Caribbean citizenship
Information current as of July 2026
Antigua and Barbuda citizenship by investment
Running since 2013 under the Citizenship by Investment Act, the programme covers a family of up to four on a single application for a contribution of $230,000 to the National Development Fund.
The process is handled remotely, with just five days in the country required during your first five years as a citizen.
Visa-free travel to over 150 destinations
What Antigua and Barbuda citizenship gives you
An Antigua and Barbuda passport opens up visa-free access to the UK and the Schengen Area, a zero-tax regime on worldwide income and capital, and the broadest family eligibility rules in the Caribbean.
How the programme works
Legal basis, governing authority and how to apply
What the passport gives you
The practical benefits for you and your family
Antigua and Barbuda citizenship costs
The programme offers four investment routes. Below we set out the two most widely used, list every government fee that applies and give a full costing for a family of four, with nothing left off the bill.
Investment options
The main routes approved by the Citizenship by Investment Unit
Additional fees
Payable separately from the investment. Due diligence fees are not refunded if an application is refused
Total cost for a family of four
Costed for a couple with two children under 12. Government costs only, excluding agent fees. Children under 12 pay no due diligence fee.
Who can apply
The programme sets conditions on age, reputation and the source of your capital. Separate restrictions apply on the basis of nationality.
Restricted nationalities
Most nationalities on the list can still be considered on a case-by-case basis
Requirements for the main applicant
Verified for every person named on the application
Do you need to visit the country
The application is remote, but five days in the country over five years are compulsory
Citizenship for the whole family
A contribution of $230,000 covers the main applicant and up to three dependants, with no increase in the sum. From the fifth person onwards, a government fee of $10,000 per head applies.
Documents required for Antigua and Barbuda citizenship
A separate file is compiled for the main applicant and for each dependant. Below are the main categories of document and the rules on how each must be certified.
Stages and timelines to passport
Seven stages from the first consultation to the passport in hand. Applying and receiving the status are both handled remotely.
Let us calculate the cost for your family
The final amount depends on your family composition, the ages of your children and the investment option you choose. We will prepare a full estimate covering every fee and check whether the programme suits your situation.
Tax, residency and ongoing obligations
Antigua and Barbuda citizenship alone does not change your tax residency, though it does carry a minimum presence requirement. Below is what the passport gives you and what you remain accountable for.
When tax residency applies
Tax in Antigua and Barbuda
Presence requirement
Passport renewal
Risks and limitations
The programme is not right for everyone, and a refusal costs more than the fees already spent.
Below is what leads to refusal and what the passport does not give you.
Grounds for refusal
The most common reasons an application is turned down
of funds
background
inconsistent file
previous refusal
health
A refusal in one country is recorded and taken into account by its neighbours. Getting the assessment right before submission matters far more than moving fast.
What the passport does not give you
Expectations the programme does not meet
Who the programme is not for
Situations where another route makes more sense
What has changed and what may change next
Programme terms are revised regularly, so plan with room to spare
What our service covers
We run the process from the first assessment through to the passport, and stay on afterwards for company and banking work.
What Caribbean providers do not offer
A passport is rarely the end in itself. Behind it sit commercial questions: where to hold the company, where to open an account, how to structure it all. We handle those with the same team that ran your application.
Alternative citizenship programmes
Antigua and Barbuda is not the only option, and not always the best one. Below is a comparison against four comparable Caribbean programmes, including the points where Antigua comes off worse.
included
siblings included
eligibility
running since 1984
US E-2 visa
threshold
processing
Other Caribbean programmes
We will match a programme to your circumstances, your family and your budget
Cases from our practice
Three situations with different budgets, family structures and objectives. We show not just the outcome but what was discussed at the outset.
Real cases from our practice. Client names and outcomes are published with their consent.
St Kitts and Nevis A family of four, a plan B without relocating
The owner of a logistics company in Turkey, an Iranian national. Two children, aged 16 and 11. Relocation was never the point: the business stays where it is, and he wanted a second passport so as not to depend on a single visa basket and to travel freely to Europe and Asia. He was weighing St Kitts against Grenada and leaning towards Grenada on price.
Solution: We costed the full budget for four under both programmes. The gap was narrower than expected, while St Kitts won on passport strength and on how quickly banks recognise it. We went with the fund contribution. Two points were flagged separately: police clearance certificates from Iran and Turkey had to be started first, and the elder son would age out within eighteen months, so there was no room to delay. Biometrics were combined with a business trip to Dubai.
I was convinced Grenada would come out noticeably cheaper and had almost decided. Once both estimates were laid out with every fee, the difference was not enough to justify losing passport quality. My son turning sixteen had not crossed my mind at all, so thank you for saying it straight away rather than once we had already gathered half the paperwork.
Grenada A single applicant, the goal was business in the US
A developer from Serbia with his own fintech product, his main market being the US. He wanted to set up a company there and run it in person, but no work visa fitted his case on a Serbian passport. He came asking about St Kitts, simply because he had heard of it most.
Solution: St Kitts did not solve his problem. Grenada holds a treaty of commerce and navigation with the US, and that is what opens the door to an E-2 investor visa. We rebuilt the plan: Grenadian citizenship first, then a US company and the visa application. We were upfront that the passport does not grant the visa, that the consulate decides, and that the process would take several more months after citizenship. That was exactly what he had expected.
I came for one thing and left with another, and it turned out to be right. They could have simply sold me what I asked for and I would never have realised I had bought the wrong thing. What I particularly valued was being told straight about the visa: no guarantees, the consulate decides. After two consultations elsewhere where I was promised practically everything at once, that came as a surprise.
Vanuatu A married couple, budget and timing decided everything
A couple from Kazakhstan, both self-employed: he consults on industrial automation, she runs a small agency. They needed a second document for travel and for opening accounts, with no tie to any particular country. Caribbean programmes were outside their budget, and they did not want to wait six months: a trip was already booked for the autumn, and that was the whole reason behind it.
Solution: On those terms Vanuatu suited them better than anything else: markedly cheaper, with processing measured in weeks rather than months. We set out the limitations at once so there would be no disappointment: the passport is weaker than the Caribbean ones on visa-free access and will not get you into the Schengen area. For their purposes that was acceptable, but the decision was made with eyes open. Documents were gathered in three weeks and both passports arrived together.
We understood that for this money we would not get a passport on the level of St Kitts, and we did not need one. What mattered more was that nobody tried to sell us something pricier and we were told honestly where Vanuatu falls short. The Schengen point was explained upfront, before we had paid anything. My wife was anxious about the timing, but it came in even faster than promised.
Frequently asked questions
If your question is not answered here, send us an enquiry and we will look at your situation individually.
Book a consultationNo agent can guarantee that citizenship will be granted. The decision rests with the Citizenship by Investment Unit following due diligence, and no one can influence it. Any provider promising a guaranteed outcome should be treated with caution. What genuinely reduces the risk is an honest assessment of your case before submission and full disclosure of anything due diligence would uncover in any event.
Restrictions apply to nationals of six countries: Afghanistan, Iran, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. The list was approved by Cabinet decision of 26 February 2020. An application remains possible where the person left the country before reaching the age of majority, or has held permanent residence elsewhere for at least 10 years and retains no economic ties there. Russian and Belarusian applications have been suspended since March 2023. A licensed agent assesses each case before anything is submitted.
No. Antigua and Barbuda recognises dual citizenship, so you keep your existing passport. There is no language test and no test on the country itself. Do check whether your own country permits dual citizenship, as some require you to notify them of a second passport or restrict it altogether.
Not to apply or to receive the status: the whole process runs remotely through a licensed agent, with the interview held by video call. Once citizenship is granted, however, you must spend at least five days in the country during your first five years. A single trip covers it. Where the requirement is not met, the Unit may refuse to renew the passport and revoke the status, and the investment is not returned.
On the National Development Fund route, from $264,700 for a couple with two children under 12. That covers the $230,000 contribution, a $20,000 government fee, $13,500 in due diligence and four passport fees at $300 each. On the property route, from $334,700. Children aged 12-17 add $2,000 each, and dependants aged 18 and over and parents aged 55 and over add $4,000 each. Agent fees, translation and legalisation of documents are not included.
The main applicant and every dependant over the age of 11. The fees are $8,500 for the main applicant, $5,000 for a spouse, $2,000 for children aged 12-17, and $4,000 each for dependants aged 18 to 30 and parents aged 55 and over. Children under 12 are exempt. The full amount is paid on submission and is not returned if the application is refused. Checks are carried out by independent international firms.
The passport is issued for five years. Citizenship itself is granted for life and does not expire; only the document is renewed. Renewal is granted provided you have spent at least five days in the country during those five years. This sets Antigua apart from most Caribbean programmes, where renewal is a formality.
Citizenship passes to children and grandchildren by descent. A child born after the grant can be added to the main applicant's file: the fee is $10,000 for a child under 5 and $25,000 for a child aged 6 to 17. Due diligence at the applicable age rate and a $300 passport fee are payable on top.
The UK, yes, with an electronic travel authorisation for stays of up to 180 days. The United States, no. Partial visa restrictions have applied to Antiguan nationals since 1 January 2026, affecting new applications for visitor, business, student and immigrant visas. Visas issued before 31 December 2025 remain valid. If travel to the US matters to you, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis or Saint Lucia are worth considering, as none of them were affected.
The National Development Fund takes a non-refundable $230,000 and is the quickest route. Property starts at $300,000 and can be resold after five years. The University of the West Indies Fund is $260,000 including fees, open only to families of six or more, with a one-year scholarship for one family member. Business investment starts at $1,500,000 as a sole investor, or $5,000,000 jointly with each participant putting in at least $400,000.
There is no fast-track route available for an additional fee. The only real way to shorten the timeline is the quality of preparation: a complete file with no inconsistencies clears due diligence faster. The Unit works to a target of 3-6 months, and complex cases can run to eight. The contribution is made after approval and strictly within 30 days.
the budget and assess
your eligibility
We will tell you straight if the programme is not right for you.
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