Caribbean citizenship by investment: the five programs compared
Information checked: October 2026. Program rules and amounts change often; check the country's current official rules.
Five Eastern Caribbean countries run citizenship by investment (CBI) programs: St. Kitts and Nevis, Grenada, Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, and St. Lucia. What they have in common: you acquire citizenship, without a long-term residence requirement, by donating to a government fund or buying into government-approved real estate.
The questions we hear most, including from Chinese nationals, are "which passport is most useful?" and "which one gets me a U.S. E-2?" This article, written from a U.S. immigration lawyer's perspective, lays out the main rules of the five programs side by side and focuses on several developments in 2024–2026 that changed the whole industry: a common minimum price across the five countries, the regional regulator ECCIRA and the 30-day residence requirement, U.S. Presidential Proclamation 10998, and changes to UK and EU visa-free access. The bottom line first: of the five, only Grenada has an E-2 treaty with the United States, and a person who obtained Grenadian citizenship through investment must also have been domiciled in Grenada for at least 3 continuous years before applying for E-2.
Our role: Wang Law Firm, LLC (David Wang, Managing Attorney) provides U.S. immigration legal services only. We are not an Authorized Agent for any country's citizenship by investment program; we do not sell programs, take program commissions, or handle citizenship or residence in other countries. By law, applications to the five programs can only be filed through government-authorized agents and are handled by local licensed lawyers or authorized agents. We can coordinate documents with them; our work is planning and applying for the U.S. visa (such as E-2) after citizenship is obtained.
1. The five programs at a glance
The two tables below are compiled from each country's official CBI website and multiple public sources. All amounts are according to 2026 public sources and show only the minimum investment or donation, excluding due diligence fees, application fees, government fees, passport fees and the like; check the country's current official rules. All five countries have changed their prices several times in short periods, so confirm the current official fee schedule with an authorized agent before filing.
Table 1: Investment routes
| Country | Donation route (according to 2026 public sources) | Real estate route and holding period | Other routes |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Kitts and Nevis | Sustainable Island State Contribution (SISC): from US$250,000 for a main applicant or a family of up to 4; additional fees for further dependants | Government-approved development from US$325,000; private home from US$600,000; the official page states resale is allowed only after 7 years | Public Benefit Option (PBO) from US$250,000 |
| Grenada | National Transformation Fund (NTF): US$235,000 for a family of up to 4 | Government-approved project at US$270,000 (shared) or US$350,000, plus government fees; by law, may not be disposed of within 5 years of obtaining citizenship | The law also provides a "significant investment" type route, with narrow application |
| Dominica | Economic Diversification Fund (EDF): US$200,000 for a single applicant; US$250,000 for a main applicant plus up to 3 dependants | Government-approved project from US$200,000, plus government fees; must be held for 3 years from citizenship, or 5 years if resold to another CBI applicant | Officially, only the donation and real estate options are listed |
| Antigua and Barbuda | National Development Fund (NDF): from US$230,000 (main applicant or a family of up to 4; larger families pay additional government processing fees, per the official fee schedule) | Government-approved real estate from US$300,000; may not be resold within 5 years of purchase (except to switch to other approved real estate) | University of the West Indies (UWI) Fund US$260,000, limited to families of 6 or more; business investment US$1.5 million for a single investor, or US$5 million combined for a joint investment |
| St. Lucia | National Economic Fund (NEF): US$240,000 for a main applicant plus up to 3 dependants | Government-approved project from US$300,000, plus an administrative fee; public sources generally cite a 5-year holding period (check official sources) | National Action Bond US$300,000, which must be registered in the applicant's name and held for 5 years, plus a non-refundable administrative fee; business projects require higher amounts |
Table 2: Family members, interviews, residence and U.S. E-2
| Country | Eligible family members (summary) | Interview | Residence / visit requirements (as of October 2026) | Can it lead to a U.S. E-2? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Kitts and Nevis | Spouse; children under 18; children aged 18–30 in full-time study and supported by the applicant; parents over 55 living with and supported by the applicant (per current official definitions) | Main applicant must be interviewed; dependants over 16 as needed | The official website currently states there is no mandatory residence requirement; the regional 30-day rule has not yet started; biometric registration of citizens has been introduced | No. No E-2 treaty |
| Grenada | Spouse; children (including dependent children aged 18–30); parents and grandparents; unmarried siblings over 18 with no children | Mandatory interview | An amendment bill would require 30 days in total over the first 5 years, and at least 5 days in the first year for each dependant, but an official notice has postponed implementation | Yes, there is an E-2 treaty (no E-1); investment citizens must first be domiciled in Grenada for 3 continuous years |
| Dominica | Spouse, children, and in some cases parents and grandparents (per official definitions) | Mandatory interview for applicants over 16 | Announced in June 2026 that citizens must collect and renew passports in person in Dominica; the regional 30-day rule has not yet started | No. No E-2 treaty; also subject to Proclamation 10998 restrictions |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Dependent children aged 0–30; dependent parents and grandparents over 55; unmarried siblings of the applicant or spouse | Applicants over 16 must be interviewed | Original rule: 5 days' visit within the first 5 years; in July 2026 the government introduced an amendment changing this to 30 days | No. No E-2 treaty; also subject to Proclamation 10998 restrictions |
| St. Lucia | Spouse; children under 21 and dependent children under 30; dependent parents over 55; unmarried siblings under 18 | According to public sources, interviews have been introduced (check official sources) | No specific day-count requirement in force found; the regional 30-day rule has not yet started | No. No E-2 treaty |
Note: family definitions vary widely between countries, and even within one country the official website, the statute and agents' materials often disagree. The table is only a summary; in any individual case, rely on the country's current law and the authorized agent's written advice. For the list of U.S. E-2 treaty countries, rely on the U.S. Department of State Treaty Countries page.
2. Regional reforms since 2024
1. A common minimum price (2024)
Beginning in March 2024, the five governments signed a Memorandum of Agreement under which, from June 30, 2024, each country's minimum CBI investment would be no less than US$200,000. They also agreed that the threshold is measured by the amount the government actually receives and applies to the application, with no "discounting" after commissions are deducted; to strengthen due diligence and information sharing; to have program funds independently audited; and to establish a regional regulator. The direct result was a wave of price increases across the five countries in 2024, and the "discount prices" and "group rates" previously common in the market are no longer permitted under the rules.
In practical terms for applicants: if someone quotes an "all-inclusive price" clearly below the official minimum, treat it as a red flag and ask whether the full amount goes into the government's account.
2. The regional regulator ECCIRA
According to public reports, the five governments signed an agreement in September 2025 establishing the Eastern Caribbean Citizenship by Investment Regulatory Authority (ECCIRA), headquartered in Grenada. According to public reports, the five countries have passed domestic legislation giving effect to the agreement, and ECCIRA begins operating 30 days after the fifth country deposits its instrument of ratification. Under the agreement and each country's implementing amendments, ECCIRA will:
- set common standards for due diligence, interviews and biometric collection;
- build a shared regional database of applicants, refusals, agents, developers and others;
- license agents, developers, due diligence firms and others, with power to require audits and impose penalties;
- according to the text of Grenada's amendment, an applicant refused by one country may not reapply to another participating country without ECCIRA's written consent.
Current status: as of late September 2026, public reports differ on whether ECCIRA is formally operating; a notice issued by Investment Migration Agency Grenada in August 2026 states clearly that the related regional obligations take effect only after the regulator is actually operating and the countries jointly set a start date. Before filing, check each country's official notices.
3. The 30-day residence requirement
The ECCIRA framework requires new citizens to have a "genuine link" with the country, and each country is turning that into a specific number of days of physical presence. As of the date checked:
- Grenada: the Citizenship by Investment (Amendment) Bill considered by Parliament in July 2026 requires the family to spend a combined 30 days physically in Grenada during the first 5 calendar years after citizenship, and each dependant included in the application to spend at least 5 days there within the first 12 months after citizenship; the first passport would be valid for 5 years, with a 10-year passport issued only once the requirement is met. The original start date was August 31, 2026, but Investment Migration Agency Grenada Notice No. 2 of 2026 postponed it until ECCIRA is operating and the countries agree on a start date. The bill also allows the Minister to apply the new rules to pending applications.
- Antigua and Barbuda: the existing rule is 5 days' visit within the first 5 years after citizenship; in July 2026 the government introduced an amendment in Parliament to change this to 30 days, and the Prime Minister told Parliament that the 30-day standard is already being applied administratively.
- Dominica: according to public reports, the Prime Minister announced in June 2026 that citizens by investment must now collect and renew their passports in person in Dominica; as of the date checked, no formal implementing rules or start date for the regional 30-day rule had been published.
- St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia: as of the date checked, we found no specific day-count requirement in force; St. Kitts already requires citizens by investment to complete biometric registration. Both countries are likewise bound by the ECCIRA framework; check each country's official notices.
Note that the 30 days here is a condition for keeping citizenship and renewing the passport, which is entirely different from the "3 continuous years of domicile" required for a U.S. E-2. Even once the 30 days are met, that falls far short of the 3-year domicile requirement under U.S. law.
3. How U.S. Proclamation 10998 affects Antigua and Dominica
Presidential Proclamation 10998 was signed on December 16, 2025 and took effect January 1, 2026, expanding earlier entry restrictions on nationals of certain countries. Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica were listed as partially restricted countries, with one stated reason being that both "have historically had citizenship by investment programs without residence requirements." Under the text of the proclamation:
- entry of nationals of these two countries as immigrants, and on B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M and J visas, is suspended;
- other nonimmigrant visas are not suspended, but consular officers must reduce visa validity to the extent permitted by law;
- the proclamation contains exceptions, for example for dual nationals traveling on a passport of a non-restricted country and for those who held a valid visa before January 1, 2026; how they apply depends on the Department of State's implementation;
- the Secretary of State must report to the President every 180 days recommending whether to continue, terminate, modify or supplement the restrictions.
The Department of State later adjusted its visa reciprocity tables for both countries: according to the Department's page when checked, B-1/B-2, F and J visas for Dominican nationals are valid for 3 months with a single entry. The proclamation itself provides that visas issued before its effective date are not revoked by it. In December 2025 both governments said publicly that they had reached arrangements with the U.S. side on travel by valid visa holders, but as of the date checked we found no official U.S. document lifting or modifying the restrictions on these two countries.
Relevance to E-2: E visas are not within the proclamation's suspension, but that is of no practical help to Antiguan or Dominican passport holders, because neither country is an E-2 treaty country in the first place. For people who already hold either passport, the more practical effect is the restriction on U.S. visitor, family-visit and student visas. In addition, since 2025 the United States has adopted other visa-processing pauses affecting certain countries, which change frequently; verify the latest rules before filing for any U.S. visa.
4. Changes in UK, Schengen and other visa-free access
"How many countries the passport can visit visa-free" is often used as a selling point, but in recent years this is exactly what has changed the most. Below we list only items we could verify from official or multiple sources:
- UK–Dominica: the UK has required visas for Dominican nationals since July 19, 2023; the UK government's explanation expressly referred to its review of Dominica's citizenship by investment program.
- UK–St. Lucia: the UK has required St. Lucian nationals to obtain visit visas (including direct airside transit visas) since March 5, 2026; the St. Lucian government has issued a statement and engaged with the UK.
- UK–the other three: as of the date checked, we found no official UK announcement ending visa-free access for St. Kitts and Nevis, Grenada, or Antigua and Barbuda; before traveling, use the UK government's "Check if you need a UK visa" page.
- EU Schengen area: the EU's revised visa suspension mechanism (Regulation (EU) 2025/2441) took effect December 30, 2025, and lists operating a citizenship by investment program as one ground for suspending visa-free access. According to statements by the governments concerned and public reports (the European Commission has not published the full letters), the Commission wrote to the five countries on June 25, 2026, asking them to end their CBI programs by June 1, 2028 and to strengthen vetting during the transition; the five have responded jointly and are seeking dialogue. As of the date checked, according to public sources the five passports still allow short-term visa-free entry to the Schengen area, but the outlook is clearly uncertain. The EU has previously suspended visa-free access for Vanuatu.
Visa-free treatment is decided unilaterally by the destination country and can change at any time. Rely on the destination government's official pages, not on agents' marketing or "visa-free countries" rankings, when making decisions.
5. Due diligence and common reasons for refusal
All five countries run background checks on the main applicant and adult dependants, and in recent years most have added interviews and biometric collection. Common negative factors include:
- Unclear source of funds: gaps in the chain of funds, large cash amounts, funds inconsistent with occupational income, or remittances through nominees or informal channels;
- Criminal or investigation records: including ongoing investigations, undisclosed litigation, and links to sanctioned parties;
- False statements or concealment: failing to disclose prior visa refusals, denied entry, removals, or citizenship or residence applications in other countries;
- Politically exposed person (PEP) status or high-risk industries not adequately explained;
- Restricted nationalities: some countries restrict or apply extra scrutiny to applicants of certain nationalities (Antigua, for example, publishes an official list of restricted countries), and according to public reports several countries have at times suspended applications from certain nationalities;
- Interview answers inconsistent with the written file.
Under the ECCIRA framework, refusal records are expected to be shared among the five countries, leaving less and less room to "just try another country." The same issues may also come up later in a U.S. visa application, for example in the DS-160 questions about visa refusals or denied entry by other countries.
6. A reminder about PRC nationality law
Article 3 of the Nationality Law of the People's Republic of China provides: "The People's Republic of China does not recognize dual nationality for any Chinese national." Article 9 provides: "Any Chinese national who has settled abroad and who has been naturalized as a foreign national or has acquired foreign nationality of his own free will shall automatically lose Chinese nationality."
A Chinese citizen who acquires Caribbean citizenship may face follow-on issues involving Chinese nationality, household registration (hukou), use of a Chinese passport, how to enter and leave China, and property, financial assets, inheritance and social insurance in China. These are questions of Chinese law, and the effects vary from person to person; we recommend consulting a Chinese legal professional before deciding. Our firm does not advise on Chinese law.
7. How to think about it from a U.S. planning perspective
- Be clear about your goal first. If your main goal is a U.S. E-2, only Grenada among the five qualifies as a treaty country, and an investment citizen must have been continuously domiciled in Grenada for at least 3 years at some point before applying for E-2. If your goal is travel convenience or asset allocation, the U.S. E-2 is only a secondary consideration.
- Factor in the time. Processing the citizenship, actually living in Grenada for 3 years, preparing the U.S. business and applying for E-2 add up to a plan measured in years; family, work and children's education need to be arranged well in advance.
- Organize your source of funds once. Both the citizenship application and the E-2 application require proof of the lawful source of funds, and the explanation for the same money should be consistent across both.
- Watch policy risk. U.S. proclamations, EU visa-free access and regional residence rules may all change while your case is in process; leave room for that when deciding.
- Consider other U.S. pathways. Depending on your situation, routes that don't require third-country citizenship, such as EB-5 investor immigration or L-1 intracompany executives, may be more direct.
Frequently asked questions
Which of the five Caribbean passports can be used to apply for a U.S. E-2?
Only Grenada. According to the Department of State's treaty country list, Grenada's E-2 treaty with the United States has been in force since March 3, 1989 (E-1 does not apply to Grenada). St. Kitts and Nevis, Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, and St. Lucia are not E-2 treaty countries. Rely on the Department of State page for the treaty list.
Can I apply for E-2 as soon as I get a Grenadian passport?
Generally, no. A law passed in December 2022 amended the Immigration and Nationality Act: a person who acquired treaty-country nationality through a financial investment, and who has not previously held E status, must have been domiciled in that country for at least 3 continuous years before applying for an E visa. See Grenada citizenship by investment and the U.S. E-2.
Does the 30-day residence requirement satisfy the U.S. 3-year requirement?
No. The 30 days is a visit requirement set by Grenada and other countries for keeping citizenship and renewing passports; U.S. law requires 3 continuous years of domicile in the country, meaning the country is your real, fixed center of life. The two standards and purposes are completely different.
Can I still travel to the United States on an Antiguan or Dominican passport?
Proclamation 10998 suspended entry of nationals of these two countries on immigrant visas and B, F, M and J visas, and reduced the validity of other nonimmigrant visas, with several exceptions. If you also hold a valid passport of a non-restricted country, whether the dual-national exception applies depends on the facts. The proclamation is reviewed every 180 days; rely on the Department of State's current announcements.
The EU wants the programs ended by 2028. Will a passport obtained now become invalid?
The EU measures target visa-free Schengen access for the country's nationals, not whether passports already issued remain valid. As of the date checked, the EU has not suspended visa-free access for the five countries, but it has expressly made CBI programs a ground for suspension. What happens next depends on the countries' negotiations with the EU and cannot be predicted.
Can you handle my Grenadian or other citizenship application?
No. Our firm is not an Authorized Agent for any country's CBI program, does not handle citizenship or residence in other countries, and takes no program commissions. By law, applications to the five programs must be filed through government-authorized agents. While the authorized agent or local lawyer you engage handles the citizenship application, we can advise on the feasibility and timing of a U.S. E-2 or other visa and coordinate documents.
How can I tell whether an agent is authorized?
Each of the five countries' official CBI bodies publishes a list of authorized agents on its website (for example, the St. Kitts Citizenship Unit and Investment Migration Agency Grenada). You can check the firm's name and license directly on the official website and confirm that payments go into the officially designated account.
Official sources
- St. Kitts and Nevis Citizenship Unit
- Investment Migration Agency Grenada
- Dominica Citizenship by Investment Unit (CBIU)
- Antigua and Barbuda Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU)
- St. Lucia Citizenship by Investment Program (CIP Saint Lucia)
- U.S. Department of State: Treaty Countries (E-1/E-2 treaty list)
- U.S. Department of State: visa reciprocity by country
- Federal Register: full text of Presidential Proclamation 10998 (PDF)
- UK government: Check if you need a UK visa
- UK government: HC 1715 explanatory memorandum (Dominica visa requirement)
- Government of St. Lucia: statement on the UK visa requirement
- Regulation (EU) 2025/2441 (revised visa suspension mechanism)
- Nationality Law of the People's Republic of China (Hong Kong Immigration Department)
Related reading
- Grenada citizenship by investment and the U.S. E-2
- Applying for E-2 through third-country citizenship
- E-2 investor visa: requirements, and the third-country citizenship route
- Turkey citizenship by investment
- EB-5 investor immigration
Before putting money into a third-country citizenship, it makes sense to confirm first that the U.S. side will work: your industry, investment amount, source of funds, family plans, and what the 3-year residence requirement would mean for you. Book an attorney assessment; David Wang can work with you in English, Chinese or French.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Our firm provides U.S. immigration legal services only and is not an authorized agent for any citizenship by investment program; for citizenship or residence in other countries, consult a local licensed lawyer or a government-authorized agent.