Caribbean citizenship by investment: five programs compared

How do you compare Caribbean citizenship programs fairly?

Hold three things still: the family, the route and the fee basis. Five Eastern Caribbean countries grant citizenship this way: Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Lucia. Each asks for a payment into a government fund. Priced for the same four people, those contributions run from $230,000 to $250,000. ^{1, 4, 2, 5, 3}

The example family is two spouses and two children aged 8 and 10, applying together. The comparison table prices the contribution alone for all five. Processing, due diligence, interviews, biometrics, passports, agents and travel come on top. The fee section shows what the governments list for this family. The guide to the real cost of citizenship by investment builds the full bill.

Every program quotes its prices in US dollars; day to day, the islands spend Eastern Caribbean dollars, fixed at EC$2.70 to US$1.00 since 7 July 1976. The rate marked 50 years unchanged on 7 July 2026. ¹⁵

Which program costs least for a family of four?

On contribution alone, Antigua and Barbuda is lowest at $230,000. Dominica and St Kitts and Nevis share the top figure, $250,000. Grenada asks $235,000 and Saint Lucia $240,000, so the whole spread is $20,000. ^{1, 4, 5, 2, 3}

Dominica prices a single applicant at $200,000. A main applicant with up to three qualifying dependents, as in this family, pays $250,000. ⁴ That $200,000 is also the region-wide minimum the five governments set in their regulator agreement, and every family figure in the table is above it. ¹⁶

What does the published price leave out?

Antigua and Barbuda's schedule prices every government line for this family. Processing is $20,000 for a family of up to four. Due diligence is $8,500 for the main applicant, $5,000 for a spouse and $0 for children aged 0 to 11. Passports cost $300 each. ^{1, 6}

The other four schedules read differently. Here is what each lists beyond the contribution for the same four people.

Two fee lines turn a $20,000 gap around. Antigua and Barbuda's contribution, processing and due diligence for this family come to $263,500 ($230,000 + $20,000 + $8,500 + $5,000). Dominica's come to $262,500 ($250,000 + $1,000 + $7,500 + $4,000). Dominica's sum is $1,000 lower. Passports, certificates and agents' fees are outside both. ^{1, 6, 4}

Antigua and Barbuda through Saint Lucia: key requirements

Each program attaches its own conditions to the payment. Some ask for time in the country. Others ask for an appointment in person. Saint Lucia adds a bond route beside its fund.

Antigua and Barbuda

New citizens spend at least 5 days in Antigua and Barbuda within their first 5 calendar years. The government can remove the citizenship of anyone who misses that stay. Any contribution, investment or purchase price is then forfeited. ¹⁹ The Antigua and Barbuda citizenship details page covers the rest of the route.

Dominica

Applications reach Dominica's unit through an authorized agent. Its regulations restrict promoting the program to approved parties; breaking that rule can bring a conviction, a fine and a place on the unit's public blacklist. ¹¹ The Dominica citizenship costs and routes page explains the family pricing in full.

Grenada

Grenada splits the agent's job in two. An Authorized Local Agent, licensed by the Minister, submits the application. It works with an Authorized International Marketing Agent, the party permitted to promote the program. ¹² Ask which firm holds which role before sending any records.

St Kitts and Nevis

Biometric enrollment is mandatory for new applications submitted from 14 April 2026. The appointment is booked once the file reaches approval in principle, at designated locations. ¹⁸ The main applicant sits a mandatory interview, and dependents aged 16 or over can be asked to attend one too. ⁵ The St Kitts and Nevis citizenship options page has the full route.

Saint Lucia

Beside the $240,000 fund, Saint Lucia offers National Action Government Bonds. The bond route is a $300,000 investment for any number of dependents. It stays in the applicant's name for five years without interest. A non-refundable $50,000 administration fee comes on top. ³ The cost of this route is the $50,000 fee plus five years without a return on $300,000. Saint Lucia citizenship: bonds and contributions sets the two side by side.

Is the new Eastern Caribbean regulator running yet?

Its launch is due in September 2026. On 10 July 2026, the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank's Monetary Council said the authority remained on track for that date. ²⁰ Grenada's circular of 21 August 2026 holds back a residence requirement that was due on 31 August 2026. It waits until the regulator is operating and the member states agree a common start date. ²¹

One regulator is written into law in all five. On 23 September 2025, in Castries, Saint Lucia, the five heads of government signed an agreement. It created the Eastern Caribbean Citizenship by Investment Regulatory Authority, known as ECCIRA. ¹⁶ St Kitts and Nevis passed its bill on 17 October 2025; all five had made the agreement national law by 1 December 2025. ^{22, 23}

The agreement sets out what the authority brings to all five programs. ¹⁶

• A region-wide minimum investment of $200,000. ¹⁶
• Biometric data collected from new applicants at interview.
• Stronger residence and genuine-link requirements.
• Binding standards for national units and licensed agents, with annual public compliance reports.
• Administrative fines or license revocation for breaches.

The reforms grew out of talks with the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Commission. The fourth US-Caribbean roundtable on the subject met in Antigua and Barbuda on 1 December 2025. The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank and the US Treasury co-chaired it. ²³

Which US, UK and EU rules apply to which program?

The measures around these programs fall unevenly. The regional agreement covers all five. The European Commission's letter went to Antigua and Barbuda, whose government says the other four received similar letters. ^{16, 7} The US and UK measures name one, two or three of them and took effect between 1 January and 2 April 2026. ^{8, 24, 9}

United States

Proclamation 10998, signed 16 December 2025, partially restricts entry for nationals of 15 countries from 1 January 2026. It suspends immigrant entry and B-1, B-2, F, M and J visas; it cites Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica for citizenship by investment without residency. ⁸

The visa bond list adds a second layer. By 18 March 2026, Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica were already on it; Grenada joined on 2 April 2026. ²⁴ A permanent rule has applied since 3 August 2026. Under it, a consular officer can ask a covered B-1/B-2 applicant for a bond of $10,000, $15,000 or $20,000. ²⁵

United Kingdom

The UK rule is narrower. Since 15:00 GMT on 5 March 2026, Saint Lucian nationals need a visa to visit the UK. Saint Lucia was removed from the Electronic Travel Authorisation list at the same time. The government's explanatory memorandum cites FATF and OECD findings and calls citizenship by investment inherently high-risk. ⁹

European Union

Regulation (EU) 2025/2441, published on 10 December 2025, makes running an investor citizenship scheme a ground for suspending visa-free Schengen travel. A suspension lasts 12 months at first and can be extended by 24 months. ²⁶ It applies to any country on the EU's visa-free list that runs such a scheme.

Can Grenadian citizenship lead to a US E-2 visa?

Not on citizenship alone. Grenada's investment treaty with the United States, signed on 2 May 1986 and in force since 3 March 1989, underlies Grenada's eligibility for the E-2 treaty investor visa. ²⁷ But US law sets a condition for anyone whose nationality came through an investment: 3 continuous years of domicile in Grenada, at any point before the E visa application. Anyone who previously held E status is exempt. ²⁸

The E-2 visa is a separate decision the United States makes on its own requirements. The Grenada citizenship and E-2 treaty details page covers the investor visa. The guide to citizenship, residency and tax residency separates the three questions.

Verify agent authorization before sending money

Check the license, then the role. All five governments route applications through authorized agents. Each also controls who may market its program. ^{10, 11, 12, 13, 14}

Know who is paid, and by whom. Saint Lucia pays licensed promoters a commission of 10% to 20% on National Economic Fund applications. A promoter's license costs $500 to apply and $5,000 a year. ³⁰ Ask your agent who pays them. Antigua and Barbuda prohibits advertising or promoting its program, online included, without the unit's specific authorization. ²⁹

1. 01

   Find the exact firm on the government's page

   Match the legal name and the role, local agent or marketing agent, to the unit's own authorization page. Antigua and Barbuda publishes a named list of licensed individuals and firms. ¹⁰

2. 02

   Check the blacklist

   St Kitts and Nevis and Dominica both publish blacklists of firms that broke their rules. ^{13, 11} Search the firm's name there.

3. 03

   Map every firm in the chain

   Grenada and St Kitts and Nevis each license marketers separately from the agents who file. Ask which firm signs the engagement letter and which one files. ^{12, 13}