Caribbean citizenship
Data current as of July 2026
Dominica citizenship
by investment
One of the oldest citizenship by investment programmes in the world, running since 1993 under the Citizenship by Investment Act. A contribution from $200,000 to the Economic Diversification Fund, or an investment in approved real estate, secures a passport for the whole family on a single application. No residency is required before or after the grant, and the entire process runs remotely.
Visa-free access to 145+ countries
Benefits of Dominica citizenship
A Dominica passport gives freedom of movement, a regime with no tax on worldwide income or capital, and a status that passes to children and grandchildren.
How the programme works
Legal basis, regulator and how applications are filed
What the passport gives you
The practical value for the main applicant and dependants
Dominica citizenship cost and investment options
The programme offers two investment routes. Below we set out each one, list every associated fee, and give the full cost for a family of four with nothing left out.
Investment options
Two routes approved by the Citizenship by Investment Unit
Associated fees
Payable separately from the investment and non-refundable if the application is declined
Total cost for a family of four
Based on two spouses and two children under 16. Government costs only, excluding agent fees. Children under 16 pay no due diligence fee and attend no interview.
Eligibility criteria for Dominica citizenship
The programme sets requirements on age, character and the origin of your capital. A separate restriction applies by nationality, so we start there.
Who cannot apply
The restriction applies by nationality, with case-by-case review available for some countries
Requirements for the main applicant
Verified at the due diligence stage for every person on the application
Do you need to visit Dominica
There are no residency requirements and the whole process runs remotely
Including family members in your application
A single application covers the main applicant and up to three dependants. Each additional person adds to the budget through a contribution top-up and a due diligence fee.
Who undergoes due diligence
Documents required for Dominica citizenship
A separate file is prepared for the main applicant and for each dependant. Below are the main document groups set by the regulator and the formalities each must meet.
Personal documents
Character and health
Funds and employment
Application process and timeline
Seven stages from the first consultation to the passport. The process runs remotely and no visit to Dominica is required at any point.
Case assessment and choosing an agent
Collecting and legalising documents
Filing through the agent
Due diligence and interview
Approval in principle
Making the investment
Certificate of naturalisation and passport
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.
Taxes, residency and obligations
Dominica citizenship alone does not change your tax residency and does not require you to relocate. Below is what the passport actually gives you and which obligations stay in place.
When tax residency begins
Taxes in Dominica
Residency requirements
Passport renewal
Risks, limitations and what the passport does not give
The programme does not suit everyone, and a refusal costs more than the fees already paid. Below are the grounds for refusal and the limits of what the passport delivers.
Grounds for refusal
What most often leads to a negative decision
of funds
background
inconsistent file
elsewhere
biometrics
A refusal in one country is recorded and taken into account by its neighbours. Assessing your case before submission matters more than moving quickly.
What the passport does not give
Expectations the programme does not meet
Who the programme is not for
Situations where another route makes more sense
Recent programme updates and what may change next
Programme terms are revised regularly, so plan with headroom
How Finextwin supports your application
We run the process from the first assessment through to the passport, and beyond that when company and banking questions arise.
What we do that Caribbean providers do not
A passport is rarely the end goal. Behind it sit business 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
Dominica is not the only option and not always the best one. Below it sits alongside four comparable Caribbean programmes, including the measures where Dominica comes second.
in one application
siblings included
threshold
US E-2 visa
running since 1984
eligibility
processing
Other Caribbean programmes
We will match a programme to your situation, family and 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 a request and we will look at your case in person.
Book a consultationNo agent can guarantee that citizenship will be granted. The decision rests with the Citizenship by Investment Unit following due diligence, and it cannot be influenced. Any provider promising a guaranteed outcome should be treated with caution. What we can do is assess your case before submission, prepare a complete and accurate file, and address the issues that most commonly lead to refusal.
The programme is closed to nationals of Russia, Belarus, Northern Iraq including Kurdistan, and Yemen. The ban on Russia and Belarus has applied since March 2022. Applications from Iranian nationals were suspended in March 2026. Nationals of Iran, North Korea and Sudan may be reviewed individually where they have not resided in the country for at least 10 years, hold no significant assets there and carry on no business activity there.
No. Dominica permits dual citizenship and does not require you to renounce your existing passport. There is no language test and no examination on the country history. Do check the rules in your own country: Kazakhstan, for example, does not recognise a second citizenship, so the restriction there comes from your current state rather than from Dominica.
As of July 2026, no. The whole process runs remotely, including the mandatory interview by video link. No travel is needed either to file or to receive the passport. The regional regulator ECCIRA has announced a minimum stay requirement, but implementation has been postponed more than once. We check the current position before submission.
On the fund route, from $266,500 for two spouses and two children under 16. That covers the $250,000 contribution, $11,500 in due diligence and $5,000 in other fees. The real estate route starts at $316,500, because a $100,000 government fee is added. Agent fees, legal work on the transaction and document legalisation are not included.
The main applicant and every dependant aged 16 and over. Children under 16 are neither screened nor charged, which noticeably lowers the budget for families with younger children. The cost is $7,500 for the main applicant and $4,000 for each of the others. Screening runs on four tiers: criminal history, source of funds and source of wealth, politically exposed person status, and international lists. Enhanced due diligence is ordered for certain categories and is billed separately.
The passport is issued for 10 years, and for 5 years for children under 16. Citizenship itself is granted for life and does not expire; only the document is renewed. Renewal is handled remotely through Dominica consulates or an authorised agent, with no need to travel. It takes up to four weeks.
A child born after the grant acquires Dominica citizenship by descent. The child must be registered: for a child under five the processing fee is $500. Citizenship passes to subsequent generations too, with no limit on how many.
No. Visa-free entry to the United Kingdom was withdrawn in July 2023, and a visa must now be obtained in advance. Since 1 January 2026 the United States has suspended the issue of tourist, student and exchange visas to Dominican nationals, along with all immigrant visas. The restriction does not affect anyone who obtained a visa earlier. The Dominica government is negotiating its removal. If travel to the US is critical for you, consider St Kitts and Nevis, Grenada or Saint Lucia, none of which is affected.
The Dominica programme offers no paid fast-track, which sets it apart from St Kitts and Nevis. The official processing time is 3-4 months, and the full cycle to passport in hand is 6-9 months. Only the preparatory stage can realistically be shortened: police clearance certificates take 2-3 months to obtain in most countries, so document collection starts with those. An incomplete or inconsistent file is the main cause of delay.
the budget and assess
your eligibility
We will tell you straight if the programme is not right for you.
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