. No amount of money overrides a failed background check.
Documents You Will Need to Produce
You cannot file directly. Every application goes through an Authorized Agent licensed by the national Citizenship by Investment Unit.10Citizenship by Investment Unit (Dominica). Become an Authorised Agent The agent assembles the file and deals with the government. Choosing a good one matters.
The document that gets applications rejected most often is proof of the source of funds. Anti-money-laundering rules require you to trace the legal origin of your investment capital, usually going back several years, using bank statements, employment contracts, audited business financials, or ownership records. Weak source-of-funds evidence is a fast path to a denial.
The rest of the standard file:
- Certified copies of valid passports and national IDs for every person on the application.
- Bank reference letters from reputable institutions.
- Professional character references.
- Proof of current residence, such as utility bills or a lease.
- A residential history covering roughly ten years and full disclosure of business interests worldwide.
False statements or omissions can produce permanent disqualification and, in some jurisdictions, criminal charges.
How the Application Works
Once the agent submits the file, the Citizenship by Investment Unit runs a multi-layered due diligence investigation. In Saint Kitts and Nevis, that involves the country’s Financial Intelligence Unit, a Continuing International Due Diligence Unit, the Joint Regional Communications Centre under CARICOM, and at least one independent international investigation firm. Applicants may be asked to give biometric data and sit for an interview in person or remotely.
From submission to passport, the process usually takes three to six months when the paperwork is clean.11Citizenship by Investment Unit (Dominica). How to Get Caribbean Citizenship Complex family or business situations can add time.
If the review clears, the government issues an approval-in-principle letter. That triggers the obligation to transfer the investment or contribution. Funds go to the national treasury or a designated escrow account, depending on the country and route. Once payment is verified, the government issues a certificate of naturalization and then a passport. From that point you hold the same legal rights as any citizen born on the island.
The Real Total Cost
The headline contribution is not the full bill. Every program layers processing and due diligence fees on top, and they scale with the number of people on the application. Antigua and Barbuda publishes one of the clearest schedules:
- Processing: $10,000 for a single applicant, $20,000 for a family of up to four, and $10,000 for each additional dependent.
- Due diligence: $8,500 for the principal applicant, $5,000 for a spouse, $2,000 per dependent aged 12–17, and $4,000 per dependent 18 and older.12The Citizenship by Investment Programme (Antigua and Barbuda). Schedule of Fees
A family of four using Antigua’s National Development Fund route pays roughly $230,000 in contribution, $20,000 in processing, and $13,500 or more in due diligence. That is over $260,000 before the Authorized Agent’s professional fee. Other countries follow a similar pattern, with due diligence generally running $7,500 to $15,000 for single applicants and rising per dependent. Plan on 10 to 15 percent above the advertised minimum.
Can Citizenship Be Revoked?
Yes. Citizenship acquired through investment is not unconditional. Common grounds for revocation include fraud or misrepresentation in the application, failure to complete the financial obligations, appearance on international sanctions lists, and being investigated for serious crime abroad.
This is enforced in practice. Saint Kitts and Nevis has revoked citizenship by statutory instrument from people who failed to make promised payments, and in 2024 it set up a Continuing Due Diligence Unit to monitor CBI citizens after naturalization. If a new citizen later surfaces in a criminal database or on a sanctions list, the unit flags it and can start revocation. Those facing revocation generally have the right to appeal in court.
If You Are a US Citizen or Green Card Holder
A second passport does not change your U.S. tax situation. The United States taxes citizens on worldwide income regardless of where they live, and a Caribbean nationality does nothing to that.13Internal Revenue Service. Frequently Asked Questions About International Individual Tax Matters You still file a U.S. return every year. If you also live abroad, the foreign earned income exclusion ($132,900 for 2026) and foreign tax credits reduce double taxation but don’t eliminate the filing requirement.
A second passport also tends to lead to foreign bank accounts, which brings a separate reporting obligation. Any U.S. person with foreign financial accounts exceeding $10,000 in aggregate value at any point in the year must file a Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR) on FinCEN Form 114.14FinCEN. Report Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts The deadline is April 15, with an automatic extension to October 15 that requires no paperwork to claim.15FinCEN. Due Date for FBARs Penalties for willful FBAR violations can run well into six figures.
If the plan involves renouncing U.S. citizenship, the IRS imposes an expatriation tax on “covered expatriates,” meaning those with net worth over $2 million or an average annual net income tax liability above a set threshold over the prior five years. Covered expatriates are treated as if they sold all worldwide assets at fair market value the day before expatriation, with gains above an exclusion taxed. Failing to file Form 8854 carries a penalty of up to $10,000.13Internal Revenue Service. Frequently Asked Questions About International Individual Tax Matters Talk to a tax attorney before doing anything you can’t reverse.