In depth · Passports (CBI)

Caribbean: what citizenship by investment costs, and what it does not do

Q: What is the cheapest Caribbean CBI?

Dominica, with a minimum donation of $200,000, generally for a single applicant.

Five Caribbean states grant citizenship in exchange for a donation or a real estate investment. Their thresholds have converged, their checks have tightened, and most of what people expect from them — a tax advantage — does not follow. This report details the published amounts, the procedure, the additional fees and what citizenship does not do.

By Editorial team · on September 4, 2026

Illustrative photo: four closed passports, laid side by side

News briefs on this topic: Caribbean: the thresholds of the five investment passports have converged

How citizenship by investment works

The principle is simple: the State grants its nationality to a foreigner who pays a contribution to a public fund or acquires an approved property. There is no prior residence requirement, no language test and no renunciation of the original nationality.

Five Caribbean states operate this scheme: Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Saint Lucia and Saint Kitts and Nevis, the latter having created the world's first programme of its kind in 1984.

Two routes coexist in each programme. The donation to a public fund, which is non-recoverable and is the fastest and least expensive route. And the real estate investment, which is higher, recoverable on resale after a holding period, but exposed to local market risk and low liquidity.

Applications must go through an agent licensed by the State concerned: a candidate cannot apply directly. This agent's fees come on top of the official amounts and are not regulated.

The amounts published by the five programmes

Via the donation route, for a single applicant: about $200,000¹ in Dominica, $230,000² in Antigua and Barbuda, $235,000³ in Grenada, from $240,000⁴ in Saint Lucia and from $250,000⁵ in Saint Kitts and Nevis.

Via the real estate route: from $260,000⁶ in Antigua and Barbuda, from $270,000⁷ in Grenada, from $300,000⁸ in Saint Lucia and from $325,000⁹ in Saint Kitts and Nevis.

These amounts are not the total cost. In Saint Kitts and Nevis, due diligence fees amount to $10,000¹⁰ for the main applicant and $7,500¹¹ per dependant aged sixteen and over.

Family contributions follow their own scales. Saint Kitts and Nevis charges $25,000¹² or $50,000¹³ per additional dependant depending on their situation.

We do not publish the full details of the five programmes' family scales, agents' fees, or passport and oath fees: they vary and do not all appear in the official sources we have been able to verify. The real cost of a family application must be calculated programme by programme.

Mobility, timeframes and obligations

Visa-free access is the central argument of these programmes. The passports open about 145¹⁴ destinations for Dominica, about 147¹⁵ for Saint Lucia, about 148¹⁶ for Grenada, about 151¹⁷ for Antigua and Barbuda and about 154¹⁸ for Saint Kitts and Nevis respectively.

Saint Kitts and Nevis announces a decision between from 120 days¹⁹ and up to 180 days²⁰ after a complete application has been filed. These timeframes exclude putting the application together, which requires apostilled civil status documents and criminal record certificates.

Antigua and Barbuda is the only one of the five to require actual physical presence: the new citizen must spend at least 5 days²¹ there over a period of 5 years²².

Due diligence has been considerably strengthened since the criticism levelled at these programmes: mandatory interviews, verification of the source of funds, checks on nationalities deemed high-risk. An incomplete or poorly documented application is rejected, and the fees paid are not refunded.

What citizenship does not do

The main misunderstanding concerns taxation. A second passport does not change tax residency: a French national who remains domiciled in France remains taxable there on all their income, whatever their new nationality.

Benefiting from these states' taxation requires becoming a tax resident there, and therefore living there. Saint Lucia and Grenada use a threshold of 183 days²³ of presence per year.

And their taxation is not zero. Dominica taxes income at up to 35%²⁴, Grenada under a progressive scale. It is foreign-source income that escapes tax, not local income.

A second misunderstanding concerns the stability of the advantage. A passport's value lies in the visa-free access it opens, and that access depends on decisions taken by third countries. Vanuatu lost the visa exemption it enjoyed with the European Union, which reduced its passport to about 95²⁵ destinations.

This is the structural risk of this asset class: the buyer pays cash for a revocable advantage over which they have no control. None of the five Caribbean programmes is safe from a comparable decision.

Finally, for a French national the mobility gain is nil, as the French passport opens more destinations than any of the five. The benefit, where there is one, lies in diversifying nationalities, in a fallback option, or in Grenada's access to certain US schemes — legitimate motives, but none of them tax-related.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest Caribbean CBI?

Dominica, with a minimum donation of $200,000²⁶, generally for a single applicant.

Can I include my family?

Yes, all programmes allow you to include a spouse, children and often parents, for additional amounts.

Does a Caribbean passport allow me to live in the EU?

It offers visa-free entry to the Schengen area for short stays, but does not give the right to reside or work there on a long-term basis.

Please note

General information, as of the date shown. A draft reform is not a rule in force: check the conditions with the authorities or a professional before deciding. Terms of use and disclaimers

Sources and verification dates

1.
Dominica: minimum contribution to the Economic Diversification Fund : $200,000
« To qualify for Dominican citizenship through the Citizenship by Investment Programme, applicants must make a non-refundable contribution starting at US$200,000 for the main applicant to the EDF. »
cbiu.gov.dmVerified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source
2.
Antigua and Barbuda: minimum contribution to the National Development Fund : $230,000
« Acquisition of citizenship under the NDF investment option requires a contribution to the National Development Fund in the minimum sum of US$230,000 per application. »
cip.gov.agVerified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source
3.
Grenada: National Transformation Fund contribution for a single applicant or a couple : $235,000
« NTF DONATION Individual Applicant Main Applicant + Spouse Family of four family members Family over four family members Required Contribution Amount USD 235,000 USD 235,000 USD 235,000 (Except for siblings, parents, and grandparents age 55yrs and under) USD 235,000 plus USD 25,000/50,000 per additional dependant after the third dependant, additional sibling USD 75,000 »
Investment Migration Agency Grenada, « Becoming a Citizen — Fees and Costs »Verified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source
4.
Saint Lucia: contribution to the National Economic Fund, applicant and up to three dependants : $240,000
« Applicant alone with up to three other qualifying dependents: US $240,000 »
cipsaintlucia.com
5.
Saint Kitts and Nevis: SISC contribution for a single applicant or a family of four : $250,000
« Main Applicant or Family (up to four members): US$250,000 »
ciu.gov.knVerified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source
6.
Antigua and Barbuda: minimum real estate investment qualifying for citizenship : $260,000
« Applicants to the Citizenship by Investment Programme who choose this option will be required to make an investment of US$260,000 for a family of six (6) or more (i.e. minimum number of persons per application is 6). »
cip.gov.ag
7.
Grenada: amount applicable to the real estate option for a single applicant : $270,000
« Single Applicant USD 350,000 / 270,000 USD 50,000 »
Investment Migration Agency Grenada, « Becoming a Citizen — Fees and Costs »Verified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source
8.
Saint Lucia: minimum real estate investment, regardless of the number of dependants : $300,000
« Real Estate — Applicant applying with any number of dependents: US $300,000 plus applicable administration fees ; Government Bonds — Applicant applying with any number of dependents: US$ 300,000. An additional, non-refundable administration fee of US$ 50,000 is applicable. — Citizenship by Investment Unit, Saint Lucia, « Citizenship by Investment ». »
cipsaintlucia.com
9.
Saint Kitts and Nevis: minimum real estate investment in an approved project : $325,000
« The minimum investment for real estate options under the St. Kitts and Nevis Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Programme starts at US$325,000, which is the value for a fractional ownership in a government-approved property. »
ciu.gov.knVerified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source
10.
Saint Kitts and Nevis: due diligence fee for the main applicant : $10,000
« Due Diligence Fees: Main Applicant: US$10,000 »
ciu.gov.knVerified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source
11.
Saint Kitts and Nevis: due diligence fee per dependant aged sixteen or over : $7,500
« Due Diligence Fees: Main Applicant: US$10,000 Each Dependant (16 or over): US$7,500 »
ciu.gov.knVerified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source
12.
Saint Kitts and Nevis: SISC contribution per additional dependant under eighteen : $25,000
« Additional Dependants under 18: US$25,000 each »
ciu.gov.knVerified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source
13.
Saint Kitts and Nevis: SISC contribution per additional dependant aged eighteen or over : $50,000
« Additional Dependants aged 18 or over: US$50,000 each »
ciu.gov.knVerified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source
14.
Dominica passport: visa-free destinations : 145
« Henley Passport Index — classement des passeports par nombre de destinations accessibles sans visa préalable (données IATA), consulté à la date indiquée. Valeur reprise de l’index de l’ancien site (barème à 227 destinations). »
henleyglobal.comVerified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source
15.
Saint Lucian passport: visa-free destinations : 147
« Henley Passport Index — classement des passeports par nombre de destinations accessibles sans visa préalable (données IATA), consulté à la date indiquée. Valeur reprise de l’index de l’ancien site (barème à 227 destinations). »
henleyglobal.com
16.
Grenadian passport: visa-free destinations : 148
« Henley Passport Index — classement des passeports par nombre de destinations accessibles sans visa préalable (données IATA), consulté à la date indiquée. Valeur reprise de l’index de l’ancien site (barème à 227 destinations). »
henleyglobal.comVerified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source
17.
Antigua and Barbuda passport: visa-free destinations : 151
« Henley Passport Index — classement des passeports par nombre de destinations accessibles sans visa préalable (données IATA), consulté à la date indiquée. Valeur reprise de l’index de l’ancien site (barème à 227 destinations). »
henleyglobal.comVerified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source
18.
Saint Kitts and Nevis passport: visa-free destinations : 154
« Henley Passport Index — classement des passeports par nombre de destinations accessibles sans visa préalable (données IATA), consulté à la date indiquée. Valeur reprise de l’index de l’ancien site (barème à 227 destinations). »
henleyglobal.comVerified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source
19.
Saint Kitts and Nevis: minimum stated time before a decision on a citizenship application : 120 days
« Within 120-180 days of acknowledgment from the Unit of submission of a citizenship application, the Unit will advise whether an application is: Approved-in-principle; Denied; or Delayed for cause and is still being processed. »
ciu.gov.knVerified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source
20.
Saint Kitts and Nevis: maximum stated time before a decision on a citizenship application : 180 days
« Within 120-180 days of acknowledgment from the Unit of submission of a citizenship application, the Unit will advise whether an application is: Approved-in-principle; Denied; or Delayed for cause and is still being processed. »
ciu.gov.knVerified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source
21.
Antigua and Barbuda: minimum presence required of the new citizen : 5 days
« Deprivation of citizenship may occur if the citizen does not spend at least 5 days in Antigua and Barbuda during the period of five calendar years after having obtained citizenship and they will not be entitled to repayment of any investment, contribution or purchase price made by them in their original application for citizenship. »
cip.gov.agVerified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source
22.
Antigua and Barbuda: period over which the minimum presence is assessed : 5 years
« Deprivation of citizenship may occur if the citizen does not spend at least 5 days in Antigua and Barbuda during the period of five calendar years after having obtained citizenship »
cip.gov.agVerified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source
23.
Saint Lucia: annual presence used to determine tax residency : 183 days
« he or she is physically present in Saint Lucia for not less than 183 days in the year of income »
oecd.org
24.
Dominica: top marginal personal income tax rate : 35%
« Personal Income Tax : From $0 to $30,000 — 0% ; From $30,001 to $50,000 — 15% ; From $50,001 to $80,000 — 25% ; From $80,001 and above — 35% — Invest Dominica Authority, page « Taxation » (montants en EC$). »
investdominica.comVerified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source
25.
Vanuatu passport: visa-free destinations : 95
« Henley Passport Index — classement des passeports par nombre de destinations accessibles sans visa préalable (données IATA), consulté à la date indiquée. Valeur reprise de l’index de l’ancien site (barème à 227 destinations). »
henleyglobal.comVerified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source
26.
etats-unis.cbi.usd.200000 : $200,000