News brief · Passports (CBI)

Caribbean: the thresholds of the five investment passports have converged

The five Caribbean citizenship by investment programmes have raised their thresholds and now sit within a narrow range. Ranking them by price no longer makes much sense: what sets them apart lies elsewhere.

By Editorial team · on September 4, 2026

Illustrative photo: four closed passports, laid side by side

Read the full story: Caribbean: what citizenship by investment costs, and what it does not do

Where the five programmes stand

The five Caribbean states that grant citizenship in return for investment have all raised their thresholds under joint pressure from the European Union and the United States. The amounts published by their authorities now fall within a narrow range.

Dominica requires a minimum contribution of about $200,000¹ to its economic diversification fund.

Antigua and Barbuda sets its contribution to the national development fund at $230,000², and its real estate option at from $260,000³.

Grenada requires $235,000⁴ for its national transformation fund, or from $270,000⁵ through the real estate route.

Saint Lucia sets from $240,000⁶ for its national economic fund and from $300,000⁷ for the real estate option.

Saint Kitts and Nevis, the oldest programme, requires from $250,000⁸ as its sustainability contribution, or from $325,000⁹ through the real estate route.

What the price does not tell you

The gap between the cheapest and the most expensive of these programmes has become modest, so reasoning in terms of price is no longer of much use. Three criteria distinguish them more clearly.

This convergence is the defining feature of the period. For a decade, these states competed on price, driving some entry tickets very low; it was precisely this competition that external pressure targeted, and it has stopped.

Mobility first. The passports open a different number of visa-free destinations: about 145¹⁰ for Dominica, about 147¹¹ for Saint Lucia, about 148¹² for Grenada, about 151¹³ for Antigua and Barbuda and about 154¹⁴ for Saint Kitts and Nevis.

Presence requirements next. Antigua and Barbuda requires the new citizen to be present for at least 5 days¹⁵ assessed over 5 years¹⁶, a condition the other programmes do not impose.

Ancillary fees, finally. In Saint Kitts and Nevis, due diligence fees amount to $10,000¹⁷ for the main applicant and $7,500¹⁸ per dependant aged sixteen and over. These amounts are payable on top of the contribution and are non-refundable.

Announced processing times also vary: Saint Kitts and Nevis indicates a decision between from 120 days¹⁹ and up to 180 days²⁰ after a complete application has been filed.

The limit nothing gets around

A second passport does nothing to change tax residency. A French national who acquires Caribbean citizenship without leaving France remains taxable in France on all of their income.

These states tax foreign-source income lightly or not at all; but benefiting from this requires becoming a tax resident there, which means living there. Saint Lucia and Grenada require a presence of 183 days²¹ to establish tax residency.

It should also be noted that these countries tax their residents on locally sourced income: Dominica applies a scale of up to 35%²², and Grenada under a progressive scale. The absence of taxation is not across the board.

Citizenship by investment is therefore a tool for mobility and personal security — an additional travel document, a fallback option — and not, on its own, a tax optimisation scheme. This is the point on which intermediaries are least forthcoming.

What remains uncertain

We do not report any regional agreement setting a common minimum price for the five programmes: we have not found an official text establishing one. The amounts above are those each authority publishes for its own programme, and their convergence is an observation, not a verified common rule.

International pressure, on the other hand, is documented and lasting. The European Union has taken action against several citizenship by investment schemes, and the visa exemption these states enjoy for the Schengen area is regularly called into question.

This is the main risk of such an investment: its value rests on visa-free access that a third country can suspend unilaterally, as the case of Vanuatu showed. An outside decision can, within a few months, erode the value of an outlay of several hundred thousand dollars.

Finally, for a French national, the gain in mobility is nil: the French passport opens more destinations than any of these five. The benefit, if there is one, lies elsewhere — diversifying nationalities, estate planning, and access to certain US schemes in the case of Grenada.

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.
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
4.
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
5.
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
6.
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
7.
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
8.
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
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.
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
11.
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
12.
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
13.
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
14.
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
15.
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
16.
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
17.
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
18.
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
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.
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
22.
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