News brief · Passports (CBI)
Saint Kitts: a time-limited bonus on the Sustainable Growth Fund
Temporary promotions on Caribbean contributions are a recurring practice in the industry. They should be read for what they are: a signal about the state of demand, not an opportunity to seize.
By Editorial team · on June 23, 2026
What Saint Kitts and Nevis publishes
Saint Kitts and Nevis runs the world's oldest citizenship by investment programme, created in 1984. Its amounts are published by its Citizenship by Investment Unit.
The contribution to the Sustainable Growth Fund stands at from $250,0001 for a single applicant or a family, and the minimum real estate investment in an approved project at from $325,0002.
Additional dependants give rise to a contribution of $25,0003 or $50,0004 depending on their situation.
On top of this come due diligence fees of $10,0005 for the main applicant and $7,5006 per dependant aged sixteen and over, which are non-refundable if the application is refused.
The unit announces a decision between from 120 days7 and up to 180 days8 after a complete application has been filed.
How to read a temporary promotion
We do not publish the amount or duration of a temporary reduction on the Sustainable Growth Fund contribution: we have not found an official source documenting it. The amounts above are those published by the Citizenship by Investment Unit.
What can be said about these promotions, a practice attested in the region, has to do with their function. They appear when the number of applications falls, and they disappear when it picks up again.
They are therefore an indicator of demand, not an opportunity. A buyer who decides because a discount is about to expire is making the decision on a seller's timetable, which is rarely a sound method for a commitment of this size.
It should also be remembered that these programmes raised their thresholds in a coordinated way under European and American pressure. A significant discount would run counter to that commitment, which limits how far such offers can go.
A second use of these announcements is worth pointing out: they also serve as a sales pitch for licensed agents, whose fees depend on the number of applications filed. The pressure to file quickly therefore comes as much from the intermediary as from the State, and it is useful to tell the two apart.
The right method is to reason backwards. First determine whether you need a second nationality and for what precise purpose; then choose the programme that serves that purpose; look at the price last. A discount should never be the starting point of the reasoning.
What really decides between the programmes
The price gap between the five Caribbean programmes has become modest: about $200,0009 in Dominica, $230,00010 in Antigua and Barbuda, $235,00011 in Grenada, from $240,00012 in Saint Lucia.
The ranking is therefore decided elsewhere. On mobility: Saint Kitts and Nevis opens about 15413 visa-free destinations, against about 14514 for Dominica.
On obligations: Antigua and Barbuda is the only one to require actual physical presence, of 5 days15 over 5 years16.
And on specific access: Grenada is the only one whose nationals can apply for the US treaty investor visa.
One last criterion, rarely mentioned, is the programme's track record. Saint Kitts and Nevis's has been running since the nineteen-eighties and has come through several cycles of international challenge without being suspended. This longevity guarantees nothing for the future, but it is the only evidence available on a State's ability to defend its scheme.
Key takeaways
- Promotions signal the state of demand, not an opportunity.
- Due diligence fees are non-refundable if the application is refused.
- Programmes are ranked on mobility and access, not on price.
- A passport does not move your tax residency: that requires actually going to live there.
- Visa-free access depends on decisions by third countries, and it has already been withdrawn from Vanuatu.
Finally, for a French national the mobility gain is nil: the French passport opens more destinations than any of the five. The benefit, where there is one, lies in diversifying nationalities or in a fallback option — two legitimate motives, which a temporary discount makes neither more nor less relevant.
Please note
Sources and verification dates
- 1.
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
- 2.
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
- 3.
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
- 4.
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
- 5.
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
- 6.
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
- 7.
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
- 8.
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
- 9.
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
- 10.
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
- 11.
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
- 12.
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 »
- 13.
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
- 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.
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