Grenada Passport Requirements for Citizenship by Investment

Grenada’s citizenship by investment requirements come down to four things: you must be at least 18, pass a strict background and health check, choose between a $235,000 contribution to a government fund or a real estate purchase starting at $270,000, and pay a set of per-person government fees on top. The program is governed by Act No. 15 of 2013, the Grenada Citizenship by Investment Act, and does not require you to live in or even visit Grenada at any point.¹ Grenada recognizes dual citizenship, so you keep your original nationality.

Who Can Apply

The main applicant must be 18 or older. The government runs background checks through independent international investigators, and it will deny your application if you have been convicted of any offense that would carry more than six months of jail time under Grenadian law, or if you are currently under criminal investigation.²

You and every dependent must pass a medical examination confirming you are free of communicable diseases and in good health. There is one further rule that trips people up: if you have ever been denied a visa to a country where Grenadian passport holders enjoy visa-free travel, your application will be rejected unless you subsequently obtained a visa from that same country.² A prior visa refusal that was never cleared up will end the process before it starts.

Once granted, citizenship is for life. You never need to set foot in Grenada.

Family Members You Can Include

Grenada allows a broader set of dependents than many other Caribbean programs:

A legally married spouse.
Unmarried children under 30 who have no children of their own and are not employed full-time (internships are allowed). A child who is 29 at submission still qualifies.
Parents and grandparents of the main applicant or spouse, at any age.
Unmarried siblings of the main applicant or spouse who are at least 18.

Adding siblings and grandparents without an age cap is unusual in this space. Every dependent beyond a family of four raises the investment amount and adds per-person government fees.

The Two Investment Routes

You choose one of two paths. Both produce the same citizenship and the same passport.

National Transformation Fund Contribution

The National Transformation Fund is a government fund that finances economic development and infrastructure. A one-time, non-refundable contribution of at least $235,000 covers a single applicant or a family of up to four.² The money is not returned in any form.

For larger families, the contribution steps up per additional dependent:

$25,000 for each additional child, or parent or grandparent over 55
$50,000 for each parent or grandparent under 55
$75,000 for each sibling

If your application includes several siblings or younger parents, the NTF route can end up costing more than real estate. Run both totals before you commit.

Government-Approved Real Estate

The property route means buying from a government-approved development, typically a luxury hotel, resort, or villa.³ The minimum is $270,000 for a shared ownership unit or $350,000 for sole ownership, covering a single applicant or a family of up to four.²

Real estate applicants also pay a separate non-refundable government fee of $50,000 for a single applicant or family of up to four.² You can resell to a non-CBI buyer at any time, but if you plan to resell to another CBI applicant so they can use the property for their own citizenship, you must hold it for at least five years.

Government and Processing Fees

These fees are non-refundable and apply on both routes:²

Application fee: $1,500 per person.
Due diligence fee: $5,000 per person aged 17 and over; nothing for children under 17.
Processing fee: $1,500 per person aged 17 and over, or $500 per person under 17.
Interview fee: $1,000 per person aged 17 and over.

For a family of four with two young children, the administrative fees alone come to roughly $22,000 on top of the investment. A couple with no children should budget around $18,000. These numbers are often buried in the fine print, so factor them in from the start.

Documents You Need to Gather

The Grenada Citizenship by Investment Committee expects a complete file. That includes six official forms covering personal information, fingerprints, particulars for the Office of Home Affairs, medical status, employment and wealth, and investment confirmation.²

You also need original or certified personal identification documents such as birth certificates and marriage certificates, a police certificate from your country of residence, and a medical certificate from a licensed practitioner for every applicant.² Proof of the source of your investment funds is required to satisfy anti-money-laundering rules. Any document not originally in English needs a certified translation. Missing or inaccurate paperwork is the most common cause of delay.

How the Application Works

You cannot file directly with the Committee. Every application goes through an Authorized International Marketing Agent, who works with an Authorized Local Agent in Grenada. Direct contact with the local agent is not permitted; the international agent handles all communication for you.²

After the Committee receives your file, it commissions independent international investigators to verify your background, finances, and claims. Standard processing runs about seven months from application to passport, though an invitation-only expedited route can shorten that to three or four months.

If approved, you receive an approval letter. You then complete the investment (if not already escrowed) and pay any remaining fees. The Committee issues a certificate of registration, and your local agent uses it to apply for your passport.² No trip to Grenada is required to collect it.

What the Passport Gets You

A Grenadian passport currently provides visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to roughly 140 destinations, including the United Kingdom, the Schengen area, China, Russia, and Singapore.

The bigger draw for many applicants is the US E-2 Treaty Investor Visa. Grenada has held an active E-2 treaty with the United States since March 3, 1989, and is one of the few Caribbean nations with one.⁴ The E-2 lets you live and work in the United States by investing in a US-based business, and Grenadian citizenship acquired through the CBI program qualifies you to apply. That is a much cheaper route to US residency than the EB-5 program.

The E-2 is not automatic. You still have to meet US visa requirements, make a substantial investment in a real US business, and pass consular review. Grenadian citizenship opens the door; it does not walk you through it.

If You Are a US Citizen

Acquiring Grenadian citizenship does not change your US tax obligations. The United States taxes its citizens on worldwide income regardless of how many passports they hold. Two reporting rules are worth knowing if you open foreign accounts as a Grenadian citizen.

If the combined value of your foreign financial accounts exceeds $10,000 at any point during the year, you must file FinCEN Form 114, the FBAR.⁵ Under FATCA, you must also report specified foreign financial assets on Form 8938 if they exceed $50,000 on the last day of the tax year or $75,000 at any point during the year for single filers living in the US.⁶ Thresholds are higher for joint filers and taxpayers living abroad. The two filings overlap but are separate; meeting one does not satisfy the other.

1
Laws of Grenada. Grenada Citizenship by Investment Act, 2013
2
Investment Migration Agency (IMA) Grenada. Application Guide
3
Investment Migration Agency (IMA) Grenada. Citizenship by Investment
4
U.S. Department of State. Treaty Countries
5
Internal Revenue Service. Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR)
6
Internal Revenue Service. Summary of FATCA Reporting for U.S. Taxpayers