Dominica citizenship by investment: costs, routes & status

How much does Dominica citizenship by investment cost?

Dominica's citizenship by investment program has run since 1993, and on 13 September 2026 its lower-cost route comes to $210,000 in government charges for one person. A family of four pays $271,500 on the same route, in government charges alone. ^{1, 7, 8}

Dominica's Citizenship by Investment Unit (CBIU) publishes two routes. The Economic Diversification Fund (EDF) takes a non-refundable contribution. The real-estate route buys a unit in an approved project and adds a government fee. Both charge the same processing, due diligence, naturalisation and interview fees. ^{1, 2}

Here is the full government bill for two example households: one applicant alone, and two adults with children aged 17 and 10. The 17-year-old pays due diligence and an interview. The 10-year-old pays only the $500 naturalisation fee. ¹

Those are the government's lines. MMT's guide to the real cost of citizenship by investment adds the agent, legal and travel lines around them, and Caribbean citizenship programs compared sets Dominica beside its neighbors.

Economic Diversification Fund or real estate: which should you choose?

For one person the fund costs $75,000 less than property; for the family of four, $50,000 less. The single gap is the whole $75,000 government fee, because the contribution and the property minimum are both $200,000. For the family, the contribution rises to $250,000 while the property minimum stays at $200,000, so the $100,000 government fee leaves a $50,000 gap. ^{1, 2}

The routes differ in what the money becomes. The EDF contribution is non-refundable. Approved real estate is an asset, and it must be held for three years from the date citizenship is granted, or for five years if the future purchaser is also a citizenship by investment applicant. ^{1, 2}

On 13 September 2026, the CBIU's approved list named eight real estate projects. ¹⁰

• Anichi Resort & Spa.
• Jungle Bay Resort.
• Grande Anse Holdings: Timbo's Downtown.
• Ocean Edge Development.
• InterContinental Dominica Cabrits Resort & Spa, by resale only.
• Sanctuary Rainforest Eco Resort & Spa.
• The Residences at Secret Bay.
• Tranquility Beach Resort.

Two of them publish starting prices on their own sites. The Residences at Secret Bay sells shared ownership from $208,000 a share, $8,000 above the minimum, and whole villas from $1.49 million to $4.05 million. Jungle Bay prices an EcoVilla from $255,000, including closing costs and deed registration, with deeded title to 1,200 square feet of land and a 400-square-foot villa. ^{11, 12}

Rental terms belong to each project. At Jungle Bay, rental income is split 30% to the owner, 40% to maintenance, repairs and insurance, and 30% to the resort operator. It is paid once a year and pooled equally across all owners, whatever their own unit's occupancy. Each owner also gets one week of personal use a year. ¹²

If the passport is the goal, the EDF is the smaller bill and the simpler one. If you want that villa or that share, and its rental terms, for their own sake, price the property route with the project's contract in hand. MMT's Antigua and Barbuda citizenship by investment page prices a neighbor's routes the same way.

Which family members can you include, and what do they cost?

One contribution covers the main applicant and up to three dependants. On the EDF that is $250,000, whether the dependants are a spouse alone or a spouse and two children. Each dependant after the third adds $25,000 if under 18, or $40,000 if 18 or older. The real-estate route adds the same amounts to its government fee. ^{1, 2}

A dependant relies on the main applicant as a primary source of income and fits one of the categories in the CBIU's FAQ. ^{1, 13}

• A spouse.
• A child under 18. ¹³
• A child aged 18 to 30 in full-time higher education and fully supported. ¹³
• An unmarried daughter under 25 who lives with the applicant and is fully supported. ¹³
• A child aged 18 or older with a physical or mental disability who is fully supported. ¹³
• A parent or grandparent over 65 who is substantially supported. ¹³

The CBIU draws the age line exactly: a child who is 30 can be included, and the category closes on the 31st birthday. Keep each person's date of birth beside their category while the file comes together. ¹³

What does due diligence check, and which documents do you need?

Due diligence starts with the applicant's own record. A main applicant must be at least 18 and have a clean criminal record. They also certify in writing that, other than by marriage, they will not change or seek to change their name within 5 years of receiving the certificate of naturalisation. ¹³

The CBIU's FAQ lists the grounds that block an application or reverse a grant of citizenship. ¹³

• A criminal record beyond a minor offence.
• A criminal investigation the applicant knew or should have known about and left undisclosed.
• A denial of citizenship by another country.
• A visa denial by the EU or the UK.
• A visa denial by a visa-free treaty country, unless a visa was obtained afterward.
• Being a security risk, giving false information, or activity likely to bring Dominica into disrepute.

Nationalities the program bars or restricts

The CBIU's banned nationalities page sets four rules. ¹⁴

• Belarus and Russia: nationals are banned from the program.
• Northern Iraq: all nationals from the Kurdistan region are banned, including Erbil, Amedi, Dahuk, Kirkuk, Lalish, Raniya, Soran, Sulaymaniyah and Zakho.
• North Korea, Sudan and Iran: applications are refused unless the applicant has not lived there for at least ten years, holds no substantial assets there and has not performed any business there. Enhanced due diligence for anyone who meets that test is paid by the applicant. ¹⁴
• Yemen: applications are suspended under a Government Circular dated 15 January 2024. ¹⁴

The document file

The CBIU's checklist is built around four named forms. The file also carries routine blood and urine test results, plus an HIV test result for every applicant aged 12 or above. ¹⁵

• D1, the Disclosure Form.
• D2, the Fingerprint and Photograph Verification Form, completed in front of a fingerprinting officer.
• D3, the Medical Questionnaire and Certificate, completed by a licensed medical practitioner.
• D4, the Investment Agreement, for the main applicant only. ¹⁵

Three more rules shape the paperwork. All color copies must be notarised and legalised, and a document in another language must be translated, notarised and legalised before submission. Each dependant aged 18 or over, except a spouse, needs a notarised affidavit of support. For a minor, both parents or the legal guardian sign; for an adult dependant who lacks capacity to sign, the signer provides legal proof of the right to sign. ¹⁵

How does the application work, and how long does it take?

Plan on three to six months from submission. The CBIU's guidance of 13 August 2026 gives that range for most applications, depending on how complete the documents are and how long due diligence takes. Here is the sequence. ⁴

1. 01

   Choose an Authorised Agent

   Applications reach the CBIU only through an Authorised CBI Agent. Agents keep the designation through an annual review and background checks by independent due-diligence firms. Check the firm's legal name against the CBIU's published list. ^{5, 13}

2. 02

   Assemble the file

   Gather the D1 to D4 forms and the medical results, then have copies notarised, legalised and translated where the checklist asks. The slowest record sets the pace, so order anything from another country first. ¹⁵

3. 03

   Submission and due diligence

   The agent submits the application. It carries a $1,000 processing fee, and due diligence costs $7,500 for the main applicant and $4,000 for each dependant aged 16 or above. ^{1, 2}

4. 04

   The interview

   Everyone aged 16 and over sits a mandatory interview at $1,000 each. Authorised Agents and Licensed Promoters are barred from attending or completing it for the applicant. The interview can run in the applicant's own language or another language they select. ^{1, 4}

5. 05

   Approval and naturalisation

   On the real-estate route, the government fee is charged only if the application is approved. Each person's Certificate of Naturalisation costs $500. ^{2, 1}

What does a Dominica passport mean for US travel in 2026?

Since 1 January 2026, the United States has suspended entry for nationals of Dominica as immigrants and on visitor (B-1, B-2 and B-1/B-2), student (F), vocational (M) and exchange visitor (J) visas. Presidential Proclamation 10998, signed on 16 December 2025, names Dominica. Its section on Dominica says the country has historically had citizenship by investment without residency. ³

The Proclamation also directs consular officers to reduce the validity of any other nonimmigrant visa issued to nationals of Dominica. ³

Dominica's government answered eight days after the Proclamation was signed. In the statement, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said the reforms enacted on 14 October 2025 directly address the concerns the Proclamation raised, and that the government remains in active dialogue with US authorities. ¹⁶

How to choose a route and test whether Dominica fits

Test the island before you commit to either route. Douglas-Charles (DOM), the main airport, handles commercial airlines through an updated terminal, while Canefield (DCF) serves courier services and private charters. International travelers typically connect through Antigua, Barbados, St Maarten, Puerto Rico, Guadeloupe or Martinique. ¹³

The island covers 751 square kilometers (290 square miles) between Martinique and Guadeloupe, with 148 kilometers (92 miles) of coastline and about 73,000 people. ^{7, 8} Spend ordinary days in Roseau before you decide. Buy food at the produce market, walk the Botanical Gardens, and time the whole journey from your own front door. MMT's Dominica travel guide covers the island beyond the paperwork.

In Dominica, tax follows residence. The country levies no wealth, gift, inheritance, foreign-income or capital-gains tax, and a citizen who resides there is liable for personal tax. The CBIU's August 2026 guidance tells applicants to get independent tax advice on what citizenship changes for them. ⁴ MMT's guide to citizenship, residency and tax residency takes the three apart.

Before any money moves, the household should be able to tick every line below.

• The route is priced person by person from the CBIU's pages on the filing date. ^{1, 2}
• Every visa refusal in the family's history is in the agent's hands. ¹³
• The agent's name appears on the CBIU's list of Authorised Agents. ⁵
• US travel plans are checked against Proclamation 10998. ³
• Each adult's home country permits dual citizenship. ⁴

After citizenship: renewals and ongoing requirements

A Dominica passport is generally valid for up to ten years, and a passport for a child under 16 is issued for five. Renewal runs through the Passport and Immigration Department in Dominica or any of Dominica's consulates. Three other rules follow a new citizen after the certificate arrives. ¹³

• Property: approved real estate is held for three years from the grant of citizenship before an ordinary resale, or five years if the buyer is also a citizenship by investment applicant. A citizen who sells after that period can still renew their passport. ^{2, 13}
• Name: the written promise on names runs for 5 years from the certificate of naturalisation, with marriage the one exception. ¹³
• Children: a main applicant who became a citizen through the program can add a minor child, biological or adopted, as a post-citizenship addition at any time. ¹³

Keep the certificates, the passport expiry dates and any property sale date in one file that another adult in the household can find. For the costs of a life spread across countries, MMT's global life costs and planning pages pick up where this one ends.