Five Caribbean countries sell citizenship to foreign investors through legally authorized programs: Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Lucia. Caribbean citizenship by investment starts at a $200,000 contribution to a government fund and climbs well past $1 million for a solo business venture, with real costs running 15 to 25 percent above the headline investment once fees, due diligence, and dependents are added. In return you get a second passport, voting rights, and visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 145 or more countries, without needing to live in the country that issued it.
The $200,000 Floor and What Each Country Charges Above It
In March 2024, the five programs signed a Memorandum of Agreement setting a $200,000 minimum for every CBI option, whether a government donation, real estate purchase, or private development project.1Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States. Caribbean Countries Pressing Forward with the Implementation of the Memorandum of Agreement on Citizenship by Investment Programmes The agreement took effect on July 1, 2024, and made discounting below $200,000 illegal. Each country prices its own program above that floor.
For the cheapest route in each country, a contribution to the national development fund:
- Dominica: $200,000 for a single applicant.
- Grenada: $235,000 for a single applicant or family of up to four.
- Antigua and Barbuda: $230,000 for families of four or fewer.
- Saint Lucia: $240,000 for an applicant with up to three dependents.
- Saint Kitts and Nevis: $250,000 to start on contribution-based pathways.2St. Kitts and Nevis Citizenship by Investment Unit. Citizenship by Investment Options
These are the investment amounts only. Processing fees, due diligence, and government charges push the real outlay considerably higher.
The Three Investment Pathways
Government Fund Donation
A non-refundable donation to the country’s national development fund is the cheapest and simplest route, and the one most applicants choose. The money goes to the government for public projects like schools, hospitals, and infrastructure. You don’t get the money back, but the total cost is lower than real estate or business options because there’s no property to maintain, no holding period, and fewer administrative complications.
Approved Real Estate
Buying real estate lets you retain equity and potentially earn rental income, but it costs more and locks up your capital for years. Every program restricts purchases to government-approved developments — resorts, hotels, and branded residences built for CBI investors.3St. Kitts and Nevis Citizenship by Investment Unit. Development Options You cannot buy a random beach house and qualify.
Minimums vary. Grenada starts at $270,000 plus a separate $50,000 government contribution. Saint Lucia and Antigua and Barbuda both require at least $300,000. Saint Kitts and Nevis starts at $325,000 for a fractional ownership share, or $600,000 for full ownership of a standalone property.4St. Kitts and Nevis Citizenship by Investment Unit. Real Estate Investment
You must hold the property for a set period before reselling. Dominica is the shortest at three years. Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, and Saint Lucia each require five. Saint Kitts and Nevis requires seven. Some programs allow the next buyer to use the same property for their own CBI application, which can help resale, though you are selling into a limited pool of purpose-built CBI inventory.
Escrow arrangements deserve scrutiny before you commit funds. Grenada requires domestic escrow accounts and requires developers to put up 20% equity in their projects. Saint Lucia has permitted some developers to maintain escrow accounts overseas. Confirm where your funds will be held and what oversight applies.
Business Investment
A handful of programs offer a business pathway for applicants who want an active commercial presence, and this is the most expensive option by a wide margin. Antigua and Barbuda requires $1.5 million for a solo venture, or a minimum individual contribution of $400,000 as part of a joint investment totaling at least $5 million. Saint Lucia requires at least $1 million in a joint venture, though no enterprise projects are currently open. The government reviews your business plan for alignment with national priorities and local job creation. This route makes sense only for investors who want to operate a real business in the Caribbean, not just hold a passport.
What You’ll Pay on Top of the Investment
The posted minimums are not the total price. Every program layers on government processing fees, due diligence charges, and passport issuance costs that can add $20,000 to $50,000 or more depending on family size.
Due diligence fees alone run $7,500 to $10,000 per main applicant and $5,000 to $7,500 per adult dependent. Saint Kitts and Nevis charges $10,000 for the primary applicant and $7,500 for each dependent aged 16 and older. Separate application fees, interview fees, and bank transfer charges stack on. Real estate investors also face legal fees, stamp duties, and maintenance costs during the holding period, which can run several thousand dollars annually depending on the project. Budget at least 15 to 25 percent above the headline investment to cover the full cost.
Who Can Apply and Who Can Come With You
You must be at least 18, have a clean criminal record in every country where you’ve lived for more than six months, and demonstrate a legitimate source of wealth. CBI units run background checks through international law enforcement databases and private intelligence firms, and apply a “fit and proper” standard. Any history of fraud, money laundering, sanctions violations, or activity that could embarrass the country is grounds for rejection. A medical exam confirming the absence of serious contagious diseases is also required.
Most programs let you include a spouse, children, parents, and in some cases siblings on a single application. Age limits for dependent children differ:
- Antigua and Barbuda: under 30, no financial dependency requirement.
- Dominica, Grenada, and Saint Lucia: under 30, must be financially dependent on the main applicant.
- Saint Kitts and Nevis: under 25 and financially dependent.
Children with disabilities can be included at any age regardless of financial dependency. Antigua and Barbuda and Grenada also allow unmarried siblings. In Grenada, siblings must be over 18, cannot have children, and cannot be divorced. Adding dependents raises both the investment minimum and the fees, so the per-person math matters when picking a program.
How the Application Works
You cannot apply directly. Every program requires you to work through an Authorized Agent, a government-licensed intermediary who prepares and submits your file to the national Citizenship by Investment Unit.5Citizenship by Investment Unit (Dominica). Become an Authorised Agent The agent controls the quality of your submission, so choosing a reputable one matters.
Documentation is heavy. Expect to provide valid passports, birth and marriage certificates for everyone on the application, bank statements and tax returns covering several years to show the legal origin of your funds, and professional reference letters from lawyers or bankers. Police clearance certificates are required from your home country and every country where you’ve lived for an extended period, usually issued within the past six months. Application forms ask for ten years of employment and address history. Discrepancies between the forms and your supporting documents cause delays or denials. Foreign-language documents need certified English translations, and most need notarization or an apostille, with apostille fees typically $20 to $100 per document.
Once the agent submits, due diligence runs roughly three to six months while international law enforcement and third-party intelligence firms verify what you disclosed. If you pass, you receive an approval-in-principle letter and have 60 to 90 days to complete the investment. After the government confirms receipt of funds, it issues a Certificate of Registration, and you then apply for the passport. Submission to passport in hand runs about six to nine months under normal conditions.
Travel Benefits and the Grenada E-2 Advantage
A Caribbean passport opens visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to all EU and Schengen countries, the United Kingdom, Singapore, and more than 145 countries overall. Saint Kitts and Nevis leads at 153, followed by Antigua and Barbuda at 152, Grenada at 148, Saint Lucia at 147, and Dominica at 145. Citizens of Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, and Saint Kitts and Nevis can enter the UK without a visa for up to 180 days per year. Grenada and Dominica also have visa-free access to China. US tourist visas are typically issued within two to three weeks and valid for ten years.
The EU’s ETIAS pre-clearance system is expected to launch in 2026. After a transition period, Caribbean passport holders will need an ETIAS authorization (€20, valid three years) before entering Schengen countries. It is electronic pre-clearance, not a visa.
Grenada is the only Caribbean CBI country with a bilateral investment treaty with the United States, in force since March 1989, which makes Grenadian citizens eligible for the E-2 Treaty Investor Visa.6U.S. Department of State. Treaty Countries The E-2 lets you move to the United States to invest in and operate a business. There is no fixed minimum, but approvals typically require $200,000 or more in a US-based enterprise. The visa is valid for five years and renewable indefinitely while the business operates. It does not lead directly to a green card, but E-2 holders can separately pursue an EB-5. The combined cost of Grenadian citizenship plus a qualifying US business is still cheaper than the EB-5 program’s $800,000 minimum. E-2 processing typically takes two to six months after obtaining Grenadian citizenship.
US Tax Reporting Still Applies
If you’re a US citizen or green card holder, Caribbean citizenship does not change your US tax obligations. The United States taxes its citizens on worldwide income regardless of where they live or how many passports they hold. A CBI investment also triggers reporting rules with severe penalties if ignored.
A US person with foreign financial accounts must file an FBAR if the combined value of all foreign accounts exceeds $10,000 at any point during the year.7Internal Revenue Service. Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR) With CBI investments starting at $200,000, almost every US investor who parks funds in a Caribbean account will cross that threshold. Non-willful violations reach $12,459 per account; willful violations can cost the greater of $124,588 or 50% of the account balance.
FATCA separately requires US taxpayers to file Form 8938 when foreign financial assets exceed certain thresholds. For taxpayers living in the US, the trigger is $50,000 at year-end or $75,000 at any point during the year, doubled for married couples filing jointly. For taxpayers living abroad, the thresholds are $200,000 at year-end or $300,000 at any time.8Internal Revenue Service. Do I Need to File Form 8938, Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets Foreign real estate held through an entity, offshore accounts, and ownership interests in foreign companies all count. FBAR and Form 8938 are separate filings with different thresholds, and you may owe both.
Keeping the Citizenship After You Get It
Citizenship granted through investment is not unconditional. Each program imposes post-approval obligations, and failing them can cost you both the citizenship and the investment with no refund.
Antigua and Barbuda is the most explicit: at least five days of physical presence in the country during the first five years after citizenship, or you face deprivation of citizenship and forfeit what you invested.9Antigua and Barbuda Citizenship by Investment Programme. The Citizenship by Investment Programme The other programs have historically been less demanding on presence, but a draft update to the MOA framework proposes 30 days of physical presence during the first five years for all new citizens, plus mandatory civic education and cultural orientation.
Passports are initially issued for five years. Renewal for a full ten-year term requires certification that you have met your ongoing obligations. Misrepresentation on your original application — about the source of your funds, criminal history, or identity — can lead to permanent revocation. The same applies to a serious criminal conviction after citizenship, or conduct that brings the country into disrepute. The proposed MOA updates would also authorize administrative fines of up to 10% of the qualifying investment for non-compliance short of full revocation.
Real estate investors must hold the qualifying property for the required period (three to seven years, depending on the country). Selling early voids the citizenship grant. During the hold you are responsible for maintenance, property taxes, and insurance. Factor those carrying costs into your total budget from the start.