Five countries run Caribbean citizenship by investment programs: St. Kitts and Nevis, Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, and St. Lucia. Minimum investment starts at $200,000 across all of them, thanks to a 2024 regional agreement that set a common floor.1Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States. Caribbean Countries Pressing Forward With The Implementation Of The Memorandum Of Agreement On Citizenship By Investment Programmes Which one fits you depends on your family size, whether you want access to U.S. E-2 investor visas, how fast you need the passport, and what fees you’re willing to absorb on top of the investment itself.
What Each Program Costs
Every country offers at least two routes: a non-refundable contribution to a government fund, or the purchase of approved real estate. The fund option is almost always cheaper and simpler.
Government Fund Contributions
- Dominica: $200,000 to the Economic Diversification Fund for a single applicant.2Citizenship by Investment Unit. Economic Diversification Fund
- Antigua and Barbuda: $230,000 to the National Development Fund.3The Citizenship by Investment Programme. Citizenship
- Grenada: $235,000 to the National Transformation Fund.4Investment Migration Agency (IMA) Grenada. Citizenship by Investment
- St. Lucia: $240,000 to the National Economic Fund for the applicant and up to three dependents.
- St. Kitts and Nevis: $250,000 to the Sustainable Island State Contribution for a family of up to four.
These contributions are non-refundable. Treat them as the price of citizenship, not an investment that returns anything. Additional dependents beyond the base family size cost another $25,000 to $50,000 each, depending on the country and the dependent’s age.
Real Estate
The real estate route requires buying into a government-approved development. St. Lucia’s minimum is $300,000; Antigua and Barbuda and St. Kitts and Nevis both require $325,000 for standard approved developments. St. Kitts also has a $600,000 private home option for buyers who want a standalone residence.
You can’t flip these properties quickly. Holding periods run from five years in Antigua and Barbuda to seven in St. Kitts and Nevis. If you sell before the holding period ends, the next buyer generally can’t use that same property for their own CBI application, which shrinks the resale market. Stamp duties, transfer taxes, and annual maintenance fees eat further into any resale math.
The Antigua University Option for Large Families
Antigua and Barbuda offers a third pathway through its University of the West Indies Fund. It’s designed exclusively for families of six or more and requires a $260,000 contribution, which includes a one-year tuition-only scholarship at the University of the West Indies for one family member.5The Citizenship by Investment Programme. University of the West Indies (UWI) Fund For a family of six or seven, the per-person math often beats the standard fund contribution plus dependent surcharges.
Who You Can Bring With You
Every program covers spouses and minor children. The rules for adult children, parents, and siblings are where the programs diverge in ways that matter.
Adult Children
All five countries accept adult children up to age 30, but the conditions differ. Antigua and Barbuda is the most permissive: children aged 0 to 30 qualify as long as they’re financially dependent on the main applicant, with no schooling requirement.6The Citizenship by Investment Programme. Dependants Dominica requires adult children 18 to 30 to be enrolled in higher education and fully supported by the applicant, though unmarried daughters under 25 who live with and are fully supported by the applicant also qualify.7Citizenship by Investment Unit. FAQ Grenada dropped its education requirement and now accepts any child 18 to 30 who is “otherwise dependent” on the main applicant.p>
Parents and Grandparents
Antigua and Barbuda and Grenada let you include parents and grandparents at age 55.6The Citizenship by Investment Programme. Dependants8Investment Migration Agency (IMA) Grenada. Application Guide Dominica sets the bar at 65 and requires substantial financial support from the applicant.7Citizenship by Investment Unit. FAQ If your parents are in their late 50s, Antigua or Grenada is where they fit.
Siblings
Only Antigua and Barbuda and Grenada allow siblings. Antigua accepts unmarried siblings of any age. Grenada requires siblings to be over 18, unmarried, not divorced, and childless. Dominica, St. Kitts, and St. Lucia don’t accept siblings at all.
Fees Stacked on Top of the Investment
The investment amount isn’t the full bill. Due diligence fees, government processing fees, passport issuance, and agent costs add up fast.
Due diligence fees for the main applicant, covering third-party background checks:
- Grenada: $5,000
- Dominica: $7,5009Citizenship by Investment Unit. How to Process an Application
- St. Lucia: $8,000 (includes the mandatory interview fee)
- Antigua and Barbuda: $8,500
- St. Kitts and Nevis: $10,000
Spouses and dependents 16 or older typically add $4,000 to $7,500 each. Government processing fees escalate with family size. St. Kitts and Nevis charges $75,000 in government fees for a main applicant choosing real estate, rising to $100,000 for a family of four. Passport issuance, oath fees, and courier charges add a few hundred dollars per person. All non-refundable, all payable upfront.
You cannot apply directly. Every Caribbean CBI application must be submitted through a government-licensed authorized agent, whose fees generally run $10,000 to $25,000 depending on family complexity.
How Long It Takes
Standard processing across all five countries runs three to six months from a complete submission. Incomplete documentation is the usual reason for delay, especially missing bank statements or poorly certified documents.
St. Kitts and Nevis is the only program offering a paid fast track. Its Accelerated Application Process costs $25,000 for the main applicant and $20,000 per dependent, and most applications close within 45 to 60 days.10The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis. Apply for a Passport The premium buys speed, not lighter vetting.
One rule to remember: don’t transfer investment funds until you receive conditional approval. Legitimate programs never ask for the money before vetting is complete.
Do You Have to Live There?
No, in four out of five cases. Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Lucia impose no physical presence requirement at any stage. Antigua and Barbuda is the exception: the main applicant must spend at least five days in the country during the first five years of citizenship, and missing that requirement can block passport renewal.
All five programs now require a mandatory interview. Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, and St. Lucia conduct them virtually through secure platforms. St. Kitts and Nevis reserves the option to conduct interviews in person. Interviews can be held in the applicant’s native language, and licensed agents are not permitted to attend.
Passport Strength and the Grenada Advantage
Caribbean CBI passports grant visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to more than 100 countries, including the entire Schengen Area, the United Kingdom, Singapore, and Hong Kong. The 2026 rankings run from about 97 destinations for St. Lucia to 107 for St. Kitts and Nevis, with Antigua and Barbuda at 105, Grenada at 102, and Dominica at 99.11Passport Index. Global Passport Power Rank 2026
Grenada has one advantage no other Caribbean CBI country can match. It holds a bilateral investment treaty with the United States that lets Grenadian citizens apply for E-2 investor visas, allowing the holder to live and work in the U.S. while managing a qualifying business.12U.S. Department of State. Treaty Countries If access to the U.S. market matters to you, Grenada is the only Caribbean option that opens that door.
Taxes
Antigua and Barbuda and St. Kitts and Nevis impose no personal income tax, capital gains tax, or wealth tax on residents. Dominica, Grenada, and St. Lucia do impose income tax at varying rates.
Holding the passport alone doesn’t change your tax situation. To benefit from a zero-tax jurisdiction, you’d generally need to establish genuine tax residency, which typically means spending at least 183 days per year in the country and building real ties like a local bank account, property, or driver’s license.
U.S. Citizens Have Reporting Obligations Regardless
The United States taxes its citizens on worldwide income no matter where they live or what second passport they hold. If you’re a U.S. citizen who opens foreign accounts after obtaining Caribbean citizenship, two reporting rules apply. If your foreign accounts exceed $10,000 in aggregate at any point during the year, you must file a Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR) with FinCEN.13Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. Report Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts Under FATCA, you must also file Form 8938 if specified foreign financial assets exceed $50,000 on the last day of the year or $75,000 at any point during the year (unmarried filers living in the U.S.).14Internal Revenue Service. Summary of FATCA Reporting for U.S. Taxpayers Married joint filers face thresholds of $100,000 and $150,000. Penalties for failure are severe, and ignorance is not a defense.
What Gets Applications Denied
Programs reject applications for the usual reasons: criminal history, fraudulent or misleading information, inability to prove the legitimate source of investment funds, and failed background checks. A less obvious trigger is a history of visa refusals from countries with strong Caribbean diplomatic ties, particularly the United Kingdom and Schengen nations.
A denial from one Caribbean program effectively closes off all five. The participating countries share a database of denied applicants, so being turned down by Dominica flags you when you try Grenada or any of the others. You get one clean shot at the regional pool, which is why addressing potential red flags with a competent agent before submission matters.
Citizenship can also be revoked after it’s granted. Governments can strip citizenship for fraud, false representation, or concealment of material facts. Failing to complete financial obligations, appearing on international sanctions lists, or being found involved in criminal activity after naturalization can also trigger revocation. Continuing due diligence units in each country monitor granted citizens for exactly these risks.